“…provide to the appropriate PSAP automatic dispatchable location, if technically feasible; otherwise, it shall provide dispatchable location based on end user manual update, or enhanced location information, which may be coordinate-based, consisting of the best available location that can be obtained from any available technology or combination of technologies at reasonable cost…
Skype for Business would require an E911 service provider for MSAG validation as the validation has become a requirement of the “dispatchable location” definition to align with the mobile E911 definition. Whether the “reasonable cost” clause would apply is very ambiguous.
On Microsoft Teams, which is slated to release their initial rendition of dynamic E911, it becomes interesting to see what types of “any available technology or combination of technologies” apply, especially after reviewing some of the Microsoft comments in the referenced FCC document:
- Microsoft states that commercially available location services already in use around the globe can be leveraged “relatively quickly and effectively” to enhance the 911 capabilities of IP-based and cloud-MLTS and interconnected VoIP services in ways “far more accurate and reliable than a ‘registered location’ manually entered by the end-user.”
- According to Microsoft, location technologies that could be leveraged include GPS/GNSS location, device-based sensing of Wi-Fi hotspots, and use of commercially available crowd-sourced location data.
When it comes to providing the exact dispatchable location, the definition is still a little blurry and there doesn’t seem to be any definitive rules for going beyond the MSAG validated civic address. It is important to take this seriously and as not putting proper thought and investment could open yourself up to fines, if not private lawsuits.