Amended in Assembly April 24, 2013

Amended in Assembly March 21, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 911

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 services, and businesses with begin delete a end delete MLTS. The bill would require begin delete a end delete begin insert an end insert MLTS begin delete provider end delete begin insert operator, as defined, end insert 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 or where enhanced 911 service is not available. The bill would authorize the assessment of civil penalties against begin delete a MLTS provider that violates end delete begin insert an entity that sells a end insert begin insert n MLTS system in violation of end insert 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 begin insert emergency end insert 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 begin insert emergency end insert calls
made from telephones connected to begin delete a end delete begin insert an end insert MLTS may not be
precisely located by the 911 system, eliminating some of the begin delete benefit end delete
begin insert benefits end insert 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 begin insert emergency end insert call.

SEC. 2.  

Section 53121 is added to the Government Code, to
read:

53121.  

(a) A multiline telephone system (MLTS) begin delete provider end delete
begin insert operator end insert 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 begin delete a end delete begin insert an end insert MLTS serving business locations, the MLTS
begin delete provider end delete begin insert operator end insert 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)  begin delete A MLTS provider end delete begin insert An entity that sells an MLTS system end insert 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, begin delete a end delete begin insert an end insert MLTS begin delete provider end delete begin insert operator end insert 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 begin delete provider end delete begin insert operator end insert shall audit accuracy of
information contained in the automatic location information
database at least once annually.

(f)  begin delete A MLTS provider end delete begin insert An MLTS operator end insert 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 services shall ensure
that begin insert the end insert 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 begin delete a end delete begin insert an end insert MLTS shall permit the dialing of 911
and the MLTS begin delete provider end delete begin insert operator end insert 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 begin insert , end insert the MLTS begin delete provider end delete begin insert operator end insert of the temporary
structure or facility shall provide specific location information of
the caller to the PSAP.

(i) (1)  begin delete A MLTS provider, end delete begin insert An MLTS operator, end insert its begin delete employees end delete
begin insert employees, end insert or begin insert its end insert 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 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)  begin delete A end delete begin insert An end insert MLTS serving multiple buildings or structures with a
combined total of 7,000 square feet or less shall not be required
to provide more than one emergency response location. begin delete A end delete begin insert An end insert
MLTS serving a single building with less than 7,000 square feet
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 begin delete providers end delete begin insert operators end insert
in areas without enhanced 911 service.

(m)  begin delete A MLTS provider who end delete begin insert An entity that end insert sells begin delete a end delete begin insert an end insert 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.

begin insert

(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.

end insert begin delete

(n)

end delete

begin insert (o) end insert  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.