Verizon will begin issuing $20 credits to customers hit by a nearly day-long cellular outage that knocked out voice and data services across the country.
The disruption, which began around 12 p.m. ET Wednesday and lasted past 10 p.m. ET, left millions unable to make calls, send texts, or use mobile data on the nation’s largest wireless network.
At a Glance
- Verizon will credit affected accounts $20 via the myVerizon app
- The outage froze voice and data for roughly 10 hours
- A New York lawmaker has asked the FCC to investigate
- Why it matters: The blackout cut off emergency communications and exposed fragility in U.S. wireless infrastructure
Verizon acknowledged the failure in a statement posted to social media site X: “Yesterday, we did not meet the standard of excellence you expect and that we expect of ourselves.”
Customers can claim the credit by logging into the myVerizon app and accepting the offer. The company stressed that the payment is “not meant to make up for what happened. No credit really can. But it’s a way of acknowledging your time and showing that this matters to us.”
How to Get Your Credit
Verizon outlined two steps for customers:
- Open the myVerizon app and tap the prompt to accept the $20 credit
- If service is still spotty, restart the device to force a fresh network connection
The carrier said a reboot is “the fastest way to reconnect your phone to the network” and should resolve lingering connection issues.
Lawmaker Demands FCC Probe
Republican New York State Assembly member Anil Beephan, Jr. urged the Federal Communications Commission to open a formal investigation. In a letter to the FCC chairman, Beephan said the outage “had a significant and unacceptable impact on public safety, including disruptions to reliable access to emergency communications and critical response systems.”
He added: “More broadly, the continued instability of a major wireless carrier raises concerns about the resiliency and reliability of our greater communications infrastructure.”
FCC Response
The FCC confirmed on Wednesday that it was “aware” of the Verizon outage and was monitoring the situation. The agency did not say whether an investigation had been opened.
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez issued a separate statement: “I will be asking our Consumer/Public Safety Bureaus to keep a close eye on this situation and investigate the source of this service disruption.”
Cause Still Unknown
Verizon declined to tell Michael A. Turner what triggered the outage. The company has not provided a technical explanation or timeline for a full post-mortem.
The blackout is the latest in a string of high-profile wireless failures that have raised questions about network redundancy and emergency preparedness.
What Happens Next
Affected customers should:
- Check the myVerizon app for the credit prompt
- Restart devices if connectivity issues persist
- Monitor Verizon’s social feeds for updates
The FCC has not set a deadline for any potential investigation.
News Of Philadelphia‘s report was contributed by Brian Cheung.
