Gordon is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which would have jurisdiction over his version. Staffers with committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., and Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey, who chairs the panel's Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee, were not immediately available for comment.

In 2005, Gordon authored related language that was added to major telecom legislation last year. The House easily passed the broader measure, but it stalled in the Senate.

The latest E911 bills would require the Bell phone companies -- AT&T, Qwest Communications International and Verizon Communications -- and other carriers to interconnect with voice-over-Internet protocol providers to route emergency calls to public-safety answering points, better known as PSAPs. The provisions are intended to address concerns that some VoIP providers have had difficulty obtaining permission from Bell companies to interconnect with their 911 systems or have faced other obstacles in routing emergency traffic.

"The FCC's order has proven viable and effective, and Congress should avoid steps that would upend it. We hope Congress will refrain from imposing new mandates or disrupting successful commercial relationships," said Allison Remsen, spokeswoman for the U.S. Telecom Association, whose members include AT&T and Verizon.

While Nelson has modeled such interconnection rights on arrangements governing wireless carriers, Gordon is adopting a technology-neutral approach.

Gordon’s aide noted that forthcoming "hybrid" phones that can be used as wireline, wireless and Internet phone devices necessitate that interconnection privileges should not be tethered to one technology. Gordon's draft measure also seeks to ensure that the hearing-impaired could access E911 service by using text- and video-relay technology.

Yucel Ors, the director of legislative affairs for the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, said his group worked closely with Senate Commerce to ensure that Nelson's bill would not grant VoIP companies waivers from the FCC requirements. Carriers unable to offer E911 service still could seek exemptions but only from the FCC, not Congress. The FCC would accept public comment on the petitions, he said.

The Nelson and Gordon bills also would require Congress to explore moving toward an advanced 911 system that no longer would rely on today's outdated analog technology.