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FCC Mandates Text-to-911 From All US Wireless Carriers

Posted by timothy on from the coming-from-inside-the-house dept.

An anonymous reader writes "On Friday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to require all U.S. wireless carriers and popular messaging applications to support texting to emergency response units via 911. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile implemented this capability back in 2012; the FCC's vote will make it mandatory for all carriers that operate in the country as well as all messaging applications that interconnect with the SMS structure in the U.S. to follow suit. One technological hurdle this mandate faces is the difficulty of tracing "the exact physical origin of a text message, particularly in residences with multiple floors."" Somehow I doubt that cellphone calls are consistently traceable to that degree, either, and I've lived in houses with extensions spread over several floors, too.

80 comments

  1. text is easier to give addresses by AndroSyn · · Score: 4, Informative

    I think in some regards being able to send an SMS in an emergency, with important details like the exact address(including quadrant in cities like Washington DC). There are often cases in DC where they send an ambulance or something to the correct street address but the wrong quadrant and end up being 5 miles away from where they need to be.

    1. Re:text is easier to give addresses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think the GPS info from the cell phone is the real key, unless the caller is calling for someone not at that location. The occasional "my mom was talking to me and then she screamed and the phone went dead" call.

    2. Re:text is easier to give addresses by AndroSyn · · Score: 4, Insightful

      GPS doesn't help so much when you are in an apartment building with 50 units.

    3. Re:text is easier to give addresses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, what was the product you're selling again?

    4. Re:text is easier to give addresses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's in the first sentence. He sold his life. Too bad for him his soul died at the same time.

    5. Re:text is easier to give addresses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It sure would be nice if they had something a little closer to the ground that could send and receive cell phone signals to add height mapping to the calculations....

    6. Re:text is easier to give addresses by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1

      why don't you text your address?

    7. Re:text is easier to give addresses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So now they will have to decipher poor grammar, spelling and punctuation before sending help.

    8. Re:text is easier to give addresses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      why don't you text your address?

      The point of the 911 system is to be able to trace the call in case the person can't give the address. For example if you are in a situation where you can't talk, can't talk for very long, or panic.

      Perhaps once a 911 call or text originates from a mobile phone, the tower could continue communicating the position to the 911 call center in the hope of getting a better position, although in really large buildings, you would probably want more local nodes to limit the area of uncertainty.

      The other thing you could do is use the text request as a signal for the call center to call the caller and get more information. There's only so much you can say in 160 characters and the specific details could change the aid that's dispatched.

    9. Re:text is easier to give addresses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, you and I would text the address. Although maybe not if we were needing 911. Perhaps we hit a diabetic sugar low or high event and aren't thinking clearly. Heck, I remember the episode of Psych where Shawn's text was "bin shot not lol". That is probably the type of texts they get and why they want to get precise location information.

    10. Re: text is easier to give addresses by kenh · · Score: 2

      As opposed to the clear, concise descriptions the 911 operators currently get from people in car accidents, house fires, home invasions, etc.

      I'm not worried about operators deciphering the 'txt speak' so much as I am worried that when a person finds themselves in an emergency situation, like, say, a choking child, precious time will be lost as the parent decides how to contact 911, then struggle to enter the proper address in a text message because they think that might cause a quicker response from the first-responders...

      --
      Ken
    11. Re:text is easier to give addresses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Texting is easier to give an address, but it's also easier to get the nature of the emergency eg:
      "POLICE NEEDED AT UNIT 801,1235 MYADDRESS RD,EXAMPLEVILLE"

      E-911 can triangulate to the address, even if the information isn't specific enough, but it also allows for a few scenarios that haven't been possible before, like someone with a cell phone trapped somewhere. A text message is easier to send with a weak signal. Also kidnappee's

    12. Re:text is easier to give addresses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      GPS doesn't help so much when you are in an apartment building with 50 units.

      Do not make the perfect the enemy of the good.

    13. Re:text is easier to give addresses by stephanruby · · Score: 2

      I think in some regards being able to send an SMS in an emergency, with important details like the exact address(including quadrant in cities like Washington DC).

      They should just let users send direct Facebook/Google+/Twitter messages to 911.

      This way, they'll know what you had for breakfast this morning and who to call in case the initial gps address isn't enough.

    14. Re:text is easier to give addresses by Mr_Wisenheimer · · Score: 1

      Actually, the GPS is not a problem in that situation. If you can actually receive enough GPS sattalite signals, the GPS will identify which apartment you are in (or at least, show that you are in one of a small number of apartments) because it can identify your location to a accuracy of 10 meters or less.

