Pai Credits Wheeler for FCC's 911 Direct Dialing in Talk With 'Kari's Law' Father
Chairman Ajit Pai gave predecessor Tom Wheeler credit for bringing direct 911 dialing to the FCC's phone system, as Pai and Hank Hunt discussed the story behind Kari's Law in a podcast. Hunt's daughter, Kari Dunn, was murdered by her…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
estranged husband in a hotel bathroom in 2013 as her 9-year-old tried to call 911 unsuccessfully, because the phone system required extra-digit dialing. "In many cases, the fix is pretty easy," Pai said, citing the FCC's 2015 change (see 1505040060). "It essentially just was a case of my predecessor, the former chairman [Tom Wheeler], saying we want to change this and there it was. It was done. And so I think that's part of what struck members of Congress too, saying this is a common-sense fix." The FCC on Sept. 26 adopted an NPRM proposing to implement Kari's Law mandating direct 911 dialing (see 1809260047). Hunt, who played a key advocacy role, wanted to ensure changes didn't "break" business owners: "I don't want someone in a mom-and-pop hotel that's got a 40-room hotel having to spend $10,000 to upgrade." He said whenever he is in a hotel room, he checks to see if the phone system has direct 911 dialing, and talks to the manager if it doesn't: "It's an awareness problem at this point."