Testimony

• Mr. Greg Rohde

  9-11 Institute
  Read statement

  Testimony

  Mr. Greg Rohde

  Click here for Mr. Rohde's testimony.

• Mr. George Heinrichs

  President, Chairman, and CEO

  Intrado
  Read statement

  Testimony

  Mr. George Heinrichs

  Click here for Mr. Heinrich's testimony.

• Ms. Wanda S. McCarley

  President, Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International, Inc. (APCO)

  Operations Manager, Tarrant County 9-1-1 District, Texas
  Read statement

  Testimony

  Ms. Wanda S. McCarley

  Click here for Ms. McCarley's testimony.

• Mr. Jeffrey Citron
  Read statement

  Testimony

  Mr. Jeffrey Citron

  Good morning Senator Burns and members of the Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear here today. I'm Jeffrey Citron, CEO of Vonage Holdings Corporation. We are the leading provider of consumer and small business Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services in the United States, with nearly one million subscriber lines. Vonage is at the forefront of this new emerging market, which has approximately 2.3 million users, and as such we are also quickly becoming a leader in E911, as we move to deploy the first ever nationwide 911 service. This will be the first 911 service designed for an IP environment, across hundreds of locally controlled Selective Routers and thousands of Public Safety Answering Points. This is a serious undertaking. And we at Vonage are embracing this challenge not just for our customers but as a partner in the nation's E911 system. As we move forward in this exciting time in 911, VoIP is helping turn the notion of traditional 911 networking on its head. We are recognizing new opportunities to blend voice and data into exciting new offerings, but we are also confronting long-standing technical, operational and competitive barriers, as we try to connect to a system that all too often is obsolete and sheltered by old- fashioned telecom thinking.

   

  To that end, Vonage is leading the charge to deploy Enhanced 911 Internet phone services for all of our users as quickly as possible. There is no higher priority within Vonage today. Vonage demonstrated commitment in this area by becoming the first mobile VoIP provider to adopt a basic 911 solution, and we will further this commitment by offering the first nomadic VoIP E911 solution in this country.

   

  Mr. Chairman, I am here today to make three points. First, Vonage is running hard and fast to build the best 911 system possible. Second, as an industry, Internet phone providers face a number of challenges in trying to deploy Enhanced 911. These challenges are similar to those faced by wireless companies when they began offering E911 services over ten years ago. Finally, I would like to highlight what assistance Congress can lend to ensure the industry deploys a functioning Enhanced 911 service for our customers and their communities.

   

  To date, Vonage has been working diligently with the technology companies, Bells, CLECs and public safety to architect a solution that works well for the industry and our customers. Working at the grassroots level with public safety officials, Vonage is already offering Enhanced 911 service in New York City and Rhode Island. In New York City alone, we have already fielded thousands of successful E911 calls. We recently signed a contract with SBC to gain access to the 911 elements we need throughout their 13- state territory to begin offering E911 in SBC's footprint. Vonage is also working with Level 3 on a nationwide basis to use their existing network to route calls to the E911 system. With our technology partners TCS and Intrado, Vonage's 911 solution enables calls to go to the right 911 answering center even when our users change physical location. Perhaps most importantly, last month Vonage initiated an outreach program to begin a dialogue with the public safety community regarding our plans to implement a novel E911 solution within a very short timeframe.

   

  Despite this great progress thus far, significant challenges remain. For instance, the geographically-based numbering system of the original 911 network is meaningless to Internet-based communications. The old 911 system required that all calls be "local." If a citizen from Montana tried to place a wireless 911 with her Montana phone in Washington DC, the old 911 system would have rejected that call. In order to accommodate that mobility, we patched the network to allow for "dummy numbers" to get those out of area 911 calls through. This is the exact same solution we're using for Internet phone calls, but in order to make it work for us, we need access to the same technical elements that wireless companies use.

   

  Furthermore, VoIP providers do not have access to all the elements necessary to create a comprehensive 911 solution. Such elements include access to selective routers and the Master Street Address Guide (MSAG), as well as "Psuedo-ANI" (dummy numbers) which we need to get calls from non-local numbers into the 911 system. And because there are no standards for implementation, let alone access to elements, novel 911 architectures make it impossible to implement a uniform nationwide solution. Instead, service providers like Vonage are forced to deploy a patchwork of local solutions to meet the various needs of PSAPs and network owners, making the implementation of the FCC's 911 obligation within 120 days difficult if not impossible. We believe that a standardized approach giving VoIP providers access to these elements would accelerate our deployment and create a uniform solution for the entire country.

   

  Finally, Congressional action and authority can help speed VoIP 911 deployment in several key areas. Currently, VoIP providers do not have liability parity with wireline or wireless operators. Vonage is not protected by existing laws in the same way other carriers are-therefore every time we send a call into the 911 network we are putting our business at risk should there be an unforeseeable network failure or other mishap. Right now, the burden is singularly the VoIP provider's to bear should something go wrong.

   

  Additionally, in order to comply with the obligations mandated by the FCC's 911 Order, Congress may need to grant VoIP providers access to all the network elements necessary to complete an Enhanced 911 call. The 911 network is a public trust, and should not be used as a competitive lever.

   

  In conclusion Mr. Chairman, Vonage strongly believes it is good policy for our customers and the country for anyone using a VoIP application to be able to get help when they need it by dialing 911.

   

  We also commend the FCC for their decisive action in mandating an aggressive timetable for VoIP E911 rollout. We now need Congress to act to ensure VoIP providers have the tools necessary to meet that mandate. We enthusiastically support the IP-enabled Voice Communications and Public Safety Act of 2005 as a thoughtful, balanced piece of legislation that would ensure VoIP providers can get access to the necessary technology elements, legal protections and flexibility to create the best solution for our customers.

   

  I look forward to answering any questions you may have. Thank you.

• Mr. David Jones
  Read statement

  Testimony

  Mr. David Jones

  Click here for Mr. Jones' testimony.

• Mr. Greg Jergeson

  Chairman

  Montana Public Service Commission
  Read statement

  Witness Panel 2

  Mr. Greg Jergeson

  Click here for Mr. Jergeson's testimony.

• Ms. Janet Kelly

  Director

  Montana Department of Administration
  Read statement

  Witness Panel 2

  Ms. Janet Kelly

  Click here for Ms. Kelly's testimony.

• Bill Squires
  Read statement

  Witness Panel 2

  Bill Squires

  Click here for Mr. Squires' testimony.

• Mr. Jeremy Ferkin

  Century Tel
  Read statement

  Witness Panel 2

  Mr. Jeremy Ferkin

  Click here for Mr. Ferkin's testimony.