      The difficulty though might be the first responders mapping latitude, longitude, and altitude data onto a map of the apartment complex. If the map does not identify how many floors up 50 meters is, the only way for first responders to figure out the apartment would be with their own GPS altimeter.

    15. Re: text is easier to give addresses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have an idea and I'm sure a million app developers have it too. I'd prefer a standardized solution, though, so it should be something that comes pre-installed and can be launched without entering a pin. What I'm thinking of is something similar to what DSC brought to VHF radio at sea. VHF radios have a one button distress call which sends your position (latest from GPS including a time stamp or manually entered) and the type of emergency or "unspecified" if you don't have time to select it. I don't recall the list by heart but it has things such as fire/sinking/man over board/piracy or armed attack (really useful, if you want other pirates to show up to share the loot). The distress call goes to all vessels within range and assuming that the rescue services get it through a coast station, the position shows up as a blip on their screens AND also all the information about the vessel, which you must provide when you get a VHF license for the vessel (type, capacity etc.). Other vessels can also acknowledge it but I won't get into the relevant regulations. However, an app which would send a standardized message would be useful as well as maybe some medical information about the person (for privacy, it might be on the phone instead of some registry). Options should be something like fire/car crash/seizure/facebook is down ;)

    16. Re:text is easier to give addresses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What kind of magical GPS device do you have that works under multiple floors of steel-framed construction? Granted, if your phone support GLONASS in addition to GPS, chances are better but even then your GPS position is going to drift wildly with that much interference. Also, GPS is much worse at altitude than at horizontal position. so you are unlikely to be able to get a specific floor.

    17. Re:text is easier to give addresses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What kind of magical GPS device do you have that works under multiple floors of steel-framed construction?

      Mine's called a window or a single outside wall, what you though you needed 100% vertical line of sight straight up into the sky instead of various angles for GPS to work?

  2. Locating wireless phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The site iplocation.net reports the location for your current IP address, or an address you enter, as provided by 3 or 4 geolocation companies/products. We are full-time RVers who are at several IP addresses and sites per week. Our ISP is Verizon Wireless. iplocation.net regularly reports our IP address to be located in different states, among the products it uses.

  3. Carriers aren't the weak point by PvtVoid · · Score: 4, Informative

    The problem is that local emergency infrastructure is incapable of handling the technology. Every call 911 from a cell phone, for example, in New York? You get sent to a centralized, state-wide call center, and the first thing they ask is: "What town are you in?" Then they manually route you to an emergency center nearby. They have no infrastructure to use the location info from your phone, despite the fact that it has been mandated in the cell phones themselves for many years. People have died because of this, but there is no funding to upgrade the system.

    You can make the phones as high-tech as you wish, if you don't back it up with government funding for the corresponding infrastructure, it's completely useless.

    1. Re:Carriers aren't the weak point by jbolden · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Look at your phone bill there is a 911 charge on it. There is funding.

    2. Re:Carriers aren't the weak point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's used for the police Xmas party.

    3. Re:Carriers aren't the weak point by brtech · · Score: 1

      This is not true. Calls from cell phones, as well as SMS is routed to the nearest 9-1-1 center (PSAP) based on the location of the cell tower and sector serving the call or text. In California, and a couple other places, the state police call center answers the call, but they get your location. Then they try to get your exact location using the GPS in the phone, or by triangulating from cell towers. This doesn't always work, and even when it does, it may not be very accurate. So, they always ask you where you are. They know about where you are, but not exactly. Of course, if you are indoors GPS may not work.

    4. Re:Carriers aren't the weak point by brtech · · Score: 1

      Yeah, at least in most places, there is a "surcharge" on your phone bill that pays for part of the 9-1-1 costs. HOWEVER, it's not enough to pay the actual cost AND in many, many states, the money is siphoned off for other uses. This diversion of surcharges is a huge problem, but states love dipping in to that piggy bank, and sometimes even local governments decide to use the money for a new police cruiser rather than give it to the 9-1-1 system. The rest of the money to operate the system comes from local revenue, except in some states like Vermont, where it comes from general state revenue.

    5. Re:Carriers aren't the weak point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah not sure how it works in other states but in washington that money goes to general fund then is disbursed to 911 centers based on need, so all the centers in BFE with 1 person per 10 square miles gets the lion share of that money since they have such a poor tax base. And the infrastructure changes are crazy expensive, you are usually looking at a entire phone system upgrade front and back end which easily cost a few million per center and more for larger centers (which as mentioned earlier usually get zero 911 fund dollars), then training, maintenance.... It's fair to say that most centers will be requiring more taxes from their community to modify their equipment and hire more people to handle the texting load.

