Amended in Assembly May 8, 2013

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 begin delete telecommunication end delete begin insert voice communications end insert services, begin insert as defined, end insert 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 begin insert of workspace end insert 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 begin delete telecommunications end delete begin insert voice
communications end insert 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 begin delete telecommunications end delete begin insert voice communications end insert 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 begin insert workspace end insert 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 begin delete less than end delete 7,000 square
feet begin insert of workspace end insert 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.

begin insert

(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.

end insert begin delete

(o)

end delete

begin insert (p) 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.