Internet Calling's Downside: Failing to Link Callers to 911
Low-Cost Services Gain Popularity, But Regulators Have Concerns; Routed to Recorded Message
By SHAWN YOUNG
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
May 12, 2005; Page D1
When Cheryl Waller's seemingly healthy 3½-month-old daughter, Julia, suddenly stopped breathing in March, she immediately grabbed the phone and dialed 911. She repeatedly got a recording that began by saying, "If this is an emergency, hang up and dial 911." In a panic, Ms. Waller raced to a neighbor who called 911. But Julia was dead by the time help arrived. Ms. Waller, who lives in Deltona, Fla., with her husband and four other children, didn't get through to 911 because she was receiving her phone service from Vonage Holdings Corp., an Internet-based phone company that doesn't connect to 911 the way that most people have come to expect. "I think we lost our daughter because of this," says Ms. Waller, who says doctors attributed her daughter's death to sudden infant death syndrome.
Long a security blanket for callers, connecting with 911 service has become an issue with the advent of new technologies. Emergency operators, for example, don't always automatically know where a person is calling from when he or she dials 911 on a cellphone. But the 911 problem is particularly acute with some Internet-based phone service.
Not only is it often difficult for operators to pinpoint where someone is calling from, but in some cases they never even reach a real 911 operator. That is because calls from some Internet-based phone services are relegated to what is essentially a second-class status compared with normal 911. Calls from these services sometimes ring at general or administrative numbers at emergency-call centers instead of connecting directly to 911 operators. In some places, those general numbers aren't staffed after normal business hours. Even when the calls are answered, the person on the other end may not be a trained emergency operator and can't see the caller's address automatically.
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The problem is also on the Federal Communications Commission's radar screen. As early as next week, the FCC could announce that it will require Internet-based phone companies like AT&T Corp'.s CallVantage and Verizon Communications Inc.'s Voicewing to offer full 911 service. The logistics of doing that are more complicated for some carriers than others. AT&T, for instance, also offers conventional service and can take advantage of its existing facilities in some areas. For all the affected companies, the process could take time and money. For example, cable companies, some of which also offer Internet-based calling, don't have the same problems with 911. That is because the customer's phone number is linked to an actual address. (As with all Internet-based calling, however, the service won't work if the power goes out or if the user's Internet connection is down.)
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Unlike traditional phones, where a wire is plugged into the wall at a specific address, calls routed over the Internet aren't fixed to a location. To further complicate matters, some Internet phone providers let customers choose any area code, and take their numbers with them if they move or travel. As a result, someone with a Chicago area code, for example, could actually be calling 911 from Los Angeles. To get 911 service from some Internet-calling services, customers have to register their address, on top of the normal signup process. But even some customers who take that extra step -- as Ms. Waller did -- are surprised to find that their emergency calls are relegated to second-class status.
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Write to Shawn Young at shawn.young@wsj.com
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