FCC: Verizon at fault for network failures of 2012 derecho

In June 2012, large parts of the Midwest and Middle Atlantic were, without warning, hit by a destructive rain and windstorm called a derecho.  It left in its wake 22 dead, hundreds of injuries and millions of people without power or communications.

Today, the FCC released a lengthy report prepared by its Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau that looks at the communications outages that followed from the derecho, and made recommendations to avoid or reduce future failures.

According to the report, "The Bureau found that above and beyond any physical destruction by the derecho, 9-1-1 communications were disrupted in large part because of avoidable planning and system failures, including the lack of functional backup power, notably in central offices." The Bureau said categorically that failures of emergency communications could have been prevented "if providers had followed industry best practices and available guidance."

As a result of these findings, the FCC is considering recommendations to wired and wireless carriers, especially those which harden 911 systems during disasters. According to PC Magazine, "The changes would require these firms to maintain adequate central office backup power, have reliable network monitoring systems, conduct periodic audits of 911 circuits, and notify 911 call centers of any problems they discover."

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel issued a statement reinforcing the findings and recommendations, and commenting on the service breakdowns:

"Tragically, many of these were avoidable interruptions involving a lack of back-up power to central offices or failures of the service providers' monitoring systems... Carriers should test their networks and ensure that plans are in place in case of an emergency. It is time for an honest accounting of the resiliency of our nation's network infrastructure in the wireless and digital age."

Impact of the June 2012 Derecho on Communications Networks and Services (FCC, Jan. 2013)

FCC Comes Down on Phone Companies for Derecho 911 Outages (PC Magazine, Jan. 10, 2013)

FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel statement on Derecho report (FCC, Jan. 10, 2013)

911 Failure in Storm Was Preventable, F.C.C. Says (NY Times, Jan. 10, 2013)