HB546: Telephone systems, multiline; alternative method of providing emergency calls.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§ 56-484.19 and 56-484.23 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 56-484.19. Definitions.
As used in this article:
"Alternative method of providing call location information" means a method of maintaining and operating a multiline telephone system that ensures that:
1. Emergency calls from a telephone station provide the PSAP
with sufficient location identification information to ensure that emergency
responders are dispatched to a location at the facility from which the
emergency call was placed, from which location emergency responders will be
able to ascertain the telephone station where the emergency call was placed (i)
by being able to view all of the telephone stations at the facility
in the area contiguous to telephone from which the emergency call was placed
or (ii) by the activation of an alerting device, including but not limited
to lights or an alarm, located near the telephone station system at the
facility, which activation is triggered by the placing of the emergency
call, and which readily allows arriving emergency responders to determine
the physical location of the telephone station from which the emergency call
was placed. A light or alarm located near the telephone station is an example
of such an alerting system;
2. Emergency calls from a telephone station, in addition to reaching a PSAP, connect to or otherwise notify a switchboard operator, attendant, or other designated on-site individual who is capable of giving the PSAP the location of the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed; or
3. Calls to the digits "9-1-1" from a telephone station connect to a private emergency answering point.
An alternative method of providing call location information
shall also be deemed to be provided, as a result of the imputed ability of
emergency responders to readily locate all telephone stations at the
facility from which the emergency call could have been placed, when
emergency calls are placed from a facility with provide calling party
information corresponding to a contiguous area containing the telephone
from which the emergency call was placed, of fewer than 7,000 square feet,
located on one or more floors.
"Automatic location identification" or "ALI" means the automatic display at a PSAP of information defining the emergency call location, which information shall identify the floor name or number, room name or number, building name or number, cubicle name or number, and office name or number, as applicable, or imparts other information that is sufficiently specific to provide the emergency responders with the ability to locate the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed.
"Automatic number identification" or "ANI" means the automatic display at a PSAP of a telephone number that a PSAP may use to call the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed.
"Calling party information" means information that is delivered by the MLTS provider to the PSAP that is used to provide the ANI and ALI function.
"Central office system" means a business telephone service offered by a provider of communications services that provides features similar to a private branch exchange by transmitting data over telecommunications equipment or cable lines.
"Emergency call" means a telephone call that enables the user to reach a PSAP by dialing the digits "9-1-1" and, if applicable, any additional digit or digits that must be dialed in order to permit the user to access the public switched telephone network.
"Emergency call location" means the location of the telephone station on an MLTS from which an emergency call is placed and to which a PSAP may dispatch emergency responders based upon ALI provided via the emergency call.
"Emergency responders" means fire services, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and other public services or agencies that may be dispatched by a PSAP in response to an emergency call.
"Enhanced 9-1-1 service" means a service consisting of telephone network features and PSAPs that (i) enables users of telephone systems to reach a PSAP by making an emergency call; (ii) automatically directs emergency calls to the appropriate PSAPs by selective routing based on the geographical location from which the emergency call originated; and (iii) provides the capability for ANI and ALI features.
"Facility" means real estate and improvements used principally for or as a (i) hotel as defined in § 35.1-1, (ii) college or university dormitory, (iii) medical care facility as defined in § 32.1-102.1, (iv) group home or other residential facility licensed by the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services or Department of Social Services, (v) assisted living facility as defined in § 63.2-100, (vi) apartment complex or condominium where shared tenant telephone service is provided, (vii) commercial or government office building, (viii) manufacturing, processing, assembly, warehouse, or distribution establishment, or (ix) retail establishment.
"MLTS provider" means a person who operates a facility at which telephone service is provided, with or without compensation, through a multiline telephone system.
"MLTS service provider" means a person offering or operating third party services that combine communications services, private branch exchange or central office systems, and multi-line telephone systems where such services are provided to a MLTS provider on a fee-for-service basis.
"Multiline telephone system" or "MLTS" means a telephone system, including network-based or premises-based systems, whether owned or leased by a public or private entity, operated in the Commonwealth, that serves a facility, has more than one telephone station, and is comprised of common control units, telephones, and control hardware and software that share a common interface to the public switched telephone network, whether by a private branch exchange or central office system, without regard to whether the system utilizes VoIP technology.
"Person" includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof.
"Portable VoIP services" includes any MLTS utilizing a VoIP service and providing an end user with the capability to use the service at a location independent of the original physical location of telephone stations on the MLTS.
