000 from VoIP services: rules will be tightened

VoIP providers whose service closely emulated the standard telephone service (in that they support incoming and outgoing calls via a standard phone number) are already required to support 000 calling, but at present it is sufficient for operators that support only outgoing calls (Type 2 VoIP in ACMA jargon) to simply state that calls to 000 are not supported.

However under the proposed rules such VoIP operators that do not want to support calls to 000 will have to display this information much more prominently, in a prescribed manner, and would be required to obtain and retain acknowledgement from customers that they understood they cannot make 000 calls.

Specifically the VoIP provider would have to provide information on alternative means of making 000 calls, would have to display on each primary web page of any site used to advertise the service that it could not be used for making 000 calls with this information to be in plain text and at least 10 points in size. Each page would also have to include a "No emergency call access" emblem presently being developed by ACMA.

The new rules are contained in a draft determination - Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2009, produced following a review of the preceding 2002 determination initiated in 2008.

According to the ACMA, responses to the review garnered a wide range of opinions and suggestions about the operation of the existing legislation, and more generally about Australia's emergency call service. The ACMA has issued a consultation paper to accompany the draft determination and is seeking input by 21 August.

The draft determination also flags new rules requiring mobile operators to reduce the number of non-genuine calls to 000, and 112 the mobile emergency number, for mobile phones. The ACMA says that around half of all calls to emergency services from mobiles are not genuine.