CenturyLink 911 Outage in Washington State: Impact and Regulatory Response
Explore the repercussions of the CenturyLink 911 outage in Washington State, detailing human impacts and the subsequent regulatory actions. Learn about the failures, causes, and ongoing discussions surrounding this critical event that left residents without access to essential emergency services.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
You are allowed to download the files provided on this website for personal or commercial use, subject to the condition that they are used lawfully. All files are the property of their respective owners.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
Simon J. ffitch Senior Assistant Attorney General Washington State Attorney General Office of Public Counsel November 2015 NASUCA Annual Meeting (Austin TX)
CenturyLink 911 Outage Washington State April 9, 2014 Sunny day outage Duration 11:45 pm to 6:06 am 6 hours 12 minutes CenturyLink s 911 system ceased routing Washington state 911 calls: result statewide 911 outage All WA residents without access to fully-functioning 911 All 911 call processing to all WA PSAPs affected CL failed to route 5684 calls to 911 call centers (PSAPs)
CenturyLink 911 Outage Washington State CL failed to timely notify WA PSAPs who learned of the outage from other sources CL contracted with Intrado to provide 911 call routing Cause: Software in Colorado emergency call management complex automatically ceased routing at 4o million calls, vendor failed to re-route to Fla ECMC Vendor and CL personnel not alerted by system outage alarms, delayed mitigation efforts Manual re-routing at approximately 6 am restored 911 service
Human impact calls that failed Multiple assailants outside tavern Motor vehicle collisions Hospital called to report drug overdose patient Caller with chest pain, eventually called hospital Domestic violence, woman flagged down police when 911 calls failed Call to report death at private residence (Lifeline Medical Alert used to reach PSAP) Intruder in home, woman called 37 times Propane tank explosion on camper, wide blast and debris area, injuries Heart attack patient had to call fire department
Regulatory status Washington UTC filed enforcement complaint action seeking approx. $ 2.9 in penalties ($250 per violation) Statutory maximum is $1000 per law violation CenturyLink settled with UTC Staff for $2.8 million, other relief, admitting violations. Public Counsel opposes settlement and recommends maximum penalty of $1000 per violation - $11.5 million. CL/Staff response pending. UTC will hold hearing to review settlement and opposition in January.
THE FCC PSHS ON THE 4/14 OUTAGE What is most troubling is that this is not an isolated incident or an act of nature. So-called sunny day outages are on the rise. That s because, as 911 has evolved into a system that is more technologically advanced, the interaction of new and old systems is introducing fragility into the communications system that is more important in times of dire need. FCC April 2014 Multistate 911 Outage: Cause and Impact Report and Recommendations, October 2014, PS Docket No. 14-72, PSHSB Case File Nos. 14-CCR-0001-0007, at 1.
