Skip to main content
The homepageVoxVox logo
The homepageVoxVox logo

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Verizon Pays $3.4 Million to Settle California 911 Outage Complaint

by Amy Schatz

Verizon agreed to pay $3.4 million to settle a complaint about an April 2014 service outage that left more than 750,000 northern California residents unable to reach 911 for several hours, the Federal Communications Commission announced Wednesday.

A Verizon contractor experienced a malfunction at one of its call centers, which left Verizon wireless customers throughout areas in northern California unable to reach 911 operators, according to the complaint. The contractor didn’t tell Verizon about the outage until it was resolved. While Verizon notified state officials about the problem, the company still faced a federal fine because it’s ultimately responsible. As part of the settlement, Verizon has agreed to take a variety of steps to improve the reliability of its 911 service.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

See More:

Most Popular

  1. Donald Trump messed with the wrong pope
  2. Take a mental break with the newest Vox crossword
  3. The Supreme Court could legalize moonshine, and ruin everything else
  4. The alcohol crisis quietly hitting high-stress, “high-status” workers
  5. What trainers actually think about the 12-3-30 workout

More in Technology

Technology
The case for AI realismThe case for AI realism
Technology

AI isn’t going to be the end of the world — no matter what this documentary sometimes argues.

By Shayna Korol
Politics
OpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agendaOpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agenda
Politics

The AI company released a set of highly progressive policy ideas. There’s just one small problem.

By Eric Levitz
Future Perfect
Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.
Future Perfect

Protecting astronauts in space — and maybe even Mars — will help transform health on Earth.

By Shayna Korol
Podcasts
The importance of space toilets, explainedThe importance of space toilets, explained
Podcast
Podcasts

Houston, we have a plumbing problem.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
Technology
What happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputerWhat happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputer
Technology

How they’re using AI at the lab that created the atom bomb.

By Joshua Keating
Future Perfect
Humanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious missionHumanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious mission
Future Perfect

Space barons like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk don’t seem religious. But their quest to colonize outer space is.

By Sigal Samuel