Nelson, Clinton, Snowe REIntroduce Voice Over Internet E-911 Legislation Bill Will Prevent Tragedies By Making Sure Calls for Help Made On Internet-Based Telephone Service Connect to Local 911 Washington, DC - Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL); Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Co-Chair of the Congressional E-911 Caucus and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) today announced that they have reintroduced the IP Enabled Voice Communications and Public Safety Act. The bill addresses the need to ensure the growing number of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone service subscribers have full access to 911, including Enhanced (E)-911 capability that allows 911 dispatchers to trace the phone number and location of calls for help. Unfortunately, we ve seen the tragic consequences when consumers can t connect to 911 services through their Internet phone company, Senator Nelson said. VoIP subscribers should feel confident that they will have access to emergency services it could be a matter of life or death. It is critical that the millions of households using this technology can reach 911 when tragedy strikes. All emergency calls, whether made on a land line, cell phone or Internet-based phone service, need a rapid response. It could truly make the difference in saving a life, said Senator Clinton. The inability of the emergency response network to keep pace with voice over Internet protocol technology has left millions of VoIP subscribers without guaranteed access to emergency services, Senator Snowe said. Innovation and technological advances should improve the lives of Americans, not endanger them. VoIP subscribers should not be susceptible to substandard emergency service simply because they are on the cutting edge of in home telecommunications technology. VoIP telephone customers are connected to broadband internet lines instead of traditional phone lines. Ensuring that 911 calls made from VoIP phones are properly routed and responded to has presented new challenges to public safety officials. There have been several tragedies in which VoIP 911 calls were either routed to closed business offices instead of emergency dispatcher or could not be connected. The Clinton-Snowe-Nelson bill will allow VoIP companies to patch into the 911 networks operated by the traditional phone companies. The bill also ensures that consumers are fully informed if their VoIP provider cannot ensure that their 911 call will be properly routed in an emergency. Furthermore, the legislation tasks the National E-911 Implementation Coordination Office -- created under the ENHANCE Act introduced by Senator Clinton and signed into law in 2004 -- to develop a plan for a nationwide network and make recommendations to Congress in order to ensure that all 911 VoIP calls are responded to properly.