911 and VoIP - What You Need to Know

In recent times, the introduction of VoIP providers for telecommunications has changed the whole concept of the telephone, but one important issue you need to be aware of is  VoIP and 911 functionality.

It cannot be denied that the ability to dial 911 in case of an emergency can never be compromised, and for this reason alone many people are nervous to completely give up their traditional phones altogether. 911, is a number that should be available to the entire population, free of charge, twenty four hours a day, and the technology used to make the call should not matter. A 911 call automatically diverts to the Public Switch Telephone Network, and the Federal Communications Commission has taken steps to provide this same service with VoIP as from a standard landline, mobile or cell phone.

Using a VoIP provider for your phone calls means cheaper calling, with no phone lines and just the use of an Internet signal. In fact, VoIP has taken the business world by storm as well as being popular with individuals for totally free video calling. But what needs to be recognized here is the need to make emergency calls too in this way. The trouble that arises when trying to use a VoIP provider for traditional and emergency type calling is that the portable provider will not always recognize where the call is being generated from. In fact, this is something that many people like about VoIP service providers such as Datavo; they can call from wherever they want and stay anonymous. However, when calling 911, a vital component of the call is that the operator can identify your position immediately without you having to tell them; and here lies the dilemma of VoIP and 911functionality. 

Improvements have been made to step up the safety of relying on VoIP for emergency calling, and now all 911 calls will reach the correct public safety authority. What cannot however be done is to ensure that the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) staff answering the call can call you back if necessary as the origin of your call is not clear for them to see. In fact, although precautions are in place and improvements are being sought, at this present moment it cannot be guaranteed that one hundred percent of VoIP calls will be directed correctly, some being directed wrongly to unmanned lines of the PSAP. You can however set a location on your VoIP phone, but this will only work if you remember to change it as you move around. Also, as VoIP relies on an Internet signal, you need to be prepared for times when you simply cannot get enough signal to call in bad weather, or when your Internet goes down and you cannot call at all. Datavo makes sure in  providing their customers with up to the minute information on the limitations of VoIP and 911 functionality, the message for now being that if you are with children, the elderly or in a place where you may be at risk and need to call the emergency services, always have a traditional or cellular device on hand.

Understanding Your Datavo Taxes & Surcharges

When you get your bill in the mail, do you wonder what each tax is for? Here at Datavo, we know this can be difficult at times so here is a brief understanding of what each tax/surcharge covers.

• Universal Lifeline Telephone Surcharge:  Imposed by the CPUC* to help subsidize the fund for Universal Lifeline Telephone Service. It applies to all consumers, business or residential. It is billed monthly at a percentage of 1.150% (as of 7/1/12)**.

• CA Relay Service and Communications Devices Fund: Imposed by the CPUC to help provide telecommunications devices to deaf or hearing impaired consumers. It applies to all consumers, business or residential. It is billed monthly at a percentage of 0.2% (as of 7/1/12)** .

• CA High Cost Fund-A:  Imposed by the CPUC to provide supplemental revenue to 14 small phone companies to minimize rate disparities of basic phone service between rural and metropolitan areas. It applies to all consumers, business or residential. It is billed monthly at a percentage of 0.4% (as of 7/1/12) ** .

• CA High Cost Fund-B: Imposed by the CPUC to provide subsidies to Carriers of Last Resort (COLR's - A carrier that commits or is required by law to provide service to any customer in a service area that requests it, even if it will not be cost effective to the carrier) for providing basic telephone service to residential customers in high-cost areas currently serviced by any Pacific Bell Telephone Company (dba AT&T, Verizon, Cox, etc.). It applies to all consumers, business or residential. It is billed monthly at a percentage of 0.3% (as of 7/1/12)** .

• CA Teleconnect Fund (CTF): Imposed by the CPUC to provide a 50% discount on select communications services to libraries, schools, hospitals, and other non-profit organizations. It applies to all consumers, business or residential. It is billed monthly at a percentage of 0.079% (as of 7/1/12)** .

