Amended in Senate July 10, 2013

Amended in Senate June 25, 2013

Amended in Assembly May 29, 2013

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 operators of multiline telephone systems (MLTS). The bill would require an MLTS operator, as defined, 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 the appropriate 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 an exemption for a multiline telephone system serving a building or structure with less than 7,000 square feet of workspace. The bill would authorize the assessment of civil penalties begin insert by the division end insert against begin insert an MLTS operator or end insert an entity that sells or leases 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) Public safety is threatened when 911 calls placed to public
safety dispatchers from telephone systems serving multiple stations
in large buildings or complexes do not identify the precise location
of the caller.

(b) The enhanced 911 system widely deployed today enables a
caller’s telephone number and service address to be displayed to
the public safety dispatcher who receives the 911 call. Public safety
agencies increasingly rely on this enhanced 911 system to provide
dependable and precise information about a caller’s location and
a reliable number to call back in order to reach the person who
called for emergency assistance.

(c) Even with the enhanced 911 system, however, emergency
calls may not provide precise caller location when made from one
station of a multiline telephone system commonly used in large
hospitals, public schools, government offices, assisted living
facilities, businesses, and chain stores. This lack of precise location
information can be life threatening if the person making the
emergency call cannot supply the correct location to the dispatcher.

(d) Emergency calls from a large building or campus with a
multiline telephone system also can be routed to the wrong public
safety dispatch office, sometimes in a different city or region.

(e) These limitations of multiline telephone systems not only
delay emergency response time, but also cause limited public safety
resources to be dispatched where they are not needed and disrupt
business operations as response units attempt to locate the caller.

(f) This act will enhance public safety through requirements to
ensure that 911 emergency calls made from individual stations of
multiline telephone systems provide specific location information
of the caller.

SEC. 2.  

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

53121.  

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms
have the following meanings:

(1) “Automatic location identification (ALI)” means the
automatic display at the PSAP of a caller’s telephone number,
address begin insert , end insert or location of the telephone, and supplementary emergency
services information.

(2) “Automatic number identification (ANI)” means the
automatic display at the PSAP of the telephone number associated
with the access line from which a 911 call originates.

(3) “Centrex” means a business telephone service offered by
some local exchange carriers that provides PBX-type features over
access lines.

(4) “Emergency location identification number (ELIN)” means
a valid North American numbering plan format telephone number
(assigned to the MLTS operator by the appropriate authority), that
is used to route the call to a PSAP and used to retrieve the ALI for
the PSAP. The ELIN may be the same number as the ANI. In some
cases, the number may not be a dialable number.

(5) “Emergency response location (ERL)” means a location that
provides a minimum of the building and floor location of the caller
to which a 911 emergency response team may be dispatched.

(6) “Master street address guide (MSAG)” means a database of
street names and house number ranges within their associated
communities defining emergency service zones and their associated
emergency service numbers to enable proper routing of 911 calls.

(7) “Multiline telephone system (MLTS)” means a system
comprised of a common control unit or units, telephone sets, and
control hardware and software. This includes, but is not limited
to, network and premises based systems, such as Centrex and PBX,
Hybrid, and Key Telephone Systems.

(8) “MLTS operator” means the entity that purchases, leases,
or otherwise contracts for the entity’s use of the MLTS and
therefore is responsible for ensuring that a 911 emergency call
placed from an MLTS is transmitted in accordance with this
section, regardless of the type of MLTS technology used to
generate the call.

(9) “Private emergency answering point (PEAP)” means an
answering point operated by nonpublic safety entities with
alternative and adequate means of signaling and directing a
response to emergencies.

(10) “Private branch exchange (PBX)” means a private telephone
switch that is connected to the public switched telephone begin delete Network end delete
begin insert network end insert or successor network.

(11) “Public switched telephone network (PSTN)” means the
network of equipment, lines, and controls assembled to establish
communication paths between calling and called parties in North
America.

(12) “Public safety answering point (PSAP)” means a facility
equipped and staffed to receive 911 calls.

(13) “Workspace” means the physical building area where work
is normally performed. This is a net square footage measurement
that includes hallways, conference rooms, restrooms, and begin delete break
rooms end delete begin insert breakrooms end insert , but does not include wall thickness, shafts,
heating, ventilating, or air-conditioning equipment spaces,
mechanical electrical spaces, or similar areas where employees do
not normally perform work activities.

(b) 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 PSTN from any telephone on the MLTS is routed to the
appropriate PSAP and provides ALI or ANI to the 911 network
that connects to the PSAP.

(c) An MLTS operator shall program the MLTS equipment to
transmit with any 911 call the ELIN and emergency response
location of the caller either directly to the PSAP begin delete , or in a manner
that enables a direct response through an alternate and adequate
means of signaling by the establishment of a private point. end delete begin insert or
PEAP. end insert

(d) (1) An entity that is the seller or lessor of an MLTS system
shall provide, at the time of sale or lease, to the purchaser or lessee
either a demonstration of, or written instructions as to, how to
place an emergency call from a telephone station.

(2) An MLTS operator shall provide each new user of the MLTS
with either a demonstration of, or written instructions at each
station as to, how to place an emergency call from a telephone
station.

(e) (1) An MLTS operator shall arrange to update the ALI
database with appropriate MSAG or an appropriate equivalent
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 a 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 review and verify the accuracy of
the number and location information provided by the MLTS at
least once annually.

(f) Applicable Federal Communications Commission rules and
orders regarding enhanced 911 systems shall take precedence over
any provision contained in this section.

(g) The MLTS operator that provides voice communication
services to temporary structures or facilities, regardless of the size,
shall ensure that the MLTS is connected to the PSTN. 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.

(h) (1) An MLTS operator, service provider, 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 voice service provider, or its affiliates, directors, officers,
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.

(i) (1) This section shall not apply to an MLTS serving a
building or multiple buildings or structures with a combined total
workspace of 7,000 square feet or less . In the event of a dispute,
the State Fire Marshal shall determine the square footage of a
workspace.

(2) This exemption does not apply to temporary structures or
facilities with MLTS.

(j) An begin insert MLTS operator or an end insert entity that is a seller or lessor of
an MLTS system in violation of this section after January 1, 2019,
may be assessed a begin insert civil end insert fine from five hundred dollars ($500) to
five thousand dollars ($5,000) per system sold or leased. begin insert The
division shall be responsible for the enforcement of this subdivision. end insert

(k) 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.