§623 — Title 47 Telegraphs, Telephones, and Radiotelegraphs | U.S. Code

Summary

Require businesses that make, import, sell, lease, install, manage, or run multi-line phone systems to set them up so anyone can dial 9-1-1 directly from any phone station without dialing extra numbers, codes, prefixes, or post-fixes. Systems sold or leased must come pre-set so that, when installed correctly, a user can call 9-1-1 without using trunk-access codes like the digit 9, even if other calls need those codes. Installers and operators must also configure the system the same way. If the system can be set to send an alert without hardware or software upgrades, the installer or operator must enable a notification to a central location at the facility or to another person or organization. State or local emergency agencies keep their authority unless it conflicts with this chapter. Enforcement is under subchapter V, and section 501 applies only for fines. Multi-line telephone system — a business phone system (see section 1471 for the full definition).

Title 47, §623

Telegraphs, Telephones, and Radiotelegraphs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)A person engaged in the business of manufacturing, importing, selling, or leasing multi-line telephone systems may not manufacture or import for use in the United States, or sell or lease or offer to sell or lease in the United States, a multi-line telephone system, unless such system is pre-configured such that, when properly installed in accordance with subsection (b), a user may directly initiate a call to 9–1–1 from any station equipped with dialing facilities, without dialing any additional digit, code, prefix, or post-fix, including any trunk-access code such as the digit “9”, regardless of whether the user is required to dial such a digit, code, prefix, or post-fix for other calls.

(b)A person engaged in the business of installing, managing, or operating multi-line telephone systems may not install, manage, or operate for use in the United States such a system, unless such system is configured such that a user may directly initiate a call to 9–1–1 from any station equipped with dialing facilities, without dialing any additional digit, code, prefix, or post-fix, including any trunk-access code such as the digit “9”, regardless of whether the user is required to dial such a digit, code, prefix, or post-fix for other calls.

(c)A person engaged in the business of installing, managing, or operating multi-line telephone systems shall, in installing, managing, or operating such a system for use in the United States, configure the system to provide a notification to a central location at the facility where the system is installed or to another person or organization regardless of location, if the system is able to be configured to provide the notification without an improvement to the hardware or software of the system.

(d)Nothing in this section is intended to alter the authority of State commissions or other State or local agencies with jurisdiction over emergency communications, if the exercise of such authority is not inconsistent with this chapter.

(e)This section shall be enforced under subchapter V, except that section 501 of this title applies only to the extent that such section provides for the punishment of a fine.

(f)In this section, the term “multi-line telephone system” has the meaning given such term in section 1471 of this title.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (d), was in the original “this Act”, meaning act June 19, 1934, ch. 652, 48 Stat. 1064, known as the Communications Act of 1934, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 609 of this title and Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Pub. L. 115–127, § 2(b), Feb. 16, 2018, 132 Stat. 327, provided that: “The amendment made by subsection (a) [enacting this section] shall apply with respect to a multi-line telephone system that is manufactured, imported, offered for first sale or lease, first sold or leased, or installed after the date that is 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act [Feb. 16, 2018].”

§623 Configuration of multi-line telephone systems for direct dialing of 9–1–1.