CWAers Call on FCC to Ensure Reliable 911 Calls and Phone Service

This week, CWA submitted a petition to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) signed by over 3,500 people across the country, including nearly 1,700 CWA-represented telecommunications workers. The petition urges the FCC to classify Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as a “common carrier” telecom service under Title II of the Communications Act.

While a majority of phone calls are now completed over the internet via VoIP, as opposed to traditional copper wire, the federal government still exercises oversight of those calls under legacy rules. As legacy networks are phased out, the federal government is set to lose this oversight authority and will be unable to require large providers to ensure service quality or to interconnect with other providers. The end result could be large gaps in vital services, including emergency 911 calls.

In response, members of CWA’s Broadband Brigade mobilized in their communities to gather thousands of petition signatures to demand the FCC update its oversight rules for the 21st century.

“As a worker in the telecommunications industry, I’ve seen firsthand how the lack of federal oversight on VoIP impacts my community; for example, the increased risk of outages,” said CWA Maryland State Broadband Lead Marcus Chambers. “My neighbors don’t understand the risks when their phone service over VoIP is not regulated like a traditional connection. They just expect that their phone will work if they need to call 911 or make another vital call. It’s time for the FCC to take action so that phone calls over the internet are regulated in the same way as phone calls placed over traditional copper wire.”

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.