Washington, DC – Although Internet telephony is a great technological communications development, it poses significant technical and policy challenges with respect to location technologies and E9-1-1, according to a panel of experts briefing Congressional staff and others recently on Capitol Hill.
“Voice over Internet Protocol [VoIP] is an exciting new development in communications technology,” said Gregory L. Rohde, Executive Director of the E9-1-1 Institute. “However, VoIP also brings new technical challenges and new players to the E9-1-1 system. The purpose of today’s briefing is to educate policymakers on the implications of VoIP technology for public safety, homeland security, and emergency communications and provide more information on efforts by the public safety community and industry to address these challenges.”
The briefing, entitled “Voice On the Net” and moderated by Rohde, features the following speakers:
- Henning Schulzrinne, Chair, Department of Computer Science at Columbia University
- Roger Hixson, Technical Issues Director, National Emergency Number Association (NENA)
- Timothy J. Lorello, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, TeleCommunication Systems (TCS)
- Nicholas Maier, Vice President of Business Development, RedSky Technologies
- Raymond Paddock, Vice President of Industry Association Relations, Intrado
- Tony Rutkowski, Vice President, Wireline Business Unit, Verisign
The briefing was the second in a series of roundtable discussions being offered by the E9-1-1 Institute to provide policymakers and reporters with insight into the 9-1-1 system and the ongoing deployment of enhanced 9-1-1 services throughout the country.
