FCC To Allow Texting To 911

tekgoblin writes "The FCC is looking into allowing people to report incidents to 911 via SMS from their mobile phones. They are also considering mobile video to show the 911 service what is going on. The current 911 system handles around 230 million calls per year with most of the calls being from mobile phones. One situation influenced this move to allow texting to 911 was the Virginia Tech shooting. 'The technological limitations of 9-1-1 can have tragic, real-world consequences,' the release said. 'During the 2007 Virginia Tech campus shooting, students and witnesses desperately tried to send texts to 9-1-1 that local dispatchers never received. If these messages had gone through, first responders may have arrived on the scene faster with firsthand intelligence about the life-threatening situation that was unfolding.'"

Comments

Re:Lets get with the times

[Arancaytar]

And Facebook.

"Add 911 as Friend"
"Poke 911"
"Write on 911's Wall"

(Five people liked your wall post: "just got mugged omg help ".)

Re:They're kidding, right?

[Dracker]

What good is a phone call... if you're unable to speak?

Re:What the hell

[bsDaemon]

My dad somehow managed to butt dial 911 while at the gun range one day... that was a fun adventure.