STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER JONATHAN S. ADELSTEIN
Re: Implementation of the NET 911 Act, WC Docket No. 08-171
Since the earliest days of this Commission, promoting our nation’s public safety through 
communications has been our highest calling.  In recent years, the migration of communications 
networks to IP-based technology has created both opportunities and challenges for public safety 
and emergency communications.  Responding to technological and marketplace changes, this 
Commission made clear three years ago that consumers of interconnected VoIP services deserve 
access to life saving 911 and E911 services.  With the passage of the “NET 911 Improvement Act 
of 2008” (NET 911 Act), Congress reaffirmed this mandate and charged us with an active role in 
transitioning to an IP-enabled emergency communications network.
Finding that more than 9 million consumers use VoIP services as a substitute for 
traditional telephony, Congress directed the Commission to ensure that providers of IP-enabled 
voice services comply with 911 and E911 obligations and that these providers have access to the 
capabilities necessary to provide 911 and E911 services.  By opening this proceeding today, we 
take the first step toward implementing Congress’s directive.  
I am pleased that we now seek comment in a neutral and balanced fashion on the specific 
rights and obligations imposed by Congress in the NET 911 Act.  Though I expect to hear 
differing opinions on how to implement these statutory provisions – and, indeed, we have much 
work to do to meet Congress’s 90-day statutory deadline – we must remain committed to making 
E911 a success for these increasingly important services and for the consumers who reach for that 
critical lifeline in their time of need.  Additionally, I note that while there are a number of E911 
compliance and policy questions raised by dual-mode mobile commercial mobile radio 
service/VoIP handsets that use Wi-Fi technology, these issues are more appropriately addressed 
in a separate proceeding.  Indeed, at least one party sought clarification on the Commission’s 
policies on E911 requirements for IP-enabled service providers several years ago.1 By attempting 
to append these issues here, we risking diverting this Notice from the core issues, potentially 
making it more difficult to reach the 90-day statutory deadline.   
Nevertheless, I approve this item and look forward to working with representatives of the 
public safety community, providers, and all interested stakeholders to implement this Act quickly 
and ensure that E911 services remain robust and reliable.
  
1 See T-Mobile Petition, supra note 18.