9-1-1 VoIP passes Senate, but that's far from a complete solution

The IP-Enabled Voice Communications and Public Safety Act of 2007 has just been passed by the U.S. Senate.

The hill amends the Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 to irequire interstate VoIP providers to provide enhanced 9-1-1-services.

Not only that, but the bill authorizes the FCC to dictate that these providers have right of access to 9-1-1- service elements. That includes direct access to PSAP (Public Safety Answering Pint) facilities.

Additionally, the bill allows the FCC to delegate relevant 9-1-1 access to state agencies  charged with overseeing local emergency communications networks.

These are major steps toward the credibility of VoIP, but there remains one hurdle.

Innerrant point of presence detection for IP calls made over notebooks and handsets. True, there are some GPS-based solutions, but without boosters, GPS is primarily an outdoor medium.

And don't tell me about indoor boosters and adapters. The way it seems to me, the VoIP user who does not take the time and care to register a temporary location (say at his aunt's) isn't going to be the one to rig up a solution that will bring the presence-detecting aspects of GPS inside.