VOIP 911 Disclosures

VOIP 911 Legal Disclosures

OEC Fiber phone service uses Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to make and receive calls, including calls to 911. Because VoIP works differently from a traditional landline telephone service, there are certain circumstances in which 911 service may be unavailable or may not function as expected.

Please review the information below carefully so you understand these important limitations and how they may affect your ability to reach emergency services.

Loss of electrical power – unlike traditional telephony service, VoIP requires electrical power to function, including the ability to call 911; VoIP service will not work during a power outage at the caller’s or called party’s location.

Broadband connection failure – unlike traditional telephony service, VoIP is provided over a broadband network;, if the broadband network connection is terminated/disconnected, disrupted, or impaired, including for non-payment, the VoIP service will not function and the customer will be unable to make 911 calls with this service; delays or disruptions of service in the VoIP provider’s underlying E911 provider.

Relocation of the end user’s IP-compatible customer-premises equipment – the emergency provider designated to handle a 911 call and the address that the emergency provider will see are linked to the service address that the customer registered at the time the VoIP service account is established (or, if applicable, an updated address); thus, while customers can install VoIP on devices that can be relocated, such as laptops, VoIP 911 calling will not work properly if the customers move the device without updating the physical location with the VoIP provider.

Use by the end user of a “non-native” telephone number – if the phone number for which the area code or local exchange is tied to a different geographic region from where the caller is physically located at the time of the call, the emergency call will not work properly.

You can learn more about our phone service here or for existing subscribers, we have several support options available through our support center.