Telecommunications Requirements for remote workers

MSU must comply with two new laws that are affecting how users of telephone systems interact with emergency services. These two new laws, known as Kari’s Law and Ray Baum’s Act, dictate how large enterprises connect users with emergency services. These laws dictate how MSU allows users to call 911 as well as communicate location information to emergency services.

Requirements of Remote Workers:

Users of telephone services provided or managed by MSU MUST be able to reach emergency services (911), including the following:

  • Softphones (Avaya Workplace, Avaya IX Workplace, Avaya AACC, Avaya Agent for Desktop, Avaya Communicator)
    • Users of these applications automatically comply and do not need to do any actions.
  • Avaya branded desk phones located off campus (Avaya 9611, Avaya J179, Avaya B179)
    • Users of these phones automatically comply and do not need to do any actions.
  • Chatting applications that can receive or place calls on the phone network. (Slack, Teams, Jabbra, 8x8, Zoom Phone, Skype, What’s App, etc.)
    • If you are using Microsoft Teams, supported by IT Services there is no action needed.
    • If you can receive a phone call via a 10-digit phone number, you will need to research if the application is able to support calling 911. You can consult with IT Services to verify this. If your service is not capable of calling for emergency services, you may be out of compliance.
  • Users of MSU-provided cell phones (or personal cell phones used for business purposes)
    • No action required for users. All cell phones comply automatically.

Additionally, users of telephone services provided or managed by MSU MUST be able to communicate current location information when the user calls 911, including the following:

  • Non-contact center users (Avaya Workplace, Avaya IX Workplace, Avaya Equinox, Avaya Communicator)
    • Beginning in fall 2021, users saw a pop-up requesting them to register their location. This location will be stored by our partner 911 Secure and will only be used when the user calls emergency services from their softphone.
  • Contact Center Users (Avaya AACC, Avaya Agent for Desktop)
    • Beginning in fall 2021, users were asked to install the 911Secure Desktop application. This application will communicate the user’s physical address to 911 Secure and will only be used if the user calls for emergency services.
  • Chatting Applications (Slack, Teams, Jabbra, 8x8, Zoom Phone, Skype, What’s App, etc.)
    • Users will be required to register their current address with the application they are using. The user will be responsible for updating the address every time they move physical locations. If the application is not capable of 911 location updates, it may not be compliant and should not be used.
  • MSU-provided cell phones (or cell phones used for business purposes)
    • No action is required. Modern cell phones have GPS built-in and will communicate the address to the 911 center when emergency services are called.

In short, users of technologies supported by MSU IT Services that are capable of telephone calls (Avaya softphones or hard phones) will be required to use the provided methods for updating their current working location to comply with Kari’s Law and Ray Baum’s Act. This information will only be accessible by our partner 911 Secure and will only be used for communicating the location of an emergency call to 911 dispatchers. Users of technologies not supported by IT Services will be required to update their current working location within the application they are using (and ensure that 911 can be reached).