A Center Ice Circle club reader sent me the following tonight. Other than masking his identity here's what he had to say:
Your post yesterday regarding Packet8's press release was slightly in error. Packet8 does not actually claim that they have provided E911 to all U.S. customers (althought they DO try and convey that impression). Even Level 3 only has the capability (interconnection with selective routers) to offer E911 in a footprint covering about 70% of U.S. households. More or less, nobody else has E911 in theother 30%, and Packet8 did not cut off customers who fall in that 30%.
What Packet8 did say was very carefully worded:
"...successfully provisioned nomadic E911 emergency calling throughout its network..." They specifically do not say something like "to all subscribers."
"...all Packet8 subscribers with a U.S. service address can now contact emergency service personnel by dialing 911 from their
Packet8 phone..." This statement is probably true, but for some Packet8 customers, the service would be N911, not E911.
"...Previously, Packet8 offered E911 service as an optional feature to subscribers, however, earlier this year, the Federal Communications Commission issued an order requiring all interconnected VoIP providers to provide E911 capabilities to their subscribers as a standard component of their service...." This just means they won'y give customers the choice of opting out of E911 service when it is available, as they had been doing previously.
In fact, there is no way of acheiving total E911 compliance in all areas of the country. The access to and interconnection with some of the selective routers simply does not exist yet.
Great blog! I read it often.
And to think I thought P8 had mended their ways. Silly me. My bad. And here I thought Packet8 was being honest and transparent. I guess all their shareholders who have filled my email box with chapter and verse telling showing me actual double talk aren't wrong after-all.