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Connecticut Sues Vonage Over 911 Claims

May 4, 2005
Yet another lawsuit has been filed against Vonage for misrepresenting its ability to connect broadband telephone consumers to local 911 emergency dispatchers - this time by Connecticut.

VOIP-911 • FCC Wants Enhanced 911 Service For Cell Phone, VoIP Users • Vonage 911 Caller Put On Hold While House Burns Down • FCC Requires VoIP Carriers to Provide Enhanced 911 Service • FCC Ready to Require VoIP Carriers to Provide 911 Service • Vonage To Tie Into Verizon's 911 System • Connecticut Sues Vonage Over 911 Claims • Michigan Warns Vonage About 911 • VOIP 911 Moves To Front Burner At FCC • 911 Becoming an Emergency for VOIP Providers • SBC, Vonage in Stand-Off Over 911 • Texas Sues Vonage over 911 Access

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's suit alleges Vonage violated the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA). Michigan and Texas are also challenging Vonage's 911 claims and the Federal Communications Commission is about to take up the issue of 911 service by VoIP providers.

Vonage is one of the largest providers of Internet-based telephone service - also known as "Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP)." Companies offer VoIP as the affordable alternative to conventional telephone services, but some fail to provide the same 911 emergency network access.

The lawsuit alleges that Vonage misrepresents its 911 dialing feature by failing to properly disclose that 911 calls over its service may take longer; may not be routed to a live operator; and are at greater risk of encountering a busy signal. Buried in fine print, the company also advises consumers to maintain other means of calling 911.

These limitations could delay - or completely prevent - emergency response.

In one recent incident, a Torrington, Conn., woman dialed 911 when her infant son required immediate medical attention. Rather than connecting to an emergency dispatcher, the woman's call was routed to the police department's main number where she was greeted by a recording.

Blumenthal and Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) Commissioner Edwin R. Rodriguez urge consumer caution when subscribing to VoIP services. They point out that some VoIP services do not offer 911 access at all. Others may route 911 calls through administrative lines to call centers - rather than directly to local 911 emergency dispatchers. Emergency dispatchers may have more difficulty verifying the caller's address in these cases, causing response delays.

"This lawsuit should send an emergency message to Vonage - and every Internet phone provider - that 911 is too important for half-truths," Blumenthal said. "Inadequate disclosure about 911 capabilities is not only bad business - it's life threatening."

The state's lawsuit against Vonage seeks financial penalties and improved disclosures to consumers about its 911 service capabilities.

"The company deceptively leads consumers to believe their emergency access will be as reliable as conventional landlines. Every second wasted routing calls could mean life or death. This lawsuit should sound an alarm: Consumers need and deserve to know whether 911 means real, immediate human help, or an answering machine," Blumenthal said.

"Consumers need to know exactly what their 911 emergency dialing capabilities are," Rodriguez said. "How Vonage represents those capabilities leaves a false impression that dialing 911 will result in direct contact with emergency dispatchers. There is evidence that that is not the case. As a matter of public safety, consumers need full disclosure of the facts in order to make a decision that could have life or death consequences."

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