The FCC imposes 911 deadline for Internet phones

The thing is that they do have E-911 capability. they sell it as an extra service on a monthly basis. The problem is most poeple decide to save a few bucks and not get it. That was the case in at least one case.
I'm sure that people will gripe when VOIP price increasses go into effect; but lets face it, no one expects life or death emergency.

The FCC chairman says that "anyone who dials 911 has a reasonable expectation that he or she will be connected to an emergency operator." So can I sue my cell phone carrier if I'm in my coverage area, have an emergency, and can't get a signal? Using the chairman's logic, I have a "reasonable expectation" that my phone will work and I can reach 911. I bet the fine print on cell phone contracts exempts carriers from this situation.

It does. There was a problem over the winter where two people got lost while high on PCP and tried calling 911. It took them days to find them and they both froze to death in the mean time. There were no lawsuits coming out of that.

The difference between cell phones and Internet phones is mobility. It is reasonable to assume if you live in an area covered by 911 service that your home phone should be able to access it no matter who you're using as a service provider. Cell phones can be taken anywhere and often leave service coverage areas. Even more problematically, they are registered to an area code, but are often used outside of the given area.

Interesting question to ponder - since 911 is a local or statewide service, do cell phones tap into signals within the area they are located or do they call back to their home area code?

Cell phones 911 calls go back to the home calling area. That was the problem with the to people who froze to death; the dispatcher had no area knowledge and had no idea where they were calling from.