Telephone Outages Hit 911 Centers Across Pennsylvania
Verizon has been notified and technicians are working to identify and fix the problem affecting multiple counties.
Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in Telecommunications
Telephone outages are affecting emergency communications centers in multiple Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania counties, according to a public advisory. Alternate numbers have been listed for use only if 911 cannot be reached.
Why it matters
Disruptions to 911 service can delay emergency response for residents across a wide region of Pennsylvania. Residents in the affected counties should be aware of the alternate numbers provided by officials while the outage continues.
Emergency officials have named 12 counties affected by the telephone outages, including Monroe, Snyder, Union, Clinton, Columbia, Wyoming, Lackawanna, Carbon, Luzerne, Pike, Schuylkill and Northumberland. The advisory does not state the cause of the outage or when service is expected to be fully restored.
The players
Verizon
Verizon is a major American telecommunications company that provides wireless and wireline phone and internet service across the United States.
Pennsylvania Ambulance
Pennsylvania Ambulance is an emergency medical services provider whose dispatch center is listed as an alternate contact during the outage.
The details
Verizon has been notified of the problem, and its technicians are working to identify and fix it. Alternate 911 numbers are listed for Lackawanna, Wayne, Pike, Luzerne and Wyoming counties, as well as for Pennsylvania Ambulance dispatch, which is staffed around the clock.
Timeline
November 15, 2026: Public advisory on the telephone outages affecting 911 centers was published.
Telecom Reliability
Outages affecting 911 access fall under Federal Communications Commission rules that require telecommunications providers to maintain reliable emergency calling. This event tests how quickly those obligations are met when service fails across several counties at once.
If you cannot reach 911, use the alternate numbers listed for your county, such as those for Lackawanna, Wayne, Pike, Luzerne and Wyoming counties, or Pennsylvania Ambulance dispatch. Keep those numbers handy and check local emergency notices for updates on service restoration.
The takeaway
Emergency services can be disrupted by a single carrier outage, so knowing your county's backup emergency numbers ahead of time can save critical minutes. Save alternate numbers in your phone now rather than searching during an emergency.
Further reading
For broader context on service disruptions, explore more Telecommunications coverage.
