Vonage faces 911 problems

Posted November 30, 2005 at 04:44 PM by Adam Berger

Section: News

CNN is reporting that Vonage may be prohibited from signing up additional customers in various markets because they have failed to meet FCC deadlines for 911 compliance. It is likely that AT&T and other VoIP companies face these issues as well. Current estimates state that only 67% of all subscribers currently have 911 capabilities.

“In its compliance report to the FCC, Vonage said only 26 percent of its customer base had full E911 services. The company—which has more than 1 million subscribers—said it was capable of transmitting a call back number and location for 100 percent of its subscribers, but that it still was waiting for cooperation from competitors that control the 911 network.”

“Citing public safety concerns, the FCC in May ordered companies selling Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, to ensure that callers can reach an emergency dispatcher when they dial 911. The dispatchers also must be able to tell where callers are located and the numbers from which they are calling.”

Read [CNN]