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 PRESS  STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  KATHLEEN  Q.  ABERNATHY 
 Re:  IP-  Enabled  Services,  WC  Docket  No.  04-  36,  First  Report  and  Order;  E911  Requirements  for  IP-  Enabled  Service  Providers,  WC  Docket  No.  05-  196,  Notice  of 
 Proposed  Rulemaking. 


 The  most  basic  duty  this  Commission  has  is  to  assure  that  its  rules  and  policies  promote  public  safety.  This  responsibility  is  particularly  acute 
 where,  as  in  this  case,  consumers  act  on  the  reasonable  expectation  that  new  technology  has  the  same  capabilities  as  existing  technology. 


 The  item  we  have  adopted  today  will  enable  us  to  deal  with  the  critically  important  issue  of  making  E911  available  on  all  Voice  over  Internet 
 telephone  services. 
 No  one  can  make  right  the  tragic  instances  that  we  have  heard  our  witnesses  recount  today.  But  we  must  do  what  we  can,  as  soon  as  we 
 can,  to  make  sure  such  needless  losses  don’t  recur  as  more  and  more  people  subscribe  to  this  service  –  a  service  that  is  a  critical  piece  of  our 
 communications  infrastructure. 
 This  item  takes  a  giant  step  forward  in  bringing  about  911  capability  by  all  VoIP  providers.  Just  as  important,  it  will  help  safeguard  consumers 
 in  the  interim  prior  to  full  implementation  by  requiring  all  VoIP  providers  to  affirmatively  warn  consumers  of  current  limitations  in  E911 
 availability. 
 The  road  to  full  compliance  will  not  be  easy,  and  the  Commission  will  almost  certainly  be  called  on  to  take  further  steps  to  bring  it  about.  But 
 we  have  begun  the  process  by  setting  forth  in  clear  and  unambiguous  terms  the  responsibilities  of  all  the  parties  who  must  work  together  to 
 make  it  happen.  And  the  very  specific  consumer  advisory  rules  that  we  are  imposing  on  all  VoIP  providers  in  the  interim  should  help  prevent 
 future  tragedies  like  those  we  have  heard  recounted  first-  hand  today. 
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 Can  we  wave  a  magic  wand  and  make  all  VoIP  devices  E911-  capable  immediately?  Unfortunately  no,  we  can’t.  We  know  there  will  be  a 
 number  of  situations  in  which  making  the  technology  work  is  going  to  prove  very  challenging.  And  we  do  not  want  to  prevent  new,  lower  cost 
 communication  alternatives  from  being  offered  to  consumers.  But  if  our  item  today  stands  for  making  E911  service  available  on  all  Voice  over 
 Internet  telephones,  and  will  provide  consumers  with  the  information  they  need  to  use  the  right  communications  technology  in  an  emergency. 


 No  one  can  make  right  the  tragic  instances  told  to  us  by  the  witnesses  who  appeared  before  us  today.  But  we  must  do  what  we  can,  as  soon  as 
 we  can,  to  make  sure  such  needless  losses  don’t  recur  as  more  and  more  people  subscribe  to  VoIP  service. 


 The  road  to  full  compliance  will  not  be  easy,  and  the  Commission  will  almost  certainly  be  called  on  to  take  further  steps  to  bring  it  about.  But 
 the  important  thing  is  that  with  this  item  we  have  begun,  setting  forth  in  anything,  it  stands  for  the  fact  that  this  Commission  is  united  in  solving 
 whatever  problems,  and  doing  whatever  is  necessary,  to  make  sure  that  Americans  will  be  empowered,  not  hurt,  by  this  technology  that  can 
 otherwise  offer  them  so  many  advantages. 
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