Multi-Line Telephone System & Private Branch Exchange
| Government and public safety agencies have gone to great lengths to ensure consumers have 9-1-1 service available to them through traditional landline, wireless and voice-over IP (VoIP) services. However, everyday millions of Americans, primarily at their place of employment, utilize multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) that do not offer effective 9-1-1 service. |
Most MLTS/PBX systems enable the digits 9-1-1 to be dialed and routed to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)(?). However, the vast majority of these systems do not provide granular location information with the 9-1-1 call to enable emergency responders to know the actual location of the emergency. In many instances a call from the 12th floor of a large office building may only provide the street address of the building. If the caller is unable to provide his or her location and no one else is available to provide assistance, such a lack of location information can prove fatal.
Fortunately, there are technical solutions to this challenge that are currently being offered by numerous service providers. Still, only sixteen states have enacted statutes and regulations requiring Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) service for MLTS. NENA is pleased to provide reference information related to MLTS technology and regulations throughout the United States. NENA encourages the adoption of MLTS E9-1-1 requirements in each State which will enable 9-1-1 and public safety agencies to receive the most accurate and precise location information in order to dispatch emergency response.
NENA MLTS model legislation
is available to provide guidance for developing State statutes and rules, as well as several technical reference documents to assist with implementation of E9-1-1 for MLTS.
The purpose of MLTS model legislation is to require Multi-line Telephone Systems to provide a sufficiently precise indication of the callers location, while avoiding the imposition of undue burdens on system manufacturers, providers and operators of MLTS.