Based on the responses of the original notice of inquiry, it is "unquestionably feasible for manufacturers of MLTS to include within those systems the capability to identify location of a 911 caller with sufficient precision to support an effective response." It was also noted that comments by Verizon as well as the California Public Utilities Commission both supported this claim in their responses.

If you have a device, and you can communicate with others on that device, especially others in the general public, somewhere, someone will need to make an emergency call on that device. This is where the NG enabled emergency services network is not only going to be desired, is going to be required as more and more citizens communicate over new and emerging modalities of technology.

It was a warm sunny day in beautiful Nashville, Tennessee, this past Thursday, where MLTS E911 took another significant step forward, as the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board hosted an informative session on a topic that has been gaining traction in several states as well as the Federal level.

When you look at almost any emergency event, you'll find that the procedure that was put into place is really the key to the successful outcome of any disaster. If you plan and train for the worst case

scenario, when the real thing comes around, you're prepared.

We constantly are hearing or reading about the financial budget crunch that public safety deals with every single day. With the cost savings in my example alone, dispatching the right resources at the right time not only improves the response metrics, but provides a more efficient environment. If you were to shave at just 1% off of a $20 million operating budget, that ends up putting $200,000 back into someone's budget that can be put to good use.

This is where intelligence in the network, and NG911 call routing, can step in. Once the "system" understands that there isan event at a particular location, intelligent routing can take calls from that immediate area and provide them with specialized call handling. An intelligent dynamic IVR system could advise callers, in close proximity, with special instructions.

Over the past year, several new Apps have been released that are targeted at smart phone users to aid them with providing additional information about a particular emergent event to public safety. Although a noble initiative, the fact remains that public safety uses an analog-based voice only backend infrastructure that is only capable of carrying a voice call.

Today's 911 network creates a physical barrier that technology simply cannot solve. In addition to being an isolated island in the telecom ocean, there is no way for an originator of an emergency call to insert or attach any additional enhanced information. What is needed is a way to make the existing system a litter "Smarter".

If you asked, "How many states in the US have legislation regarding MLTS/PBX systems?" Most would answer 17. So what state is the mystery number 18?

A headline session at this May's International Avaya Users Group annual conference was "The Great E911 Debate," moderated by Avaya's Mark Fletcher and featuring four companies on the cutting edge of the E911 market. Our last Junkies episode gave you a look ahead on the debate, and now each of the participants return with an on-target review of the debate and the key issues it addressed. Debate panelists are:

Moderator Mark J. Fletcher, ENP, Avaya's Product Manager for Public Safety

Nicholas Maier, Senior Vice President 2013 RedSky

Bill Svien, Vice President of Corporate Strategy 2013 911ETC

Tim Kenyon, ENP, President 2013 Conveyant Systems

Lev Deich, Director 2013 911 Enable