House approves bills to improve public safety calls, rural communications networks

Bills that would mandate that all multi-line telephone systems connect directly to 9-1-1 systems and would require the FCC to establish minimum call completion standards for intermediary phone providers in rural areas cleared the House of Representatives on Friday.

The Kari’s Law Act was named in recognition of Kari Hunt Dunn, who was fatally stabbed as her daughter repeatedly tried to dial 9-1-1 from a hotel phone The calls were not able to connect because the girl didn’t first dial “9” to make an outside call.

Meanwhile, the Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act aims to improve call reliability in rural areas where poor connections and lost or failed calls are common.

U.S. Reps. Greg Walden (R-OR), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, shepherded the bills through the committee.

“While much has changed since the first 9-1-1 call was placed nearly fifty years ago, fast and reliable emergency communication, no matter where you are, is as important as ever,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “When an emergency strikes, Kari’s Law will help give every person in America the certainty that dialing 9-1-1 means 9-1-1, even if you’re calling from a hotel or office phone.”

Walden and Blackburn added that the bills have been “years in the making.” They concluded that the bills would “increase public safety and improve the way rural communities make phone calls.”