E-911 compliance is a series of laws that were passed regarding multi-line phone systems. In 2020, all new phones systems delivered had to be able to dial 911 directly without dialing any prefix. By 2021, All multi-line phone systems had to provide a dispatchable location for emergency services. Below is a quick breakdown of the laws passed and what you need to know about the requirements for compliance.

Driven largely by the efforts of Kari Dunn’s father following the murder of his daughter, Kari’s Law was signed into effect on February 16, 2018.

Kari’s Law applies to multi-line telephone systems(“MLTS”)  “manufactured, imported, offered for first sale or lease, first sold or leased, or installed” after the compliance date of February 16, 2020. This law prohibits dialing a “prefix” when calling 911. Locations with MLTS must remove requirements that a caller dial “9”, “8”, or any other number to reach an outside line in order to place a call to 911.

RAY BAUM’s Act was passed into law on March 23, 2018. Section 506 required the
FCC to ensure MLTS systems provide a dispatchable location to the local Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) when 911 is dialed. On August 2, 2019, the FCC released its Report and Order that adopted such rules and concluded its proceeding as directed by Section 506.  
→ The dispatchable address must include the street address of the calling party, and additional information such as suite, room number, floor, or other information needed to quickly locate the calling party.
To put it in simple terms. If a first responder comes to a building, they should
already know exactly where they are going by what location was automatically transmitted during the 911 call.

Section 506 of RAY BAUM’s Act requires that organizations with MLTS provide
dispatchable location, i.e., street address, floor, room and/or suite number (if applicable) to public safety with 911 calls. There were two separate implementation phases of RAY BAUM’s Act: 
1. January 6, 2021 – Fixed VoIP: The first deadline focused on providing dispatchable locations for employees using on-premise, fixed devices associated with MLTS.
2. January 6, 2022 – Non-fixed VoIP: The second deadline focused on providing accurate dispatchable locations for nomadic employees using wireless, mobile devices.

Changes to standard business practices are impacted substantially by both laws. Kari’s Law allows for older phone systems to be grandfathered into compliance if installed before February 16, 2020. However, the Ray Baum Act does not provide for any older systems to be grandfathered in. After January 6th , 2022, all multiline phone systems must comply with the dispatchable location requirement from the Ray Baum Act.
What does this mean for you?
If you have a multiline phone system, you are impacted.
This would include but not be limited to the following types of organizations:

• Companies with multiple office locations
• Campuses, including K-12, universities, and colleges
• Hospitals
• Hotels
• Retail facilities
• Financial institutions
• Warehouses

Potential risk exposures occur when enterprises:

• Fail to adequately plan for remote/nomadic workers, satellite campuses, etc. 
• Fail to provide dispatchable location information at the time of a 911 call
• Don’t alert security teams and other key personnel that a 911 call has been made
• Intercept 911 calls before sending them directly to public safety
• Replace PRI or dedicated circuits and move to the cloud

• Have you consulted with legal representation regarding your compliance? Check out the FCC’s Report and Order to implement Kari’s Law and Section 506 of RAY BAUM’S Act.
• Can end users directly dial 911 without the need to dial an access code i.e., “*” or “9” for an outside line? One way to think about it is: could a child call for help without knowing how to operate the office phone system? Verify that any new PBX you install comes preconfigured with direct E911 capabilities.
• Have you accurately mapped user endpoint locations including address, building, floor and/or room? “Dispatchable location” is essentially the door that first responders need to find to assist 911 callers. This address must be formatted correctly and validated for errors in a master street address guide (MSAG) format. ACOM performs this validation and error correction as part of our easy-to-use location provisioning process without dashboard or APIs.
• Have you tested 911 across endpoints? Some phone providers provide a 911 testing service by dialing 933. This helps limit the disruption of PSAP responders and provides the tester with an automated message stating the callback number, and address assigned to that endpoint, including the floor, suite, and room number, and whether or not your 911 service is active. ACOM provides the 933 testing service as a part of our E-911 Service.  
• Do you have a plan for virtual workers and satellite offices? Your HR, facilities, and IT teams can work with your legal counsel to help you determine how to support users in remote locations. 
• Are notifications set up to notify key personnel in the event there’s an
  emergency? Should someone in your organization dial 911, Notifications need to be provided to alert key personnel that they should expect a response, and possibly provide additional assistance to the person who dialed 911. These notifications need to be transmitted via email, phone call, or SMS text message formats.