An Act To Ensure Direct Dialing of 911 from Multiline Telephone Systems
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 0825
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology
Sponsors: WOODSOME, BERRY
Amends: 25 MRSA §2934, 25 MRSA §2934-A

Legislative Document
No. 825
S.P. 271
In Senate, March 2, 2017
An Act To Ensure Direct Dialing of 911 from Multiline Telephone 
Systems
Submitted by the Public Utilities Commission pursuant to Joint Rule 204.
Reference to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology suggested and ordered 
printed.
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator WOODSOME of York.
Cosponsored by Representative BERRY of Bowdoinham.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  25 MRSA §2934, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 478, §1, is amended 
to read: 
1.  Requirements.  The bureau may by rule establish requirements for locating 
emergency calls, and initiating emergency responses to such calls, made from within 
multiline telephone systems, including network-based or premises-based systems and 
voice over Internet protocol systems, whether owned or leased by a public or private 
entity, such as private branch exchanges or Centrex systems.  Rules adopted pursuant to 
this section: 
A.    May not require any local unit of government to expand or modify its activities 
so as to necessitate additional expenditures from local revenues; 
B.    Apply only to multiline telephone systems installed, introduced, established or 
replaced after the effective date of the rules; 
C.    Must provide for appropriate standards, exemptions and waivers that balance the 
benefits of improved methods of locating emergency calls, and initiating emergency 
responses to such calls, made from within multiline telephone systems and the cost of 
achieving those improvements.  The rules must allow, in appropriate circumstances, 
for methods that do not utilize automatic location identification and automatic 
number identification standards used in processing enhanced 9-1-1 calls; and 
D.    May establish appropriate technical, procedural or any other standards relating 
to multiline telephone systems, telecommunications carrier interconnectivity, 
databases, dialing instructions, signaling or other matters necessary or appropriate to 
carry out the purposes of this section. 
Sec. 2.  25 MRSA §2934-A is enacted to read: 
§2934-A.  Emergency calling from multiline telephone systems 
1.  Direct dialing of 911.  A public or private entity that installs or operates a 
multiline telephone system shall ensure that the system is connected to the public 
switched telephone network in such a way that when an individual using the system dials 
911, the call connects to the public safety answering point without requiring the user to 
first dial any other number or set of numbers.  This subsection does not apply to any local 
unit of government if complying would necessitate additional expenditures from local 
revenues. 
2.  Compliance period.  A public or private entity shall comply with subsection 1 
within one year after the effective date of this section or, if the public or private entity 
does not have a multiline telephone system capable of complying with subsection 1, by 
the date that the multiline telephone system is next upgraded to a system capable of 
complying with subsection 1. 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires that any public or private entity that installs or operates a multiline 
telephone system ensures that the system is connected to the public switched telephone 
network in such a way that an individual dialing 911 is connected to the public safety 
answering point without requiring the individual to first dial any other number or set of 
numbers.