Deadline Passes for Internet Phone Service

[laketrout]

Deadline Passes for Internet Phone Service

WASHINGTON - Vonage Holdings Corp., the nation's largest non-cable provider of Internet phone service, could be barred from signing up new customers in many markets because it failed to meet the deadline to provide reliable emergency 911 service to all subscribers.

The Federal Communications Commission gave Vonage and other companies that sell Internet-based phone service 120 days to comply with its order requiring enhanced 911, or E911, in all their service areas.

The deadline to show the government where E911 is available was Monday. House and Senate lawmakers had urged FCC Chairman Kevin Martin to give companies more time and more tools to speed deployment, but no extension was granted.

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.

AT&T declined to comment on its compliance levels before filing its report with the FCC. Calls to the company on Tuesday were not immediately returned. AT&T offers Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, to about 57,000 customers through its CallVantage service.

SunRocket, which has more than 50,000 subscribers nationwide, said it had equipped 96 percent of its customers with full 911 services.

Seems that SunRocket is way ahead...

 

[ZeGermans]

Makes sense to bar them from getting new customers. 911 is a life-saving service.

 

[Strk]

At first, I thought it was just going to be some BS excuse for it, but that sounds like a pretty serious issue. As ZeGermans said, it's a life-saving service.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Vonage is indicating that part of the problem is with the people that control the 911 Network.


Also, how much presure is the POTS & LD telcos applying to the FCC to protect their monopolies.

 

[NeoV]

I just signed up for Vonage over the weekend, and was supplied with an e911 service within 24 hours.

Basically it has my address info, and if I were to call 911, it sends that data, as well as my call, to a local emergency number. Should be fine.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: laketrout
Deadline Passes for Internet Phone Service

WASHINGTON - Vonage Holdings Corp., the nation's largest non-cable provider of Internet phone service, could be barred from signing up new customers in many markets because it failed to meet the deadline to provide reliable emergency 911 service to all subscribers.

The Federal Communications Commission gave Vonage and other companies that sell Internet-based phone service 120 days to comply with its order requiring enhanced 911, or E911, in all their service areas.

The deadline to show the government where E911 is available was Monday. House and Senate lawmakers had urged FCC Chairman Kevin Martin to give companies more time and more tools to speed deployment, but no extension was granted.

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.

AT&T declined to comment on its compliance levels before filing its report with the FCC. Calls to the company on Tuesday were not immediately returned. AT&T offers Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, to about 57,000 customers through its CallVantage service.

SunRocket, which has more than 50,000 subscribers nationwide, said it had equipped 96 percent of its customers with full 911 services.

Seems that SunRocket is way ahead...

ouch... Vonage is set to IPO very soon (Before 4th of july... you didn't hear that from me) . I wonder how thats gonna work with their offering.

 

[laketrout]

Originally posted by: ZeGermans
Makes sense to bar them from getting new customers. 911 is a life-saving service.

Well, VOnage has been around for a lot longer and so switching people over to e911 is probably difficult for 100% of its subscribers. I am more surprised that they didn't think ahead and plan a solution from the beginning like Sunrocket did.