I am interested in purchasing the voice/DSL bindle from Earthlink:
http://www.earthlink.net/voice/bundles/

However, I want 911 to be as reliable as my current Qwest line in
Seattle.  The documentation at Earthlink claims that the phone still
works during a power outage, since the "last mile" is just a
conventional powered phone connection.  After that "mile" it is
apparently switched to earthlink/covad IP network instead of the
traditional phone network.

My question is: what is the reliability of E911 with Earthlink's new
home phone/DSL bundle?

I am looking for an answer which gives actual downtime/reliability
statistics for 911 with this type of phone connection.  I don't want the answer
to be a technical description of how this connection works, i.e. how it is
a sort of hybrid of VOIP and traditional phone service.  I want a
reference to real DATA about the reliability of E911 with this type of
connection - compared to a standard phone line.

Alternatively, if there are no data out there, then I'll take an
unbiased expert opinion about the uptime of this type of E911 service
compared to what I have now.  I am not worried about 911 working
during a disaster or power outage, I am more worried that it will be
out of service at just random times due to software glitches.

I would also be interested in hearing if there are regulations which
apply to this (hybrid?) type of home phone and E911 service?  If there
are regulations, then it might be safer to assume that this is more
reliable than not (because there are probably penalties and reports to
file, etc.).

Thanks very much.