• CA Advanced Service Fund: Imposed by the CPUC to provide grants to telephone companies to help bridge the digital divide and bring service to unserved/underserved areas of the state.  It applies to all consumers, business or residential. It is billed monthly at a percentage of 0.14% (as of 7/1/12)**. 

• Number Portability Charge: Local Number Portability provides you the option of keeping your same telephone number when switching from one phone company to another.  It applies to all consumers, business or residential. This fee is a fixed monthly charge of $0.34** that helps telephone companies recover costs of providing the service of  local number portability.

• End User Common Line Charges - EUCL: This is a federally regulated monthly service charge billed by the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) intended to compensate them for the costs of connecting a call to a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) or interxchange carrier (IXC). It applies to all ILEC supplied loops. It is currently $6.50 ** per line.

• Federal Universal Service Fund Surcharge:  Imposed by the FCC to help make phone service  affordable and available to all Americans. Congress has mandated that all telephone providers providing interstate services must contribute to this fund.  It is applied to all consumers, business or residential.  The rate fluctuates every quarter and is mandated by the FCC.

• Federal Telecommunications Relay Service Fund (TRS):  Imposed by the FCC to help compensate TRS carriers for providing telephone transmission services that allow speech or hearing impaired consumers to communicate with a person without a speech or hearing disability. It applies to all consumers, business or residential. Carriers are billed for their share of the annual budget monthly.

• Los Angeles Communications Users Tax (CUT): Imposed by the City of Los Angeles, on the following communciations services: wired and wireless communications; intrastate, interstate and international services; ancillary services; VoIP; paging; and private communication services.  It is applied to all consumers, business or residential; at a rate of 9% ** .

• PUC: Imposed by the CPUC on all telecommunications carriers supplying services directly to customers in California. The rate is based on the telecommunications carriers intrastate revenue. 

• E911: imposed by the FCC used to fund enhanced 911 telephone systems and 411 services.  It is applied to all consumers, business or residential; at a rate of 0.5%**. 

*California Public Utilities Commission

** Rates are subject to change at any time.

What You Should Know About VoIP and 911 Functionality

In recent times, the introduction of VoIP providers for telecommunications has changed the whole concept of the telephone, but one important issue you need to be aware of is  VoIP and 911 functionality.

Using a VoIP provider for your phone calls means cheaper calling, with no phone lines and just the use of an Internet signal. In fact, VoIP has taken the business world by storm as well as being popular with individuals for totally free video calling. But what needs to be recognized here is the need to make emergency calls too in this way. The trouble that arises when trying to use a VoIP provider for traditional and emergency type calling is that the portable provider will not always recognize where the call is being generated from. In fact, this is something that many people like about VoIP service providers such as Datavo; they can call from wherever they want and stay anonymous. However, when calling 911, a vital component of the call is that the operator can identify your position immediately without you having to tell them; and here lies the dilemma of VoIP and 911functionality. 

It cannot be denied that the ability to dial 911 in case of an emergency can never be compromised, and for this reason alone many people are nervous to completely give up their traditional phones altogether. 911, is a number that should be available to the entire population, free of charge, twenty four hours a day, and the technology used to make the call should not matter. A 911 call automatically diverts to the Public Switch Telephone Network, and the Federal Communications Commission has taken steps to provide this same service with VoIP as from a standard landline, mobile or cell phone.

Improvements have been made to step up the safety of relying on VoIP for emergency calling, and now all 911 calls will reach the correct public safety authority. What cannot however be done is to ensure that the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) staff answering the call can call you back if necessary as the origin of your call is not clear for them to see. In fact, although precautions are in place and improvements are being sought, at this present moment it cannot be guaranteed that one hundred percent of VoIP calls will be directed correctly, some being directed wrongly to unmanned lines of the PSAP. You can however set a location on your VoIP phone, but this will only work if you remember to change it as you move around. Also, as VoIP relies on an Internet signal, you need to be prepared for times when you simply cannot get enough signal to call in bad weather, or when your Internet goes down and you cannot call at all. Datavo makes sure in  providing their customers with up to the minute information on the limitations of VoIP and 911 functionality, the message for now being that if you are with children, the elderly or in a place where you may be at risk and need to call the emergency services, always have a traditional or cellular device on hand.