The plea bargain says that he used VoIP to appear to be calling from the local area code (although I agree that the dispatchers could still be informed whether

The plea bargain says that he used VoIP to appear to be calling from the local area code (although I agree that the dispatchers could still be informed whether the call was placed by 911 or via a 10-digit emergency number—but currently VoIP subscribers might also be able to register their self-reported location, in which case a distant VoIP 911 call might conceivably look the same to a dispatcher as a nearby VoIP 911 call).