Home
News
You are here

FCC is probing Verizon and wants your input

The FCC has opened an investigation into the Verizon outage.

0comments

By Anam Hamid

Published: Jan 29, 2026, 5:00 PM

Add as a preferred source on Google

Verizon Wireless service

A Verizon location. | Image Credit - Fierce Wireless

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is investigating the January 14 Verizon outage and has invited comment from customers, government agencies, and other stakeholders.

Getting to the bottom of the matter

The FCC is investigating the Verizon outage.

The FCC notes that the cellular blackout lasted around ten hours and affected millions of customers. The Commission is collecting particulars on the outage, especially regarding whether it prevented emergency calls and evaluating Verizon's handling of the crisis.

Households and enterprises are encouraged to provide details on how the disruption affected their ability to communicate, and how long it lasted. The Commission is especially interested in whether 911 calls failed and if that inability to reach emergency services resulted in harm or injury.

The FCC also seeks to find out whether calls made to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) contained vital identifying information, such as caller numbers and locations. It is also investigating the impact of the outage on businesses and providers of critical services, such as hospitals.

The FCC is also requesting feedback on Verizon's response,, including how customers first learned of the outage and whether the company's updates were appropriate and timely.

Assessing the impact

While Verizon is officially the biggest carrier by subscriber count, the scale of the disruption may have been exaggerated.

Verizon attributed the outage to a software issue, but didn't go into details. The company also silenced speculation that it was a result of a cyberattack.

Analysts believe that a failed update knocked out parts of the network. Recon Analytics's founder, Roger Entner, thinks only 1.5 million of Verizon's 90 million customers lost service, but the outage seemed more widespread because it affected the vocal and influential East Coast demographic.

The FCC's concern is warranted, especially when it comes to 911 calls. Usually, 911 calls still go through if a carrier is down, as a phone connects to any available network for emergency calls.

Verizon didn't make light of the matter and offered a mea culpa in the form of of account credits.

Does Verizon need to be held accountable for the outage?

Clarity needed

While outages are not necessarily avoidable, carriers owe transparency to customers. An FCC investigation will provide more clarity on the measures Verizon took to minimize the impact of the outage. Carriers are not the swiftest when it comes to reporting outages, with customers often having to go to social media websites to confirm an outage. By holding Verizon accountable, the FCC could improve how situations like these are dealt with.

Get unlimited talk, text, & data on the T-Mobile 5G Network plus earn cash back for data you don’t use.

Buy at Noble Moblie

View Full Bio

Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.

Read the latest from Anam Hamid