New Orleans Businesses: See FCC January Emergency Communications Compliance Deadlines

Press release from the City of New Orleans:

December 21, 2020

CITY OF NEW ORLEANS IN COORDINATION WITH ORLEANS PARISH COMMUNICATION DISTRICT ANNOUNCE FCC JANUARY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS COMPLIANCE DEADLINES FOR BUSINESSES

NEW ORLEANS —The City of New Orleans Department of Economic Development, in partnership with the Orleans Parish Communication District (OPCD), today announced the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) deadline of Jan. 6, 2021 for businesses and organizations to bring their telephone systems into federal compliance in accordance with Kari's Law and the Ray BAUM's Act.

View video of the press conference in English here.
View video of the press conference in Spanish here.

The FCC announced the deadlines for businesses and organizations to bring their phone systems into federal compliance, which, in part, mandates that no prefix (dialing 9 to get an outside line) be required when dialing 9-1-1, a centralized location within the building be notified when someone dials 9-1-1 from that location, and that a dispatchable location with specific information be transmitted to the 9-1-1 center.

OPCD and the City of New Orleans are working to ensure businesses and organizations in New Orleans are aware of these deadlines and are aware of how to become compliant prior to the deadlines in order to provide greater safety for residents and visitors and save businesses from facing any potential federally enforced fines.

“Our goal is to make sure all New Orleans businesses and large organizations that could be impacted by these FCC deadlines are aware that they exist and have every opportunity to find out if they are compliant, and if not, how to become compliant before Jan. 6,” stated OPCD Executive Director Tyrell Morris. “The most effective way to ensure compliance is for businesses to call their phone service vendors, who should be completely up to date on regulations regarding Kari’s Law and the Ray BAUM’s Act, and can help them make any necessary changes to their systems before the deadline hits. I want to thank Mayor Cantrell and the Department of Economic Development for their partnership and voice in helping us spread this message throughout the city.”

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, in a statement released last week about OPCD’s coordinated effort to raise awareness for the upcoming deadlines, stated, “The upcoming deadlines for the implementation of RAY BAUM’S Act will similarly speed up the response time for those dialing 911 in hotels, offices and campus environments. Requiring the provision of a more precise ‘dispatchable’ location, regardless of the platform used to call, will give first responders the information they need to locate callers in need. I thank the Orleans Parish Communications District for shining a light on these important deadlines.”


The FCC released an announcement in early December of which deadlines will impact businesses and organizations based on the specific phone systems being utilized and the time in which those systems were installed. The official FCC announcement can be found here. The FCC has asked that anyone who would like to make a complaint about a non-compliant business or organization, please do so by contacting the FCC directly or on the FCC website.

The City of New Orleans Department of Economic Development, with the support of Mayor Cantrell, is taking measures to ensure businesses and organizations in New Orleans are prepared for these upcoming deadlines, as well, by opening up avenues for communication to local businesses through weekly calls, sharing informational literature, and providing guidance to business leaders on how to ensure compliance before Jan. 6, 2020.

“The City of New Orleans and Department of Economic Development is eager to support businesses as they work to comply with this critical legislation,” said City of New Orleans Director of Economic Development, Jeffery Schwartz. “Anything we can do to help local businesses understand how they can meet federal regulations, we are happy to do. As of now, the best course of action for any business in New Orleans will be to call their phone service provider who can quickly inform business owners on whether they are compliant with Kari’s Law and the Ray BAUM’s Act, or how to become compliant.”

This press release was produced by the City of New Orleans. The views expressed are the author's own.