Press Release

PUC Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Settlement Related to ‘Phantom 911 Call’ Incident in York County

Published on 6/18/2026

Filed under: Telecommunications

Alleged system fault triggered a rare ‘phantom 911 call’ resulting in an unexpected late-night police response at a Warrington Township home

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today voted to seek public comment on a proposed settlement between the PUC’s independent Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement (I&E) and Verizon Pennsylvania LLC (Verizon) concerning an incident in which a system fault allegedly caused a rare “phantom 911 call” – prompting an unexpected after-midnight police response at a York County home.

The Commission voted 5-0 to publish the proposed settlement for public comment.

911 Incident and Proposed Settlement

The proposed settlement stems from an incident involving a York County couple who reported being awakened after midnight by loud banging on their door and bright lights outside their Warrington Township home, as police responding to a 911 call. However, the couple had never placed an emergency call. 

Following outreach to the PUC from state Sen. Dawn Keefer, I&E informed Verizon that it was initiating an investigation into the incident, which occurred in March 2023.

It is alleged that faulty Verizon wiring was responsible for a phantom 911 call – a phenomenon where a call is directed to and received by 911 emergency service provider due to static on a telephone line, although no such 911 call has been made.

According to the settlement, Verizon acknowledged that it was reasonable to conclude that the fault in a copper telephone cable generated electrical signals that the switch interpreted as dialing 911.  The solution to this type of situation is to repair the copper facilities to remove the short or out fault.

Under terms of the proposed settlement:

• A $3,000 civil penalty to be paid by Verizon.
• Records of claims involving phantom 911 incidents will be kept by Verizon’s legal department, based on reports from Verizon local managers in areas served by copper facilities.
• Verizon’s legal department will communicate with local emergency services relating to a phantom 911 incident if it is deemed necessary based on multiple such calls or an inability to immediately repair the issue.
• Verizon will provide bill credits to affected customers that have not already been credited.

Public Comment on the Settlement

The proposed settlement will be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, which will mark the start of a 25-day public comment period.  Full instructions for submitting public comments will be provided when the proposed settlement is formally published.

A copy of the Commission’s order and the proposed settlement are also being provided to the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate and Pennsylvania Office of Small Business Advocate for their consideration and comment.

The Commission will carefully review all comments received before issuing a final decision on this case.


About the PUC

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

Visit the PUC’s website at puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. Search for the “Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission” or “PA PUC” on your favorite social media channel for updates on utility issues and other helpful consumer information.

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Docket No.:
M-2026-3054795

Contact:

• Nils Hagen-Frederiksen
  Press Secretary
  717-418-2701
  nhagen-fre@pa.gov
• David Hixson
  Deputy Press Secretary
  717-772-2766
  dhixson@pa.gov