Trump Signs 911 Legislation Into Law

Certain new 911 rules becomes effective today, January 6. The FCC adopted rules for 911 calls made from Multi-Line Telephone Systems (MLTS) in August 2019. President Trump recently signed into law two statutes designed to improve emergency calling. Kari’s Law applies to MLTS, which are telephone systems that serve consumers in environments such as office buildings, campuses, and hotels.

Kari’s Law is named after Kari Hunt, who was murdered in a Texas hotel room five years ago. Kari tried calling 911 during the attack, but the call never went through because she didn’t know she had to dial another number first to reach an outside line. Her father, Hank Hunt, pushed for a law to eliminate the need to dial “9” or “1” to reach 911 through MLTS.

Kari’s Law requires MLTS systems to enable users to dial 911 directly, without having to dial a prefix to reach an outside line, even if the MLTS otherwise requires it for other calls outside its system. The law also requires MLTS systems to notify someone such as the front desk or security office when a 911 call is made. The new law applies to phones installed or manufactured after February 2020. Continue Reading