Federal Communications Commission	"FCC  XX-XXX"


STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER BRENDAN CARR

Re: 	Implementing Kari’s Law and Section 506 of RAY BAUM’S Act, PS Docket No. 18-261; Inquiry Concerning 911 Access, Routing, and Location in Enterprise Communications Systems, PS Docket No. 17-239; Amending the Definition of Interconnected VoIP Service in Section 9.3 of the Commission’s Rules, GN Docket No. 11-117.

I have no idea what it’s like to lose a child.  I hope never to find out.  My sons are the reason why I get up in the morning; my wife and I structure our lives around them, around their needs, around giving them every opportunity for joy, and learning, and growth.  That’s what parents do.  To lose one of our little ones would be beyond words, beyond “devastating” or “tragic.”  Strong people could be swallowed by those emotions.

Hank and DJ Hunt did something different when they lost Kari.  They made a promise.  In Hank’s words, “I made a promise to a nine-year-old,” his granddaughter, “that I’d fix it.  Boy I was scared to death I’d never be able to hold up that promise, but I found the right people to help me with that.”

Hank was being modest.  The truth is Hank went to state legislators, he went to governors, including his own, Governor Abbott.  He brought Commissioner Pai down to Texas and worked with him to push industry reform and change the FCC’s own phone system.  I watched with my own eyes as Hank buttonholed a Congressman to explain the problem that many didn’t understand.  The phone systems in large complexes such as hotels, offices, or schools often didn’t allow for direct dial 9-1-1 calls.  When 9-1-1 calls did go through, there weren’t proper notifications to staff at the complexes, and staff often weren’t trained on how to handle those emergencies.  “We don’t teach our children to dial an extra digit or pre-fix number.  We teach them to call 9-1-1,” Hank said.  “Your phone’s already capable of doing it.  Make your phone work.  Just make it work.”

Hank kept at it.  He started an online petition that gained more than 600,000 supporters.  Illinois, Maryland, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee changed their laws.  Hank was in Austin when Governor Abbott signed a version of Kari’s Law for Texas.  And on February 9, 2018—Kari’s 36th birthday—Congress passed Kari’s Law for our entire country.  Of course Hank was there, in the Oval Office, when President Trump signed it into law.

As passage of Kari’s Law in Congress became certain, Hank for a moment could reflect on the journey from his loss to the accomplishment of protecting so many Americans.  “It’s going to be hard to figure out what to do the next day when I get up,” he said, “because every day for the past four years has been: Kari’s Law, who do I need to contact, who do I need to call, am I supposed to be anywhere?”  That was a year-and-a-half ago, and Hank’s still at it.  He has appeared in PSAs to encourage schools to comply with Kari’s Law at the state level, and it is our great honor to welcome him to the Commission today as we implement at the federal level the law he fought so hard for.

Hank, we are sorry for what DJ and you have gone through.  We thank you for your astounding strength and perseverance through all of it—and for turning your loss into help for others.  It is because of your efforts that we apply Kari’s Law today.  Your daughter’s memory will save the lives of other sons and daughters, who will never know you but will be blessed by your family’s contributions to our country.  And so it’s a privilege to vote for your work in memory of Kari.  You have my gratitude, and the item has my strong support.	

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