Bill Text: CA AB911 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

---

Bill Title: Telephone systems: 911.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2013-08-30 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB911 Detail]

Download: California-2013-AB911-Amended.html

---

BILL NUMBER: AB 911	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 8, 2013
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 24, 2013
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 21, 2013

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Bloom

                        FEBRUARY 22, 2013

   An act to add Section 53121 to the Government Code, relating to
telephone systems.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 911, as amended, Bloom. Telephone systems: 911.
   The Warren-911-Emergency Assistance Act requires every local
public agency to establish and operate a telephone system that
automatically connects a person dialing "911" to an established
public safety answering point through normal telephone service
facilities. Existing law prohibits the Public Safety Communications
Division in the Department of Technology from delaying the
implementation of the enhanced "911" emergency telephone system, as
provided.
   This bill would, commencing January 1, 2019, establish various
requirements regarding 911 emergency call technology that would be
applicable to multiline telephone systems (MLTS), providers of shared
 telecommunication   voice  
communications  services,  as defined,  and businesses
with MLTS. The bill would require an MLTS operator, as defined, in an
area that has enhanced 911 capability to maintain and operate the
MLTS, as specified, to ensure that each emergency call placed from
any telephone station on the MLTS is routed to a public safety
answering point and provides either automatic location information or
automation number identification to the 911 network that connects to
the public safety answering point. The bill would provide exemptions
for buildings or structures under 7,000 square feet  of
workspace  or where enhanced 911 service is not available. The
bill would authorize the assessment of civil penalties against an
entity that sells an MLTS system in violation of these requirements.

