FCC Collecting VoIP Info

The New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008 (NET 911 Act) became law on July 23, 2008, requiring Internet Protocol (IP) enabled voice service providers to provide 911 and enhanced 911 (E911) services, and requiring various regulatory undertakings by the Federal Communications Commission. Pursuant to Section 101 of the NET 911 Act, the Federal Communications Commission must collect information regarding any fees collected by the states or other jurisdictions in connection with 911/E911 services, specifically, information "detailing the status in each State of the collection and distribution of such fees or charges, and including findings on the amount of revenues obligated or expended by each State or political subdivision thereof for any purpose other than the purpose for which any such fees or charges are specified." Section 101 of the NET 911 Act further requires the FCC to file "within 1 year after the date of enactment of the [NET 911 Act], and annually thereafter" a report with the Congress "detailing the status in each State of the collection and distribution of such fees or charges, and including findings on the amount of revenues obligated or expended by each State or political subdivision thereof for any purpose other than the purpose for which any such fees or charges are specified."

The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau seeks the following specific information in order to prepare the next annual report and fulfill its continuing obligations under Section 101 of the NET 911 Act:

• A statement as to whether or not the state or other entity as defined by Section 6(f)(1) of the NET 911 Act has established a funding mechanism designated for or imposed for the purposes of 911 or E911 support or implementation (including a citation to the legal authority for such mechanism).
• The amount of the fees or charges imposed for the implementation and support of 911 and E911 services, and the total amount collected pursuant to the assessed fees or charges, for the annual period ending December 31, 2009.
• A statement describing how the funds collected are made available to localities, and whether the state has established written criteria regarding the allowable uses of the collected funds, including the legal citation to such criteria.
• A statement identifying any entity in the state that has the authority to approve the expenditure of funds collected for 911 or E911 purposes, and a description of any oversight procedures established to determine that collected funds have been made available or used for the purposes designated by the funding mechanism, or otherwise used to implement or support 911 or E911.
• A statement whether all the funds collected for 911 or E911 purposes have been made available or used for the purposes designated by the funding mechanism, or otherwise used for the implementation or support of 911 or E911.
• A statement identifying what amount of funds collected for 911 or E911 purposes were made available or used for any purposes other than the ones designated by the funding mechanism or used for purposes otherwise unrelated to 911 or E911 implementation or support, including a statement identifying the unrelated purposes for which the funds collected for 911 or E911 purposes were made available or used.
• Any other comments the respondent may wish to provide regarding the applicable funding mechanism for 911 and E911.