"Private emergency answering point" means an answering point that is equipped and staffed during all hours that the facility is occupied to provide adequate means of responding to calls to the digits "9-1-1" from telephones on a multiline telephone system by reporting incidents to a PSAP in a manner that identifies the emergency response location from which the call to the answering point was placed.
"Public safety answering point" or "PSAP" means a communications operation operated by or on behalf of a governmental entity that is equipped and staffed on a 24-hour basis to receive and process telephone calls for emergency assistance from an individual by dialing, in addition to any digits required to obtain an outside line, the digits "9-1-1."
"Public switched telephone network" means the worldwide, interconnected networks of equipment, lines, and controls assembled to establish circuit-switched voice communication paths between calling and called parties.
"Retail establishment" means any establishment selling goods or services to the ultimate user or consumer of those goods or services, not for the purpose of resale, but for that user's or consumer's personal rather than business use.
"Telephone call" means the use of a telephone to initiate an ordinary voice transmission placed through the public switched telephone network.
"Telephone station" means a telephone on a multiline telephone system, from which a call may be placed to a PSAP by dialing, in addition to any digits required to access the public switched telephone network, the digits "9-1-1." However, in any medical care facility or licensed assisted living facility, "telephone station" includes any telephone on a multiline telephone system located in an administrative office, nursing station, lobby, waiting area, or other area accessible to the general public but does not include a telephone located in the room of a patient or resident.
"VoIP service" has the same meaning ascribed to it in § 56-484.12.
§ 56-484.23. Provision of emergency call information.
A. The MLTS provider of any multiline telephone system
that is acquired or installed on or after July 1, 2009, commencing on the date
of its installation, shall, if reasonably achievable, maintain and
operate the MLTS in a manner that ensures that each emergency call placed from
any telephone station on the MLTS provides either (i) ALI and ANI
calling party information to the 9-1-1 network that connects to the PSAP or
(ii) an alternative method of providing call location information.
B. Notwithstanding the requirements of subsection A, the MLTS provider of any multiline telephone system using portable VoIP services that is acquired or installed on or after July 1, 2009, commencing on the date of its installation, shall make all reasonable efforts to maintain and operate the MLTS in a manner that ensures that each emergency call placed from any telephone station on the MLTS provides either: (i) calling party information to the 9-1-1 network that connects to the PSAP or (ii) an alternative method of providing call location information.
C. The MLTS provider shall arrange to update the automatic location identification database with appropriate master street address guide, valid address and callback information corresponding to the calling party information for each telephone station. Such updates shall be provided as soon as practicable for new MLTS installations or within one business day of record completion of the actual changes for previously installed systems. When an MLTS provider obtains service through a MLTS service provider, the MLTS service provider shall be responsible for meeting this requirement.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§ 56-484.19 and 56-484.23 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 56-484.19. Definitions.
As used in this article:
"Alternative method of providing call location information" means a method of maintaining and operating a multiline telephone system that ensures that:
1. Emergency calls from a telephone station provide the PSAP
with sufficient location identification information to ensure that emergency
responders are dispatched to a location at the facility from which the
emergency call was placed, from which location emergency responders will be
able to ascertain the telephone station where the emergency call was placed (i)
by being able to view all of the telephone stations at the facility in
the contiguous area containing the telephone from which the emergency call was
placed or (ii) by the activation of an alerting device, including but
not limited to lights or an alarm, located near the telephone station system at the facility, which activation is triggered by the
placing of the emergency call, and which readily allows
arriving emergency responders to determine the physical location of the
telephone station from which the emergency call was placed. A
light or alarm located near the telephone station is an example of such an
alerting system;
2. Emergency calls from a telephone station, in addition to reaching a PSAP, connect to or otherwise notify a switchboard operator, attendant, or other designated on-site individual who is capable of giving the PSAP the location of the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed; or
3. Calls to the digits "9-1-1" from a telephone station connect to a private emergency answering point.
An alternative method of providing call location information
shall also be deemed to be provided, as a result of the imputed ability of
emergency responders to readily locate all telephone stations at
the facility that could have placed the emergency call,
when emergency calls are placed from a facility with provide calling party information corresponding to a contiguous
area containing the telephone from which the emergency
call was placed, of fewer than 7,000 square feet, located on one
or more floors.
"Automatic location identification" or "ALI" means the automatic display at a PSAP of information defining the emergency call location, which information shall identify the floor name or number, room name or number, building name or number, cubicle name or number, and office name or number, as applicable, or imparts other information that is sufficiently specific to provide the emergency responders with the ability to locate the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed.
