FCC To Require 911 for VoIP

Thu Apr 28 22:55:17 UTC 2005

On 29-apr-2005, at 0:17, Owen DeLong wrote:

> Someone should show them some of the 802.11 based "cellular-like" SIP
> phones and ask them how exactly they plan to get good geolocation data
> for 911 on those and the soft-phone in my laptop.

> Who exactly will I be talking to when I dial 911 from an internet cafe
> in Puerto Vallarta through my Virgina VOIP account with a California
> Billing address?

You're absolutely right. I submit that if the US government wants  
location information for VoIP 911 calls, they should create an  
infrastructure that allows people to determine their location. Your  
example shows that this infrastructure should also be available  
outside the US. Maybe a satellite network that continuously transmit  
location beacon information which can be used to triangulate one's  
location would do the trick?