911 Service Is Not Infallible, Regardless Of The Carrier

Doug Williams | May 21, 2008, 02:21 PM

One of the barriers that keep some consumers from migrating to VoIP services is a perception that emergency 911 services are less reliable. This perception has arisen because (a) the voice service provider is not the tried-and-true ancestor of Ma Bell; and (b) over-the-top VoIP services require the consumer to self-register, and keep current, the address at which the service is being used so that the 911 database can be kept up to date.

In the years since Vonage introduced the US to the term VoIP, there have been a number of stories of unnecessary tragedies occurring due to mishaps – on the part of both the carriers and the customers – with 911 services. The FCC subsequently adopted policies to both strengthen the 911 system for VoIP providers and ensure that consumers had a thorough understanding of how 911 via VoIP might differ from the 911 service provided by the incumbent LEC.

It is thus disheartening to realize that even the incumbents can have problems with 911 services, such as recently happened to Fairpoint Communications in southern Maine. Just a couple of months after finalizing the purchase of Verizon’s properties in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, Fairpoint found that a software glitch has caused interruptions in 911 service to as many as 17 communities over the past month. Fortunately, it appears that the glitch did not lead to any tragedies in Maine.

Voice service providers who offer 911/E911 service have a significant responsibility to the customers they serve to have a strong, reliable 911 system in place. Certainly such software glitches will occur from time to time, but such problems should be elevated to the highest priority once discovered. Fairpoint claims to be “embarrassed” about its situation in Maine. I’d call them lucky.

For those carriers (VoIP or otherwise) that require the consumer to share the burden of updating location information in order to maintain accuracy within the 911 databases, I encourage you to communicate regularly with your customers via billing insert, email, voicemail – heck, use smoke signals if you have to – and remind them to maintain accurate location information for their account. If any of you who are reading this note are VoIP customers yourself, check your own account information for accuracy. Better yet, dial 911 and ask the operator at the PSAP what address (if any) came up with your call. The idea of dialing 911 without an actual emergency on hand is taboo, to be sure, but in this day and age, isn’t one test call worth it?