FCC Announces Inquiry Into Washington State 911 Outage

On April 9-10, 2014, an extensive 911 outage occurred, centered in Washington State, but also affecting large areas of Oregon and portions of California, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Press reports and preliminary data submitted to the Federal Communications Commission’s Network Outage Reporting System (NORS) indicate that in Washington alone, over 4,500 911 calls to public safety answering points (“PSAPs” or 911 call centers) did not get through during a six-hour period beginning just before midnight on April 9, 2014.1

Given the large area impacted by this outage, the interdependent communications infrastructure spread across multiple states and providers, and the critical importance of dependable and resilient 911 service throughout the United States, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau is examining the causes, effects, and implications of this outage.

To ensure that the Commission receives all relevant information to permit a thorough and accurate analysis, the Bureau has opened a public docket and invites interested parties to provide information concerning the causes, effects, and implications of the outage.