911 Service Restored In MA

Nationwide system issues that caused sporadic 911 outages, including in parts of Massachusetts, have been corrected, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. The state 911 system has been tested and is fully operational, MEMA said.

The CenturyLink outage was supposed to be fixed by Friday morning, but CenturyLink said that technicians had encountered "additional technical problems" overnight, delaying service restoration.

Residents were advised to call the 10-digit number of their local police department if they couldn't reach a 911 dispatcher.

The Massachusetts State Police also operate three regional PSAPs and a fourth is staffed by State 911 at MSP headquarters in Framingham. Residents using a cell phone to call for emergency services should first try to dial 911, and if it does not work, instead call one of these four 10-digit numbers:

• Shelburne Control PSAP 413-625-8200
• New Braintree Control PSAP 508-867-1170
• Northampton Control PSAP 413-586-1508
• Framingham PSAP 508-350-7005

State police asked people to not call 911 or the local department number to test their capability. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said he has directed the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau to launch an investigation into the cause and impact of the outage.

"When an emergency strikes, it's critical that Americans are able to use 911 to reach those who can help," Pai said in a statement. "The CenturyLink service outage is therefore completely unacceptable, and its breadth and duration are particularly troubling."

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