"Automatic number identification" or "ANI" means the automatic display at a PSAP of a telephone number that a PSAP may use to call the telephone station from which the emergency call was placed.
"Central office system" means a business telephone service offered by a provider of communications services that provides features similar to a private branch exchange by transmitting data over telecommunications equipment or cable lines.
"Emergency call" means a telephone call that enables the user to reach a PSAP by dialing the digits "9-1-1" and, if applicable, any additional digit or digits that must be dialed in order to permit the user to access the public switched telephone network.
"Emergency call location" means the location of the telephone station on an MLTS from which an emergency call is placed and to which a PSAP may dispatch emergency responders based upon ALI provided via the emergency call.
"Emergency responders" means fire services, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and other public services or agencies that may be dispatched by a PSAP in response to an emergency call.
"Enhanced 9-1-1 service" means a service consisting of telephone network features and PSAPs that (i) enables users of telephone systems to reach a PSAP by making an emergency call; (ii) automatically directs emergency calls to the appropriate PSAPs by selective routing based on the geographical location from which the emergency call originated; and (iii) provides the capability for ANI and ALI features.
"Facility" means real estate and improvements used principally for or as a (i) hotel as defined in § 35.1-1, (ii) college or university dormitory, (iii) medical care facility as defined in § 32.1-102.1, (iv) group home or other residential facility licensed by the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services or Department of Social Services, (v) assisted living facility as defined in § 63.2-100, (vi) apartment complex or condominium where shared tenant telephone service is provided, (vii) commercial or government office building, (viii) manufacturing, processing, assembly, warehouse, or distribution establishment, or (ix) retail establishment.
"MLTS provider" means a person who operates a facility at which telephone service is provided, with or without compensation, through a multiline telephone system.
"Multiline telephone system" or "MLTS" means a telephone system, including network-based or premises-based systems, whether owned or leased by a public or private entity, operated in the Commonwealth, that serves a facility, has more than one telephone station, and is comprised of common control units, telephones, and control hardware and software that share a common interface to the public switched telephone network, whether by a private branch exchange or central office system, without regard to whether the system utilizes VoIP technology.
"Person" includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof.
"Private emergency answering point" means an answering point that is equipped and staffed during all hours that the facility is occupied to provide adequate means of responding to calls to the digits "9-1-1" from telephones on a multiline telephone system by reporting incidents to a PSAP in a manner that identifies the emergency response location from which the call to the answering point was placed.
"Public safety answering point" or "PSAP" means a communications operation operated by or on behalf of a governmental entity that is equipped and staffed on a 24-hour basis to receive and process telephone calls for emergency assistance from an individual by dialing, in addition to any digits required to obtain an outside line, the digits "9-1-1."
"Public switched telephone network" means the worldwide, interconnected networks of equipment, lines, and controls assembled to establish circuit-switched voice communication paths between calling and called parties.
"Retail establishment" means any establishment selling goods or services to the ultimate user or consumer of those goods or services, not for the purpose of resale, but for that user's or consumer's personal rather than business use.
"Telephone call" means the use of a telephone to initiate an ordinary voice transmission placed through the public switched telephone network.
"Telephone station" means a telephone on a multiline telephone system, from which a call may be placed to a PSAP by dialing, in addition to any digits required to access the public switched telephone network, the digits "9-1-1." However, in any medical care facility or licensed assisted living facility, "telephone station" includes any telephone on a multiline telephone system located in an administrative office, nursing station, lobby, waiting area, or other area accessible to the general public but does not include a telephone located in the room of a patient or resident.
"VoIP service" has the same meaning ascribed to it in § 56-484.12.
§ 56-484.23. Provision of emergency call information.
The MLTS provider of any multiline telephone system that is
acquired or installed on or after July 1, 2009, commencing on the date of its
installation, shall, if reasonably achievable, maintain
and operate the MLTS in a manner that ensures that each emergency call placed
from any telephone station on the MLTS provides either (i) ALI and ANI calling party information to the 9-1-1 network that connects to
the PSAP or (ii) an alternative method of providing call location information. Calling
party information, as used in clause (i), is information that
allows equipment at the PSAP to perform ANI and ALI. Where applicable,
providers shall arrange to update the ALI database with appropriate master street address guide, valid address and
callback information corresponding to the calling party information for each
telephone station. Updates
shall be made as soon as practicable for new a MLTS
installation or within one business day of record completion of the actual
changes for previously installed systems.