The office of Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., issued the following news release:
The Senate unanimously passed legislation late Tuesday requiring Internet telephone companies to provide customers with 911 service.
The legislation, sought by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, also calls for the government to oversee plans for moving to a national Internet-based 911 network that experts say would allow emergency calls to be easily transferred from areas that are hard hit by a huge storm or other catastrophic events.
"Lives have been lost," Nelson said in speech lauding the Senate for the bill's passage. "Lives were at risk and they're still at risk until we can get this legislation signed into law."
Nelson introduced the bill after a Deltona, Florida woman lost her infant daughter when she couldn't get through to 911 operators over her Internet phone service to report that her child had stopped breathing.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed similar legislation in November. The bill now goes to House-Senate negotiators to resolve differences between the two versions.
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