Vonage just recently announed their new 311 service which lets you access local government services and information based on where you are located. Good stuff! Vonage 311 Service
Unfortunately, when I tried it on my Vonage line, all I got was a fast busy. I went back to their website and noticed they have a very limited number of cities supporting the 311 service- 13 total cities in fact with 7 coming soon. Unfortunately, the list is mostly large cities and I live in a small town. Oh well...
Well, here's some more info from their website:
Vonage is proud to offer 311 for non-emergency dialing and city information services. When you dial 311, your call is routed from the Vonage network to a public information center in your area.
*Note that 311 access depends on its availability within your area. Typically, only people within a given city's limits can dial 311. Contact your community information center for more details.
311 Dialing services include:
Live operators 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Contact with local governmental departments
Tourist information
Garbage collection schedules
Reporting neighborhood disturbances
Parks and Recreation
Here are some important facts you should know about this free service:
You Must Pre-designate the Physical Location of Your Vonage Line for 311 Dialing to Function
Remember that unlike traditional phone lines, Vonage service is portable to any location with broadband Internet access. For example, you can have a New York number and receive calls in Texas. You can also take your equipment with you on a trip but, when you travel, 311 Dialing will automatically route your call to the public information and service center for the address on file, not your temporary location. So if you have a New York City number and take your phone adapter to visit your mother in San Jose, California, you will be connected to the New York City public information center when you dial 311, not the one in San Jose.
You must sign up for 911 Dialing service in order to have access to 311 Dialing services. If you choose to opt out of 911 Dialing service, you will also lose 311 dialing capability. To sign up for Vonage 911 Dialing service, simply fill out a short form that tells us your actual physical address. This information will then activate your 311 Dialing service. When you dial 311, the call is routed to the local public information service center designated for the address you register on file here.
Keep in mind that when you move, you MUST provide your new location. You can conveniently update your new location online. It may take several days to update your record.
Since your 311 call could be from anywhere, we need you to verify the physical location of your phone in order to activate this 311 dialing feature from your phone.
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What is Vonage and How Does it Work?
Vonage is a simple and inexpensive way to make telephone calls over the internet.
How Does It Work? It's called voice over internet protocol ("VOIP"). An analog signal (like the type used for
traditional phone lines) is converted into a digital signal and then transmitted over the internet.
Features: Voicemail, 3-way calling, caller ID with name, call forwarding, can transfer existing number easily.
Costs: Vonage offers two home packages: (1) The Basic 500 ($14.99), which gives you 500 anytime minutes in the U.S.,
Canada and Puerto Rico; and (2) The Premium Unlimited, ($24.99) which has no per-minute limits.
For businesses, there are the Small Business Basic ($39.99), and the Small Business Unlimited ($49.99).
Benefits: great sound quality, ease of installation, inexpensive international rates, and significant savings
over traditional phone service providers.
In summary, Vonage is a great way use emerging technology to slash your monthly phone expenses.