FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OPCD Responds to FCC Rule Amendment
to Improve Access to 9-1-1 Pursuant to Kari’s Law
NEW ORLEANS, LA (August 7, 2019) – The Orleans Parish Communications District (OPCD) announces its support of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) August 1, 2019 adoption of a Report and Order to address calls to 9-1-1 made from multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) that commonly serve hotels and office buildings, pursuant to Kari’s Law.
In the Report and Order, the FCC acted to:
- Enable the public to dial 911 from MLTS directly, without having to dial additional numbers, such as a “9,” to reach an outside line.
- Require MLTS to send a notification to a location where someone is likely to hear or see it when a 911 call has been made.
- Establish dispatchable location information requirements for 911 calls from MLTS, fixed telephone services, interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, mobile text, and Internet-based Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS). Dispatchable location information refers to the street address of the calling party, as well as information such as room number, floor number, or similar information necessary to adequately identify the location of the calling party.
- Consolidate the Commission’s 911 rules into a single part of the Code of Federal Regulations.
“This is a phenomenal step toward the implementation of next generation 9-1-1 infrastructure across the nation,” stated OPCD Executive Director Tyrell Morris. “Location is the most critical piece of information we need in an emergency and these new rules will help us execute our mission to get the right people to the right place at the right time.”
OPCD will be proactively communicating with Orleans Parish hotels and other MLTS facilities to ensure they are compliant with this order. Orleans Parish hotels or MLTS facilities who would like to schedule a test of their phone systems through OPCD, please email , [email protected]
To review the Report and Order, visit https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-improves-access-911-and-timely-assistance-first-responders-0
About Orleans Parish Communications District (www.911nola.org)
Formed in 1982, the Orleans Parish Communication District is the public safety answering point (PSAP) for all emergency communications via 9-1-1 and non-emergency city services via 3-1-1 within Orleans Parish. The agency employs over 140 individuals and provides emergency medical dispatch, emergency fire dispatch, and emergency police dispatch for the millions of annual visitors and residents of the City of New Orleans. OPCD is a member of the Association of Public Safety Communication Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA).
OPCD Contact:
Marcus W. Creel, MS
OPCD Public Engagement Manager
601.319.2024
[email protected]
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