The International Association of Fire Chiefs says it supports a petition filed by the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates and various other consumer advocacy entities (TRDaily, Dec. 2, 2015) asking the FCC to reconsider its decision not to make service providers responsible for ensuring that backup power is available for voice services that are not line-powered.  A report and order released in August requires providers of facilities-based, fixed, voice residential service to offer consumers an eight-hour backup power solution that can be purchased at the point of sale (TRDaily, Aug. 6, 2015), with a 24-hour option to be available within three years.

“The FCC needs to ensure that as new technologies evolve they provide reasonable access to 911 to individuals during loss of electrical power to a residence or other customer location regardless of the cause,” the IAFC said in a Dec. 28 ex parte filing in PS docket 14-174. “In enabling new technologies for 911, the standard of performance should be reliability that is at least equivalent to the current universal access landline telephone network. The Rule and Order fail[s] to meet this standard.”

Courtesy TRDaily