Pennsylvania County Files Lawsuit Against Telephone Companies for $41 Million It Says Owed for 911 Services
Pennsylvania's Delaware County Council filed a lawsuit against 19 telephone service providers in the state for failing to bill, collect and remit the proper 911 assessment charges that help fund the county’s 911 operations, a news release from the council…
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said Tuesday. This misrepresentation ultimately results in significantly less funding for the county’s 911 system, the release said. The lawsuit seeks to recover six years' worth of alleged underbillings, a total of nearly $41.4 million, the release said. The council obtained the data through Phone Recovery Services, a telecommunications firm specializing in analyzing 911 system remittances, which estimates 811,698 active phone lines in Delaware County, the release said. Service providers remit 911 surcharges on 230,881 lines -- a shortfall of 572,566 lines, leaving a gap of $6.9 million per year, it said. Most of the underbilling affects medium to large business customers, the release said. Delaware County spent $15.5 million to support its 911 system in 2014, with $8.6 million coming from 911 fees assessed by the telephone service providers and local taxpayers contributing $6.9 million from the county’s general fund, said Mario Civera, chairman of the council. “The county and the taxpayers should not have to subsidize this gap,” Civera said. The suit was filed Monday in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas.