Reports by more than 180 VoIP providers on their E- 911 complianc...

would have to stop marketing their services to new customers in any areas where they have not achieved full E-911 coverage by deadline -- though Vonage, for one, has said it plans to keep marketing while its waiver request is pending. Vonage said 125 staff members have been working on E-911 compliance and the firm now can link more than 90% of subscriber lines to selective routers. Even so, only 26% of customer lines “will have the benefit of E911 call delivery to capable PSAPs as of [Nov. 28].” The firm said it has been “hampered primarily by factors outside of its direct or immediate control.” For example, it was able to establish connectivity with selective routers, but “provisioning times, lack of ILEC and PSAP readiness and/or cooperation, and other obstacles have hampered Vonage’s ability to establish 100 percent call deliver to PSAPs.” Vonage asked for “a limited extension of time,” saying it expects about 61% of subscriber lines to have E-911 call delivery to capable PSAPs by the end of Dec., and 90% by mid-2006. Flint Telecom said it needs a 6-month waiver because it is having trouble finding a 3rd- party provider to help it reach nationwide E-911 coverage. The Utah-based firm “quickly recognized we did not have the legal authority to enable us to interconnect directly with selective routers within the E-911 network,” it said. In addition, it lacks resources to develop its own technical solution within the 4-month FCC time period. The company did find a 3rd-party provider of E-911 services, but it will take 2-6 months to complete the coverage, it said. “The actual timescales are dependent upon a number of factors, not the least the level of cooperation from ILECs.” Eureka Telecom said it needs an 18-month extension because it can’t comply fully for 1% of customers by the deadline. Eureka, which serves commercial customers, said it has another problem: Its service is non-portable, so its customers are covered if they stay within Eureka’s service area but not if they move outside the area.