Nebraska Public Service Commission launches investigation into 911 outages

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Nebraska Public Service Commission is opening an investigation into recent 911 outages in the state.

The commission announced the investigation in a press release Tuesday.

Officials say the outages are unacceptable.

“This isn’t a customer service line for Pottery Barn,” Sen. John Fredrickson said. “This is 911.”

On Aug. 31, a fiber-optic cable owned by the company Lumen was cut, knocking out 60% of 911 centers across the state.

Two days later, a fire at the Windstream Communications Center disrupted 911 calls in southeast Nebraska. 

“The Commission expects 911 service providers to maintain diverse and redundant connections between 911 centers and their networks,” Dan Watermeier, the commission’s chairman, said in a statement.

Fredrickson, who is on the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, said he’s heard from worried Nebraskans.

“It is highly concerning when you see two outages in a short period of time where these services were cut off,” he said.

He said this isn’t a problem that can be brushed aside.

“We’re talking about emergency services,” he said. “These are lifesaving services that Nebraskans rely on. First responders rely on these services to ensure that Nebraskans are safe.”

Watermeier agreed.

“The highest level of service is expected and required of our 911 service providers,” Watermeier said. “There are no exceptions.”

Investigators will determine why Lumen’s outage resulted in the loss of 911 service over a “wide area of Nebraska,” officials said.

The commission is also looking into how a fire and loss of electricity at a Windstream facility in Lincoln caused a disruption.

Officials said they want to find a solution to prevent a 911 outage from happening again.

Fredrickson said he will work with the commission on legislation that could help.

“We need to be prepared for Plan A, B, C, D, E and F on this,” he said.