Service providers are required to comply.
Effective April 15, 2025, service providers are required to comply with the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) updated requirements for reporting service outages that impact 911 and 988 service.
This may apply to you if…
You are an Originating Service Provider (OSP), Covered 911 Service Provider, or Covered 988 Service Provider.
Key Requirements
- OSPs and Covered 911 Service Providers must now provide direct 911 outage notification to a potentially affected 911 Special Facility, including Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP), within 30 minutes of discovering the outage. Providers must also still report the outage via the FCC’s Network Outage Reporting System (NORS).
- OSPs and Covered 988 Service Providers are now required to report outages that potentially affect the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline via NORS and directly notify the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the 988 Lifeline administrator about outages that potentially affect a 988 Special Facility.
- Accordingly, OSPs and Covered 911 and 988 Providers must identify, maintain, and on an annual basis, confirm current contact information for each relevant 911 Special Facility and/or PSAP as well as each relevant 988 Special Facility.
Action Items & Timeline
- Ensure you have access and login credentials to the FCC’s NORS.
- Identify all 911 Special Facilities and/or 988 Special Facilities (if applicable).
- Ensure staff is aware of the reportable outages and procedures for reporting.
Next Steps & Vantage Point Assistance
The Vantage Point Solutions (VPS) team can help provide a 911/988 Outage Plan for your internal company preparedness and use that outlines the reporting requirements, threshold criteria, and process flow. We can also advise on the changes and new aspects of the 911 outage requirements, as well as discuss the new 988 outage requirements.
Please contact VPS with any questions, or if you are interested in the 911/988 Outage Plan.
