The year was 2013. The setting was a hotel room in Marshall, TX. And the series of tragic events that took place on that specific day in 2013 set precedent for what has become Kari’s Law . Kari Hunt was stabbed to death while her nine-year-old daughter frantically attempted to dial 911 using their in-room telephone. After 4 attempts, her efforts failed and she lost her mother due to the injuries she incurred. From that day forward, Kari’s father found himself on a mission. He worked relentlessly and tirelessly to make changes in the way 911 calls are made from multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) used by the very hotel where his granddaughter lost her mother.
In his passion to make sure that this type of event would never happen to other families, on February 16, 2018, Kari’s Law was signed and became a federal law. This law is an amendment to the Communications Act of 1934 and it requires that all multi-line telephone systems be programmed to automatically call 911 without the need of placing a prefix such as “9” before being connected to an outside line. In addition, Kari’s Law demands a notification alert be transmitted to the entity responsible for the phone system, enabling an individual on premises to easily and quickly locate the origination of the 911 call.
So, What Does All This Mean? Multi-line telephone systems are commonly used by hotels, schools, medical centers and other businesses in general. It’s the responsibility of the entity operating this type of phone system to configure their specific system to comply with this new law. When businesses fail to comply, the fines can be quite impactful... daily fines of up to $500.00 or penalties as high as $10,000.00 are possible. So, where do you go from here?
You’ve Got Options We Can Help Multi-Line Telephone Systems Users

• Seek compliance. You’ve still got time, but hurry… February 2020 is the deadline.
• Don’t be overwhelmed. Use your telephone equipment service provider as an ally who can walk you through the process.
• Explore your implementation options by considering a low-cost monthly payment budget. In fact, many users are opting to upgrade their phone equipment and the technology at the same time.

• Revisit with your current customers and new prospective customers, making them aware of Kari’s Law.
• Show your customers how easy and affordable it can be to update or upgrade their currentmulti-line telephone systemsby including a low monthly price offer with every proposal you create.
• See how Tri-Lease's business to business term options make it easy and hassle free. We’ll customize any plan tailored specifically to your customer’s needs.