TMCnet News
Vonage Puts VoIP 911 Caller on Hold, House Burns DownTMCnet Contributing Editor Loren Veltkamp, a homeowner in Chanhassen, Minnesota, lost his house to a fire last month. When Veltkamp noticed that the fire had started, he immediately called 9-1-1 using Vonage. Unfortunately, Vonage (News - Alert) put him on hold, causing a delay in the response from emergency workers.
"I called 911 using Vonage broadband and they put us on hold," Veltkamp said when he was interviewed by ABC channel 5 Eyewitness News Minneapolis/St. Paul. "Unbelievable… your house is burning down, and you're put on hold by Vonage." By the time fire crews arrived, the fire had become a five-alarm blaze. The house was a total loss, but no one was injured.
Vonage claims that nearly 70 percent of its customers now have E911 access, a feature that automatically associates a physical address with the calling party's telephone number.
The New Jersey-based provider has been updating its service with this feature steadily for the past six months. The company has announced that it has been turning up on average over 112 calling centers in more than 45 new counties each week. This month, Vonage has equipped an additional 170 calling centers in over 35 new counties with E911, bringing the total number of calling centers across the nation with emergency service to over 3600.
VoIP service providers had to step up to the plate and get their E911 access up and running after the Federal Communications Commission ordered they do so back in June last year. The agency gave the companies 120 days to complete the difficult task. Vonage worked closely with local Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), across the country to turn on E911 for as many customers as quickly as it could. Vonage is currently testing new PSAPs which are VoIP-ready every day.
Vonage Holdings Corporation
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Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet and Internet Telephony magazine. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit Johanne Torres' columnist page.
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