Comments on: VOIP 911: Weakness in VoIP 911 System Leads to Lawsuit Against Vonage

By: K Sellers

K Sellers — Thu, 14 Apr 2005 18:35:05 +0000

The issue is not whether Vonage makes consumers sign waivers — do you have to do that for your landline or wireless phone service? The issue is that Vonage REFUSES to provide a technical solution or interface that will connect 911 callers to the 911/public safety network. I’ve read the waivers, and to the ordinary consumer, it’s not real clear what they’re giving up. Wireless carriers and landline service providers have to provide 911 connectivity; why shouldn’t VOIP? I say hooray to Texas for having the brass to stand up to Vonage for deceptive business practices and not providing 911 connectivity.

By: Brian Pecora

Brian Pecora — Sun, 03 Apr 2005 03:02:00 +0000

Here is the info from Vonage. It couldn’t be any clearer…

http://www.vonage.com/features.php?feature=911

By: Brian Pecora

Brian Pecora — Sun, 03 Apr 2005 01:55:43 +0000

I looked into Vonage as a result of their ads. The sales literature makes it very clear that until you provide 911 data, it will not work. While the situation described is unfortunate, the subscribers must share some of the responsibility.

I suspect the state filing a lawsuit is getting around the fact that the subscribers signed a waiver that they understood the 911 deal when they set up their phone service.

By: ZacOz

ZacOz — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 09:48:15 +0000

Got to say, I’d be extremely reluctant to rely on VOIP for Emergency Calls fullstop (especially in light of the recent media articles surrounding VOIP blocking or prioritisation claims).
Most VOIP in Australia is performed through PC’s with Broadband connection. Of these, cable connections are only available in very small geographic areas, everyone else relying upon phone lines using ADSL etc, so already have a more reliable standard telephone handset connected.
Those on cable broadband are currently more likely to utilise a mobile phone than VOIP for Emergency Calls.