Mobile phone giant Verizon rapped for failing to connect 10,000 emergency calls during snowstorm

23rd February 2011 - Verizon has been told to investigate the 'truly alarming' figure of 10,000 dropped calls to emergency services in one area alone during a snowstorm at the end of January.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said the mobile phone giant, the largest carrier in America, failed to connect the calls to 911 services in Washjngton DC's suburbs during the January 26 storm.

Jamie Barnett, head of the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, said in a letter to Verizon on Tuesday: 'We are particularly concerned that this problem may be widespread across Verizon’s footprint.'

The agency wants Verizon to determine the extent of the problem across its whole network, he added. It 's calling for a plan of action and the introduction of new monitoring systems to prevent it from happening again.

Verizon have been quick to respond, Bloomberg.com reports.

Company spokesman Harry Mitchell said: We have been addressing this issue directly with the counties involved, and will work cooperatively to address the FCC’s questions, as well.'

Mr Mitchell added that the problems, which affected Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland, were triggered by a 'mass call event.'

Verizon's figures indicate the pressure mobile phone companies are under to improve their technologies as dropped calls remains the number one reason why people switch to another carrier.

The company, however, consistently tops satisfaction surveys.

Finding the best mobile largely depends on where you live. A J.D Power and Associates survey in 2010 showed that for the 12th time in a row, Verizon Wireless was the most popular in the north east, mid-Atlantic and western states, and tied for first with Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile in the south east. Verizon customers reported the fewest dropped calls and initial connection problems and the least interference.

A survey by ChangeWave Research, which identifies trends in consumer spending behavior, industry and technology, indicated AT&T had much higher dropped calls than its US competitors: 4.5 per cent compared to 2.8 per cent for T-Mobile, 2.4 per cent for Sprint, and just 1.5 per cent for Verizon Wireless.

In response, AT&T said it was dropped call rate was 1.4. Now the company has even taken to monitoring the location of tweets in its drive to improve performance.

Nevertheless, the FCC letter will come as an embarrassment to Verizon, which released its iPhone 4 to much fanfare earlier this month, a launch boosted by the widespread belief that Verizon’s wireless network is more stable than anyone else's.

Digging out: Verizon's spokesman claimed the 10,000 dropped calls in snow-hit areas were the result of a 'mass call event'

It was claimed that the emergency services that missed out on the calls in Maryland were not told about the connectivity failure. Maryland's Montgomery County officers were the ones to inform Verizon of the fault it was having, which was then promptly repaired within 15 minutes.

Norman Mineta, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, said: 'We need more emphasis put on the importance of emergency preparedness. By doing so, more Americans will feel confident in their abilities to react to an emergency.'

Montgomery County, just north of DC and south west of Baltimore, has a population of more than 971,000 residents and, according to a 2008 survey, is the eighth richest county in the US, with an average household income of $91,440.

Neighbouring Prince George's County has a population of over 834,000 and, according to 2009 U.S. Census Bureau statistics, is the wealthiest county in the nation that has African-American majority.

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