FCC cracks down on Verizon! $1 million fine for 911 outage and faulty safeguards. Read the details here.
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| Prioritizing public safety! FCC enforces 911 reliability with hefty fine for Verizon. The outage created impacts on people. |
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has fined Verizon $1.05 million for a 911 outage that lasted nearly two hours and affected six states in December 2022. This penalty follows an investigation into whether Verizon violated FCC rules by failing to deliver emergency calls.
Hundreds of Calls Failed During Outage
The FCC investigation revealed that the outage prevented hundreds of 911 calls from being placed in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. This critical service disruption highlights the importance of reliable network infrastructure for emergency communication.
The FCC noted that this wasn't the first such incident for Verizon. Although mitigation efforts were implemented after a similar outage in October 2022, "certain failures recurred" according to the FCC report. This raises concerns about the effectiveness of Verizon's current network safeguards.
Compliance Plan and Best Practices
As part of the settlement, Verizon is required to:
Implement a compliance plan to ensure future adherence to FCC 911 rules.
Adopt best practices for network reliability, including risk assessments and security measures.
This signifies the FCC's serious approach to enforcing reliable 911 service. Verizon must now demonstrate its commitment to improving network infrastructure and preventing future outages that could put public safety at risk.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel emphasized the importance of reliable 911 service in her statement. This action highlights the FCC's ongoing efforts to ensure the public has access to reliable communications, including uninterrupted access to emergency services.
Overall, this incident emphasizes the need for robust network infrastructure and proactive measures to prevent 911 outages. The FCC's actions send a message to all carriers of the importance of prioritizing reliable emergency communication.