Glossary · E911

What is E911?

E911 (Enhanced 911) is the US standard for emergency phone services that automatically delivers the caller’s location to the 911 dispatcher. Originally built for mobile carriers, E911 requirements now apply to VoIP and multi-line telephone systems under the MLTS Act (Kari’s Law) and RAY BAUM’S Act. Business phone systems must provide a dispatchable location (street address plus room/floor/suite) to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) when any user dials 911. Non-compliance carries fines up to $10,000 per violation and creates real safety risk.

Why E911 exists

Traditional landlines were tied to a specific street address. 911 operators could look up the calling number in a database (ALI — Automatic Location Identification) and see the registered address immediately. Dispatch went to the right location even if the caller couldn’t speak.

Mobile and VoIP phones broke that assumption. A phone number isn’t tied to a fixed location. E911 evolved as the regulatory and technical framework to restore that capability for modern phone services.

Key E911 laws for business phone systems

Kari’s Law (2018)

Named after Kari Hunt Dunn, who was killed in 2013 while her 9-year-old daughter tried to dial 911 from a hotel phone and was blocked by the hotel’s “dial 9 for an outside line” requirement.

Kari’s Law requires all multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) — including business PBXs and VoIP systems — to:

Allow direct 911 dialing without a prefix (no “dial 9 first”)
Simultaneously notify on-site personnel that a 911 call is in progress (front desk, security, management)

Applies to all MLTS installed, manufactured, imported, or upgraded after February 16, 2020.

RAY BAUM’S Act Section 506 (2019)

Requires that 911 calls from MLTS systems include a dispatchable location — more than just a street address, ideally the specific room, suite, floor, or office.

Fixed MLTS (desk phones): the physical location of the phone
Non-fixed MLTS (softphones, mobile apps): a location accurate enough to dispatch responders

Applies to MLTS installed or upgraded after January 6, 2022.

What “dispatchable location” means

Per FCC rules, a dispatchable location is: “the street address of the calling party, and additional information such as room number, floor number, or similar information necessary to adequately identify the location of the calling party.”

For a single-location small business, the street address is often sufficient. For larger deployments, floor and suite-level granularity is expected.

E911 and VoIP softphones

Softphones complicate E911 because the user can be anywhere. The FCC’s rules require “reasonably accurate” location. Common approaches:

User-provided location — prompt the user to confirm their current address on login or at set intervals
IP geolocation — infer location from IP address (accurate to city, sometimes block)
Network-aware location — use the enterprise’s Wi-Fi AP or network data to determine floor/suite
Device GPS — on mobile apps, use GPS when available

DialPhone’s softphone prompts users to confirm and update location when it changes significantly. Large enterprise deployments use network-based location with integration to the corporate WiFi or LAN infrastructure.

E911 setup process

When a number is ported to a VoIP provider:

Service address is captured during the port order
Provider registers the number with the appropriate ALI database
Dispatch is verified (some jurisdictions require a test call)
Address propagates to all relevant PSAPs

When a user moves or the service changes location:

Admin updates the address in the provider portal
Provider pushes the update to ALI
Update typically takes 24 to 72 hours to propagate fully

Critical: If an admin doesn’t update E911 when a user moves, 911 calls still route to the old address. Responders show up at the wrong location. This has contributed to deaths.

Kari’s Law simultaneous notification

Kari’s Law requires on-site personnel to be notified when a 911 call is placed. Implementation options:

Email alert to designated contacts
SMS alert to security/management
Dashboard / admin alert
Integration with physical security systems

DialPhone supports configurable simultaneous notifications (email, SMS, and app alert) for every 911 call, including the user who dialed and their registered location.

E911 non-compliance penalties

FCC fines: up to $10,000 per violation for willful violations
State-level penalties vary
Civil liability — if non-compliance contributes to a harm, civil suits can follow
Reputational damage — serious incidents get media coverage

Kari’s Law violations have been actively enforced. FCC takes it seriously.

E911 best practices for MLTS administrators

Verify direct 911 dialing works (no prefix required) on every endpoint
Verify on-site notification fires for every 911 call
Confirm registered addresses for every user match actual location
Require softphone users to confirm location at login / move
Update addresses in the admin portal the day users move
Test 911 dialing quarterly — actual test calls where possible (coordinate with local PSAP)
Document compliance — keep records of testing and address verification
Train users — teach them to update their location when they move

E911 and remote/hybrid work

Remote work creates E911 complexity:

Users dial 911 from home offices, coffee shops, hotels
Their registered service address may not match their current location
Softphone users are especially hard to locate

Best practices for remote teams:

Prompt softphone users to confirm/update location at least daily
Use device GPS on mobile apps when available
Train users — explain why location matters
Consider user messaging: “Your 911 calls route to your registered address. If you are somewhere else and need emergency help, use the phone in front of you instead.”

E911 and hoteliers, schools, hospitals

Special care for MLTS in hospitality, education, and healthcare:

Hotels: each room is a potential call origin; FCC has specifically addressed hotel MLTS
Schools: each classroom or area; many states have additional requirements
Hospitals: complex multi-building campuses with specific nurse-station and room routing requirements

Kari’s Law was specifically motivated by a hotel compliance failure. Take MLTS compliance seriously if you serve any of these verticals.

DialPhone E911 features

Address capture at number porting and at user creation
Admin portal for updating user locations
Softphone location prompts — users confirm location at login and on detected location changes
Simultaneous notification — configurable email/SMS/in-app alerts on every 911 call
Audit trail of 911 calls and location data
Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’S Act compliant by default on all MLTS deployments

See the DialPhone trust center → · See enterprise communications →

Example

A 40-branch financial services firm deployed DialPhone across all branches in 7 days. E911 setup was part of the standard deployment:

Each branch’s street address captured at port time
Per-floor suite numbers captured for the two multi-floor branches
Softphone users prompted to confirm home addresses
Simultaneous notification alerts configured to go to each branch manager plus corporate security

A test 911 call from one branch during deployment confirmed dispatchable location passed correctly to the local PSAP. Deployment signed off and went live.

Number porting — service addresses captured during porting
Multi-location phone system — E911 across distributed offices
Enterprise communications platform — E911 for global deployments
FCC Kari’s Law and MLTS guidance