FCC fines Verizon $3.4 million for failing to notify 911 operators in California of an outage

By Kyle Wiggers Updated March 18, 2015

verizon says unlimited data is pointless vehicle

During April of last year, 11 million Verizon subscribers in seven states couldn’t reach 911 services for six hours. The wireless mogul suffered the wrath of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigators in a searing report, but it seems the agency isn’t finished chastising Verizon just yet. For failing to notify California officials of the 750,000 state residents affected by the outage, the FCC is fining the company $3.4 million.

Specifically, Verizon ran afoul of the FCC rules regarding 911 call centers, or public-safety answering points. Regulations require service providers to notify the centers in the event of an outage, which a Verizon subcontractor failed to do in Northern California. A total of 62 emergency calls failed as a result.

In addition to the fine, Verizon has agreed to adopt a compliance plan to prevent future incidents from occurring. To start, it will improve its subcontractor oversight and coordination with emergency call centers.

This isn’t the first run-in Verizon’s had with the FCC concerning the reliability of 911 services on its network. In 2011, the FCC called Verizon out for more than 10,000 dropped calls to emergency services during a January 26 snowstorm in Boston.

In an e-mail to the carrier, then-FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security chief Jamie Barnett referred to the figure as “truly alarming,” and called on the network to perform a thorough investigation across its footprint.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…

Mobile

I record interviews for work. These are my favorite free recorder apps

The iPhone 14 Pro and Google Pixel 7 Pro's voice recording apps running together.

The Voice Recorder app on a phone (left) and the Voice Memos on another phone Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Before you head to the app store on your phone to buy a voice-recording app, take a moment to consider the apps that may already be installed on your phone. Why? In my experience, they're likely all you really need. I’ve recorded interviews and voice-overs for work for years, and I’ve found the two best examples come preinstalled on your phone already, so they’re entirely free to use.

Mobile

The best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 cases: 10 best ones so far

Two Galaxy Z Fold 5 phones next to each other -- one is open and one is closed.

Samsung’s next-generation foldable is here with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. This iteration has some notable improvements, including a new hinge design that eliminates the gap from previous generations when the device was folded. You also get a 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the outside while having a 6.7-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the inside, with both screens having a 120Hz refresh rate. In other words, they're about as nice as you could ask for.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is made with premium materials, and the triple-lens camera system packs in a 50MP main shooter, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide lens. There’s a 10MP selfie camera on the front cover, and a 4MP camera on the inner display. You also get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip inside for the best performance and power efficiency.

Mobile

Google Pixel Tablet just got its first big discount and it’s worth a look

Google Pixel Tablet on its charging dock.

Tablets are a dime-a-dozen these days, with offerings from all the great brands including Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, and more. So, if you really want to stand out in a sea of similar tech, you need to do things a little differently. That's what Google's Pixel Tablet offers. How? It comes with a unique speaker dock that can be used to both charge the device and offer room-filling sound -- almost like a smart speaker add-on. Better yet, when your Pixel Tablet is docked it benefits from the Hub Mode, turning the device into a smart display, with digital photo frame support, smart home controls, and hands-free Google functionality. Of course, it could set you back at full price, normally $499 unless you find it included in a roundup of the best Google Pixel deals. Well, guess what? Thanks to a Best Buy Google Pixel Tablet deal, you can get it today for $439 and save $60. Hurry, though, it's part of Best Buy's recent 48-hour sale so it won't stick around for long.

Why you should buy the Google Pixel Tablet
Okay, okay, so in our Google Pixel Tablet review, Joe Maring did give it less than stellar remarks, but he called out its reliable fingerprint sensor, comfortability during use and excellent speaker dock. Honestly, how many tablets come with a matching speaker dock that transforms the entire experience? This tablet also marks a "lot of firsts" for Google, as it's the first tablet from the company in nearly five years, the first Android tablet in eight years, and can be converted into a smart home display with the speaker dock. All of which are notable milestones.