Vonage Continues Sales as Mandate On 911 Goes Unmet

[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Shawn Young shawn.young@wsj.com & Amy Schatz Amy.Schatz@wsj.com]
Vonage, the nation's largest Internet telephone service company by subscribers, has missed the FCC's deadline to provide full 911 service to all its customers, but the company continues to sign-up new customers as it awaits an answer from the FCC on a request for an extension. At least 14 other Internet-calling companies also filed for extensions and waivers, according to FCC documents. The FCC had given Internet-based phone companies 120 days, a time frame that ended Monday, to ensure that all 911 callers would reach emergency operators who could automatically see their phone number and location. The FCC imposed the 120-day deadline after several incidents in which callers with Internet-based phone service couldn't reach emergency operators in life-threatening crises. An FCC official said a ban on marketing to new customers is unlikely, though sales materials must be clear about limitations in 911 service.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113327621868909100.html?mod=todays_us_marketplace
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