During October 2020, the Cloud Communications Alliance (CCA) issued a reminder to all manufacturers, service providers, and vendors, that they only had a short time left to comply with the new rules of the RAY BAUM Act. The new act, which is now in effect as of January 6th, 2021, outlines rules regarding the installation of fixed multiline telephone services, VoIP, and other comms solutions as we head into 2021.
According to RAY BAUM’s ACT, all telephone line installations must be able to transmit “dispatchable location” details during a 911 call to the public safety answering point. In other words, these phones must be able to deliver information on the street address of the person making the call. The information should include additional details like floor number, room number, and anything else that might help the first responders to locate a call quickly.
Are You Equipped for the RAY BAUM Act?
The rules of the RAY BAUM Act dictate that street addresses must be validated, and the FCC notes that there are a number of databases available for companies to use when validating address information. Dispatchable information on location, including the validated address, needs to be delivered to the PSAP automatically when 911 calls are made, without action from the caller.
These new rules, effective now, will prohibit the manufacture, sale, or leasing of any MTLS in the US unless that system has been configured in a way to allow for the delivery of the dispatchable location information. The guidelines also prohibit the installation, operation, or management of such MLTS in the US unless the rules are followed.
Enterprises using MLTS technology in their companies need to be aware of any responsibilities they have to ensure compliance. The service provider managing the MLTS may need to rely on enterprise clients to provide and maintain their location information for customer devices. Companies that take a more significant role with regards to this technology may have direct responsibilities for ensuring the continued compliance of the system.
Are You Ready for the New Rules?
The new rules went into action on the 6th of January, but this date is only applicable to the fixed MLTS technology in a company, such as devices and desktop phones that you can’t move and use in another location by a different end-user without technical support. Nomadic and non-fixed devices like softphones and other equipment that can be moved freely have a little longer to prepare.
If you’re working with non-fixed devices, then you’ll have another year (until January 6th, 2022) to make sure that you’re fully compliant. The rules for non-fixed devices are a little more flexible too. The compliance deadline for 2021 also applies to fixed VoIP and telephone services, but non-fixed devices will not be subject to the rules until 2022.
Fortunately for some, the new rules do not require you to retrofit or replace existing systems. However, modifications or upgrades to current systems following January 6th may be deemed “new installations” that would be subject to the updated rules.
