Overview
- The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau formally launched an investigation and is collecting reports via VerizonOutage2026@fcc.gov.
- Investigators seek detailed accounts from affected users, with priority on cases where 911 or other public safety calls failed.
- The January 14 disruption lasted about ten hours, left many phones showing SOS, and cut off calling and texting for millions across the U.S.
- Verizon attributed the failure to a software issue and offered a $20 credit to retail customers, while some reported receiving larger credits.
- Submissions will become part of the official case record that could support enforcement, with past FCC penalties in similar cases reaching up to $1 million.