May 24, 2005
Skype Washes Hands Of E911
With the FCC's recent ruling on E911, European VoIP provider Skype claims that it should not be held as an emergency service to its customers. Skype's spokeswoman, Kelly Larabee claims that Skype is not a replacement to an existing telephone line and should be regarded as an "enhancement". Therefore, they should not be expected to provide E911 services in compliance to the FCC ruling. In other words, they don't want to pay to have the system installed for their 4 millions American clients and focus more time on their other 36 million worldwide. Let me illustrate this fact:
Larabee stated that, “there are ways Skype could enhance emergency services. For instance, text messages or e-mails could help persons in distress to communicate in some situations." Right. Like I'm just going to sit around and wait for a 911 technician to pick up their cell phone and read their TEXT MESSAGES. Is this woman serious? Do you know how long it would take to text, "People are coming to kill me!” under the circumstances?
American VoIP companies played the "enhancement" card, and they got regulated. Either step up to the plate, or take your European software elsewhere. According to TechWeb:
Vonage, the largest U.S.-based VoIP firm, has forged agreements with landline telephony operators like Verizon Communications and SBC Communications to insure that 911 emergency service is provided.
Read more: Skype Positions Itself as 'Enhancement' VoIP, Not Responsible For 911 Service
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