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The Maryland Public Service Commission has directed Verizon officials to appear before it to explain why some callers in Maryland have had trouble getting through to 911 emergency service.

Montgomery, Prince George's, Charles, St. Mary's and Calvert counties all have said that some callers in the past year have heard busy signals or been rerouted to other jurisdictions.

Verizon, the utility that services 911 centers in those districts, says it is investigating the issue, as are local governments and the Federal Communications Commission.

In a letter sent Thursday to Jeffrey A. Rackow, Verizon's assistant general counsel, the commission directs the company to explain on March 2 in Baltimore what "caused the outages and the steps that Verizon has taken to correct/repair the network."

"These continued outages occurring on the Verizon 911 system in Maryland are of concern to the commission," the commission's Executive Secretary Terry J. Romine said in the letter.

Thousands of Maryland residents have been unable to reach 911 operators in recent months; however, most lawmakers in Annapolis — and even at the local level — are unaware of the problem.

Many officials said they learned of the issue, which was first noticed last year, in a story last week in The Gazette. And while local representatives continue to investigate the cause of the problem, state lawmakers say they might intervene in a similar manner to their recent actions regarding Pepco's utility service.

Residents in five Maryland counties have reported trouble getting through to 911, especially during snowstorms or other emergencies when there is an influx of calls.

Emergency management and public safety officials in Maryland directed questions about the situation to the PSC, which regulates utilities. The PSC would not comment on the investigation beyond the letter issued Thursday, which states that the PSC learned of the 911 glitches in October.

"There have been some real systemic problems by Verizon," said state Sen. James C. Rosapepe (D-Dist. 21) of College Park.

Verizon officials would not identify the counties in Maryland for which it provides 911 service. Spokeswoman Sandra Arnette also would not say which states include Verizon among their 911 providers.

William Stephens, director of emergency services in Charles County, said the issues experienced in Charles, Calvert and St. Mary's counties occurred last year and, at least in Charles County, have been resolved.

The Federal Communications Commission is investigating the 911 failures, and officials believe the problem may be occurring nationwide. However, it is unclear if the problem is limited to Verizon service.

Arnette said Verizon plans to respond to a Feb. 10 request by the state's Emergency Number Systems Board for a summary of planned improvements. The board is the funding agent for the state's 911 centers.

However, Montgomery County officials said Thursday that they are still waiting for information about the glitch that they requested Jan. 26, when the most recent outage occurred.

In Prince George's County, Verizon representatives met with government officials Wednesday in response to a Feb. 1 request for an explanation by County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D).

Charlynn Flaherty, the county's director of public safety communications, said Verizon representatives told her they mailed a response to Baker on Wednesday. She expects to have it Monday.

"It's a citizen safety issue and public trust issue," she said.

It was unclear whether Verizon planned to meet with officials in other counties.

Del. Brian J. Feldman (D-Dist. 15) of Potomac said Montgomery County officials have not asked the local delegation in Annapolis, which he chairs, to step in.

"If they're not getting anywhere, then I would anticipate we would get involved," he said. "I would not rule out us getting involved, but as of right now, I want to see what the response is at the local level first."

Del. Dereck E. Davis (D-Dist. 25) of Upper Marlboro said the 911 issue was not on his radar until reading about it in the newspaper, but said he planned to find out about the problem.

"911 is certainly a key number, and it's vital to the public health, safety and well-being," said Davis, who chairs the House Economic Matters Committee. "We can't have issues like that. I want it addressed."

Rosapepe, who has been outspoken about the need for more oversight of public utilities, said legislation he has introduced would help address the 911 problem.

Under the legislation, which is scheduled to be heard by a Senate committee March 8, the Maryland Commission on Climate Change, along with the Department of Transportation and the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, would be required to submit a report to Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) and the General Assembly on what is needed for the state to respond to weather emergencies.

Rosapepe said that climate change is making severe weather more common and the state must prepare.

Verizon has linked the glitches to severe weather, such as the Jan. 26 snowstorm, when more people call 911, he said.

"It's the same problem that the county and the state have had cleaning up the snow, the same problem that Pepco has had keeping the lights on," Rosapepe said.

His legislation would help the state plan for such 911 overloads and make necessary changes, he said.

ecunningham@gazette.net