Will 911 know where you are if you call from a VoIP phone?
Summary
It should, but what 911 receives depends on how the phone is used. A fixed VoIP phone must send its full location, down to floor or room, automatically with every 911 call. A softphone or portable phone sends a location automatically only when that is technically feasible; otherwise the provider can fall back on the address the user registered, which is only as good as the last update. During a power or internet outage, the call may not go through at all.
What the rules require
Under FCC rules adopted in 2019 to implement Section 506 of RAY BAUM'S Act, interconnected VoIP providers have to send a "dispatchable location" with 911 calls: the street address plus details such as a room or floor number that responders need to find the caller.
Fixed services, meaning phones the user can't easily move, have had to send that location automatically with each 911 call since January 6, 2021. Non-fixed services, which can be used from more than one place, came under the rules on January 6, 2022. They must send an automatic location if technically feasible. If not, they can send the registered location or alternative location information, such as coordinates that are precise enough to identify the civic address and, in large buildings, the floor. Routing the caller to a national emergency call center is allowed only as a last resort, after a good-faith effort to find the location from every available source.
How the registered location works
The provider must collect a registered location before service starts. Users must be able to update it at will and in a timely manner, and at least one update method has to work from the phone or app itself. When the provider detects a 911 call from somewhere other than the registered location, it must either prompt the user for a new address or update it automatically.
In practice this varies by provider. RingCentral, for example, says address changes take effect in real time for U.S. and Canadian users and usually within 24 hours elsewhere.
The warning you accept at signup
Every interconnected VoIP provider must tell each subscriber, in plain language, that 911 may be limited when equipment is moved, when a non-native phone number is used, or when broadband or power fails. The provider has to keep a record that each subscriber acknowledged the warning, and hand out warning stickers or use some other conspicuous notice. RingCentral passes part of that duty to customers: its policy says you are required by law to notify everyone who may place calls on the service and to affix the warning sticker.
Where VoIP 911 still falls short
The FCC lists several failure modes beyond outages. A VoIP 911 call may reach a call center that doesn't serve your current location, ring an administrative line, or connect without transmitting your number or location.
Provider policies add their own gaps. RingCentral notes that a U.S. line used in the UK cannot reach UK emergency services, that its smartphone app cannot place emergency calls over Wi-Fi, and that some calls go to a national emergency contact center instead of a local one.
Kari's Law for multi-line systems
Multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) that were manufactured, imported, first sold or leased, or installed after February 16, 2020 must let users dial 911 directly, with no prefix like 9, and must notify a central location, on-site or off-site, where someone is likely to see or hear the alert. Installers, managers, and operators share the duty to keep direct dialing working.
Testing without dialing 911
911.gov says test calls can be scheduled by contacting your local 911 call center through its non-emergency number, and asks people not to call 911 to get that number. Whether a test has to be booked in advance depends on the center's workload.
Sources
- fcc.gov/911-dispatchable-location
- ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-9/subpart-D/section-9.11
- fcc.gov/consumers/guides/voip-and-911-service
- fcc.gov/mlts-911-requirements
- 911.gov/calling-911/frequently-asked-questions
- ringcentral.com/legal/emergency-services.html
Related on this site
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- What is VoIP, and how is it different from a regular phone line?
- Is a cloud PBX any different from hosted VoIP or a cloud phone system?
- How much internet speed do VoIP calls actually need?
- Do you still need desk phones if your business phone system has an app?
- Can employees use the company phone number while they're abroad?
Written by Kaz (pen name). Figures are copied from providers' published pricing pages on the dates shown. We have not used these products. Corrections: contact form.