Six More Pennsylvania Counties File 911 Surcharge Cases Against Phone Companies

Six Pennsylvania counties filed writs of summons against dozens of carriers to attempt to collect 911 surcharge fees that officials believe went unpaid, said communications lawyer Joshua Wolson at Dilworth Paxson, representing the municipalities. The six counties are Berks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster and Washington, and Wolson said he also expects to be filing in York County in the near future. The counties have not finalized an amount that they believe they are owed, but Wolson said it's safe to say it's millions of dollars per county.Delaware County filed a lawsuit alleging the same thing in June (see 1506040042). Among the roughly 30 companies named in the writs are AT&T, CenturyLink, Comcast Phone of Pennsylvania, Conestoga Telephone and Telegraph Co., Core Communications, Global Crossing Local Services, Level 3, Verizon Pennsylvania and Windstream Pennsylvania.