A coalition of Internet telephone service companies asked the U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Thursday to modify a rule that could force them to cut off service to some customers by next week.
The FCC in May ordered Internet phone service providers to ensure emergency 911 calls go directly to emergency dispatchers and provide the location of callers by November 29, four months after the order became effective.
The agency also required companies to get acknowledgments from all subscribers that they understood the type of 911 service available, and that providers should disconnect anyone who fails to reply by August 29.
The decision came after the FCC heard tear-filled testimony from parents who only were able to reach administrative offices when they dialed 911 with Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services. Since many VOIP services can be used anywhere a person has a high-speed Internet connection, knowing a caller's location can be difficult.
The VON Coalition, which includes AT&T Corp. and MCI Inc., both providers of VOIP services, said in a letter to the FCC that disconnecting customers could cause more harm than good, as many who have not responded already have 911 service.
Cutting customers off "would inevitably impede commerce and cause consumer inconvenience and could even leave VOIP customers stranded in an emergency," the coalition said.
"We are not aware of any other circumstances where the Commission has required service providers to terminate service to their customers, possibly leaving them without any communications services," it said.
An FCC spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Several other companies and organizations have also asked the FCC to reconsider its cutoff order, and one smaller provider has challenged the rules in court. Florida state officials have warned the FCC that disconnecting VOIP customers could endanger people during hurricane season.
UBS analyst John Hodulik estimates there were about 2.5 million U.S. VOIP customers at the end of the second quarter, meaning that even if 90 percent responded by the deadline, 250,000 could lose service.
Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited.
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