What You Need to Know About Texas Kari’s Law and Federal Kari’s Law

The story of Kari Hunt has come a long way. It is a story that has touched many hearts with sadness. It has also had many people join Hank Hunt’s (her father) fight for direct access to 9-1-1 without having to dial an additional digit from a multi-line telephone system (MLTS). Most of these phones are found in hotels, offices and many businesses. Kari’s story ends in success but started as a tragedy no father should ever have to endure.

BACKGROUND OF KARI’S LAW

Kari Hunt, daughter of Hank Hunt, was killed by her estranged husband in a motel room in Marshall, Texas in 2013. At the time, Kari’s 9-year-old daughter tried to call 9-1-1 for help four times from the motel room phone, but the call never went through. Why? Kari was doing what she was taught, because we teach children to dial 9-1-1 in an emergency. We do not teach them that they need to dial “9” for an outbound line before being able to dial 9-1-1. Sadly, Kari died that day when her life could have been potentially saved if her daughter had been able to get through to 9-1-1.

TEXAS KARI’S LAW

Hank could not let her death be in vain. He started an incredible grassroots effort in Texas to get Kari’s Law enacted that would allow a person to dial 9-1-1 without having to push any additional digits first. He reached out to local officials and started a petition online. And his hard work paid off. Public officials, 9-1-1 employees, and citizens noticed and pushed for a law to change how MLTS phones are set up to ensure a person can dial 9-1-1 and get help right away. On May 15, 2015, Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 788 into law. The law ultimately represents the culmination of the enormous efforts for change in the aftermath of the death of Kari.

The law and the rule require a business service user (BSU) to configure their MLTS for direct dialing to 9-1-1 without any initial digit, prefix, or access code to reach an outbound line.  Compliance with the law began on September 1, 2016.  The primary reason a rule was put into place was to implement the statutory waiver process under which a BSU can obtain a one-year waiver of the Texas Kari’s Law’s direct dialing requirements. To obtain a waiver, a BSU must timely submit an affidavit stating that: (1) The business service user made a good faith attempt to reprogram or replace the telephone system; and (2) Reprogramming/replacing of a non-compliant telephone system would be unduly and unreasonably cost prohibitive.

For more resources on Texas Kari's Law, including requesting a one-year waiver, please visit www.texas911.org. Additionally, CSEC has created a Texas Kari's Law Toolkit which includes a brochure, multiple PSAs and other helpful items in educating those to comply with Kari’s Law.

FEDERAL KARI’S LAW

Texas might have been one of the first states to create a Kari’s Law, but many other states followed suit. More and more support for a federal Kari’s Law was in the works. On February 16, 2018, Congress enacted the federal Kari’s Law Act of 2017 (Federal Kari’s Law) requiring direct dialing 9-1-1 access and notification with respect to any new MLTS. Federal Kari’s Law applies to a person (1) engaged in the business of manufacturing, importing, selling, or leasing MLTS; or (2) engaged in the business of installing, managing, or operating a MLTS.

The law and the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) regulations implementing the law are forward looking and apply only with respect to MLTS that are manufactured, imported, offered for first sale or lease, first sold or leased, or installed after February 16, 2020. For more information on the Federal Kari’s Law please visit https://www.fcc.gov/mlts-911-requirements.

Refrain from Letting Young Children Play with Deactivated Cell Phones

When we deactivate phones, meaning they do not have service through a phone provider, it's common to think they won't work in any way. But that is not the case. Deactivated cell phones, as long as they have a charge, can call 9-1-1. 

Why is this important to know? 

Being aware that an old cell phone can call 911 is important for a few reasons. On the positive side, if you couldn't afford service and had to shut it off, you at least have a way to call 9-1-1 in an emergency. The negative side of this is knowing anyone could accidentally call 9-1-1 from a deactivated cell phone. And this unfortunately clogs up 9-1-1 for real emergencies. This is why it important not let kids play with old cell phones that are deactivated. 

Using an old cell phone without a service contract presents challenges when contacting 9-1-1 as well. If you get disconnected from 9-1-1 while on the phone with them, the 9-1-1 dispatcher will not have a way to call you back since it is a deactivated phone therefore there is no number associated with it. Not only that, but older cell phones might not have up-to-date GPS technology, which means the dispatchers won't know where to locate you unless you can tell them.

What Happens if you or your child call 9-1-1 from a Deactivated Phone?

If someone accidentally calls from a deactivated phone, it is extremely important to stay on the line so you can let the 9-1-1 dispatcher there is no real emergency. But more importantly, simply don't let children play with deactivated phones. 

April Marks 9-1-1 Public Education Month and Recognizing National Telecommunicator Week

9-1-1 Education Month in April serves as an important time for 9-1-1 public educators to remind communities of what is considered an emergency as well as how and when to call for help.  The second full week in April also serves as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 12-18, 2020). This week recognizes the incredibly hard and dedicated work telecommunicators and dispatchers do every single day to serve and assist the public in emergency situations. 

Telecommunicators, also known as call-takers or dispatchers, are individuals who work for 9-1-1 and answer incoming emergency calls and/or texts and, then in turn, ensure the caller gets the appropriate emergency response needed. Telecommunicators answer many tough 9-1-1 calls throughout their career and we should all tip our hats to them and recognize them for their commitment to public safety.  

In 2008, the House of Representatives passed a resolution to increase national awareness about the importance and appropriate use of 9-1-1 and created a month dedicated solely to 9-1-1 education. There have been many changes recently to laws or technology that affect 9-1-1 and it’s important you stay informed on these important topics.

Below are some great topics to share information on during the month of April:

Call if You Can, Text if You Can’t

Throughout the year, more and more regions across the United States have been or are now providing text to 9-1-1 services. This service is really vital to the deaf and hard of hearing community, or to someone in an emergency situation that would be compromised if they were to speak out loud. While text to 9-1-1 is available in many areas, it is not available in all areas. Keep in mind that if you do text to 9-1-1 and it is NOT available in your area, you will receive a bounce back message instructing you to please call 9-1-1 for help.

Know Your Location

Many people have smart phones these days. And on these smart phones we have maps that show us where we are, so it doesn’t seem far-fetched to think that if we have GPS in our phone, then 9-1-1 should be able to find us when we call. This is actually not the case. When you call 9-1-1 from a cell phone/smart phone, dispatchers are only able to see approximately where you are and not specifically where you are located. Remember to always be aware and know your location. Look for mile markers, landmarks, cross streets and addresses on buildings. 9-1-1 is currently updating the technology and infrastructure that will change this all over the country called Next Generation 9-1-1.

Federal Kari’s Law

A new law that business service users and the public should be aware of is the federal Kari’s Law. This law has to do with providing direct access to 9-1-1 from a multi-user telephone line (MLTS). On February 16, 2018, Congress enacted the federal Kari’s Law Act of 2017 (Federal Kari’s Law) requiring direct dialing 9-1-1 access and notification with respect to any new MLTS. The law only applies to MLTS that are manufactured, imported, offered for first sale or lease, first sold or leased, or installed after February 16, 2020. With this law in place, if you ever need to call 9-1-1 from an MLTS phone, you don’t have to worry about dialing an additional digit to get an outside line first. Simply dial 9-1-1 for help. For more information on this law visit https://www.fcc.gov/mlts-911-requirements. You can also find information here regarding the Ray BAUM Act that has to do with dispatchable location.

Remember to take some time at home and discuss how and when to call 9-1-1 with your children or grandchildren. View the Cell Phone Sally: Getting Help is Easy video here!

Below find the Proclamation from Texas Governor Greg Abbott recognizing 9-1-1 Telecommunicators!