   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) There are gaps in public safety protection and accurate caller
location information is vital for 911 emergency calls and the safety
of Californians. Problem calls originate from large hospitals,
public schools, large businesses, large chain stores, local
government offices, and assisted living facilities.
   (b) Problems with the current 911 systems include: (1) misrouting
a call to an entirely wrong public safety answering point (PSAP),
sometimes in a different city or region; (2) delivery of wrong or
inaccurate caller location information to the proper PSAP.
   (c) Enhancements to the 911 system typically enable the caller's
telephone number and service address to be displayed to the PSAP. As
a result, when the caller is calling from a single-line telephone or
a multiline telephone system (MLTS) serving a compact area, the
address associated with the caller's telephone number can be
retrieved and usually provides a reasonably precise identification of
the caller's location.
   (d) Public safety agencies increasingly rely on the enhanced 911
system to provide dependable and precise information about the caller'
s location and a reliable number to call back in order to reach the
caller. However, in some cases 911 emergency calls made from
telephones connected to an MLTS may not be precisely located by the
911 system, eliminating some of the benefits of enhanced 911. This
lack of adequate location information can be life threatening if the
caller cannot supply the correct location.
   (e) Related problems occur when the caller is remote from the
location supplied to the 911 system. In this instance not only is
response delayed but limited public safety resources are dispatched
where they are not needed. There may also be considerable disruption
in business operations as the response units attempt to locate the
caller.
   (f) This act will address the issue of MLTS regarding the
installation of equipment and software necessary to provide specific
location information for a 911 emergency call.
  SEC. 2.  Section 53121 is added to the Government Code, to read:
   53121.  (a) A multiline telephone system (MLTS) operator shall
maintain and operate the MLTS in such a manner that a telephone call
made by dialing the digits "911" and, if applicable, any additional
digit that must be dialed in order to permit the user to access the
public switch telephone network from any telephone on the MLTS is
routed to a public safety answering point (PSAP) and provides
automatic location information or automatic number identification to
the 911 network that connects to the PSAP.
   (b) Enhanced 911 MLTS support service is deemed to be available if
all of the following features are operating:
   (1) The PSAP can accept emergency location identification number
information from the MLTS using generally accepted industry standard
interfaces.
   (2) The PSAP has customer premise equipment in place to accept and
store the emergency response locations information provided by the
MLTS.
   (3) The PSAP is equipped to utilize the emergency response
locations information.
   (c) For an MLTS serving business locations, the MLTS operator
shall deliver the 911 call with an emergency location identification
number which will result in either of the following:
   (1) An emergency response location which provides a minimum of the
building and floor location of the caller.
   (2) An ability to direct response through an alternate and
adequate means of signaling by the establishments of a private
answering point.
   (d) An entity that sells an MLTS system shall provide, at the time
of sale, to the purchaser and to each new user, either a
demonstration of how to place an emergency call from a telephone
station or provide written instructions at each telephone station
that informs an individual how to place an emergency call from the
telephone station.
   (e) (1) Where applicable, an MLTS operator shall arrange to update
the automatic location information database with appropriate master
street address guide valid address and callback information for each
MLTS telephone, such that the location information specifies the
emergency response location of the caller. These updates shall be
downloaded or made available to the automatic location information
database provider as soon as practicable for new MLTS installation,
or within one business day of the record of completion of the actual
changes for previously installed systems. The information is subject
to all federal and state privacy and confidentiality laws.
   (2) The MLTS operator shall audit accuracy of information
contained in the automatic location information database at least
once annually.
   (f)  An MLTS operator shall be considered to be in compliance with
this section when the MLTS complies with the enhanced 911 system
generally accepted industry standards as adopted by the Federal
Communications Commission. The telecommunication local exchange
carriers and Internet service providers are responsible for providing
interconnectivity through the use of generally accepted industry
standards.
   (g) Providers of shared  telecommunications  
voice communications  services shall ensure that the MLTS is
connected to the public switch network such that 911 calls from any
telephone result in automatic location information for each emergency
response location.
   (h) A business providing temporary structures or facilities,
regardless of size, with an MLTS shall permit the dialing of 911 and
the MLTS operator shall ensure that the MLTS is connected to the
public switched telephone network. Where automatic location
information records are not provided for each individual station, the
MLTS operator of the temporary structure or facility shall provide
specific location information of the caller to the PSAP.
   (i) (1) An MLTS operator, its employees, or its agents shall not
be liable to any person for damages incurred as the result of any act
or omission by it, except for gross negligence or intentional,
willful, or wanton misconduct, in connection with maintaining or
operating the MLTS in a manner required by this section.
   (2) A  telecommunications   voice
communications  service provider, its employees, or agents shall
not be liable to any person for damages incurred as the result of
the release of information not in the public record, including, but
not limited to, unpublished or unlisted telephone numbers, to a PSAP,
its employees or agents, or to emergency responders, made in
connection with an emergency call.
   (j) An MLTS serving multiple buildings or structures with a
combined total  workspace  of 7,000 square feet or less
shall not be required to provide more than one emergency response
location. An MLTS serving a single building with  less than
 7,000 square feet  of   workspace  or
less shall not be required to provide more than one emergency
response location. In the event of a dispute over the total amount of
square footage, the State Fire Marshal shall determine whether the
exemption applies to the building or structures.
   (k) Key Telephone Systems, which serve only small workspace areas,
are not required to comply with this section. Other MLTS, such as
PBX or Hybrids (systems that incorporate the functionality of both
Key Telephone Systems and PBX), shall comply with this section.
   (l) This section shall not apply to MLTS operators in areas
without enhanced 911 service.
   (m) An entity that sells an MLTS system in violation of this
section after January 1, 2019, may be assessed a fine from five
hundred dollars ($500) to five thousand dollars ($5,000) per system
sold.
   (n) For purposes of this section, "MLTS operator" means the entity
responsible for ensuring that a 911 emergency call placed from an
MLTS is transmitted and received in accordance with this section,
regardless of the type of MLTS technology used to generate the call.

   (o) For purposes of this section, "shared voice communications
services" means providing telecommunications services and equipment
within a user group, including providing connections to the
facilities of a local exchange and to interexchange
telecommunications companies.  
   (o) 
    (p)  The provisions of this section shall become
operative on January 1, 2019. In areas where enhanced 911 service
first becomes available after January 1, 2019, MLTS providers shall
have 12 months from the date enhanced 911 service became available to
comply with these provisions.