FCC settles with Verizon, AT&T, and others over failed 911 calls

Four telecom companies will pay a total of $6 million to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to settle probes into their compliance with the agency's 911 reliability regulations during 2020 network failures, according to the FCC. AT&T, CenturyLink, now Lumen Technologies, Intrado, and Verizon Communications will establish compliance strategies to guarantee that emergency call requirements are followed by the FCC.

Lumen has agreed to pay $3.8 million, while Intrado has agreed to pay $1.75 million. A total of $460,000 will be paid by AT&T to resolve two probes, while Verizon will pay $274,000 to settle one. "A call to 911 may be the most essential phone call you ever make," said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. "It's critical that phone carriers avoid outages as much as possible and provide fast and adequate warning to 911 call centers when they do happen."