    6. Re:Carriers aren't the weak point by jbolden · · Score: 1

      HOWEVER, it's not enough to pay the actual cost

      I doubt that. I've sold call centers. I can't see anyway that I wouldn't run huge surpluses running a call center with that kind of inflow. Say 150k person county throwing off $1.8m a year. Infrastructure doesn't cost much at all. 10 operators with benefits $400k, $500k. Full features PBX, trunks, pooling, screens, control software $250k. No I don't buy it doesn't cover the costs.

      Now of course if states are redirecting the budget to something else then sure. But there is funding.

    7. Re:Carriers aren't the weak point by jbolden · · Score: 1

      That's not lack of funding that's just atrocious allocation. Why even have centers with that sort of light coverage? Send it to a statewide or nationwide center and have them deal with it.

    8. Re:Carriers aren't the weak point by brtech · · Score: 1

      There is a lot more in a PSAP than a typical call center. First of all, they are also paying a portion of the networking costs that get the calls to the call center. Then the skill level for a telecommunicator is a lot higher than a call center, and the manpower costs are probably twice or three times your number. Then they also have to overstaff it - you don't get a "we are experiencing a large volume of calls..." from 9-1-1. They have telecommunitors waiting for calls, not callers waiting for telecommunicators. Then they have dispatch systems, which have accompanying record management systems.

      And all of it has to be reliable, and it's specialized for 9-1-1, which is a limited market, and the net result is that the systems are expensive. If there is not a lot of diversion, the surcharge pay about half of the cost of running the system (not including responders).

      If you doubt it, DOT paid for a study a few years ago. Booz Allen did it. I'm sure you can find it if you want to look. Total cost of the system at that time was $2.3B. Has lots of detail on where the money comes from and where it goes.

    9. Re:Carriers aren't the weak point by jbolden · · Score: 1

      If costs are anywhere near that high, this should just be a national system and not handled by localities at all. It is just insane to do this more than once.

  4. Great! by thieh · · Score: 1

    Now the carriers will charge you for 911 texting capabilities, just like they did for phone calls

    1. Re:Great! by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

      Will they let you txt 911 for free? Even if you have no txting or are out of pre paid or don't even have a sim card?

    2. Re:Great! by Gavagai80 · · Score: 3, Informative

      What carrier changes you for 911 phone calls? You don't even need a SIM card to make a 911 call.

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      This space intentionally left blank
    3. Re:Great! by Trepidity · · Score: 2

      Yeah it's actually kind of common for charities to collect donations of old phones without service, to give to people who they worry might be at risk of needing an emergency call (women at battered-women's shelters, etc.). Any phone with a functioning radio that dials 911 has to be accepted by the carrier it tries to connect to, even if it has no valid account associated. Even applies to GSM phones with no SIM at all (as you mention), and to phones with blacklisted ESNs.

      --
      10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
    4. Re:Great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think Virgin Mobile uses SIM cards. I had to dial 911 to report an accident one day. There is your answer.

    5. Re:Great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What carrier changes you for 911 phone calls? You don't even need a SIM card to make a 911 call.

      They don't charge you for using the phone to dial 911, you can even dial 911 from a phone that is not activated.

      They do include a fee on you bill or if you are prepaid when you buy refills that goes to funding 911. This charge is not from the carriers, it is required by law and they pass all of the funds onto the government. I was working at a convience store when the fee got added to prepaid cell phone cards and $.50 added to every card really pissed people off for about 6 months then they got used to it.

    6. Re:Great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Many old phones that are given to the charities are stolen.

      I once had someone call in with one of these phones to try and activate it and I told her that the device is marked as stolen so it's only good for calling 911.

    7. Re: Great! by kenh · · Score: 1

      Home phone lines are required to allow 911 calls even when service is disconnected. On the off-chance something happens AND there is a functioning phone connected to the line, it has to allow the call.

      Imagine the lawsuits - "my child was on the floor turning blue, not breathing and I couldn't get a dial tone! The phone company killed my child!"

      --
      Ken
    8. Re:Great! by Fnord666 · · Score: 1

      What carrier changes you for 911 phone calls? You don't even need a SIM card to make a 911 call.

      All of them, but they don't charge the caller. They charge their subscribers. Subscribers are charged a number of vaguely described monthly "fees" like "Universal Service Fee". These fees are supposed to pay for mandated features like the ability to call 911. Another one of these "fees" pays for the the ability to port a number from one carrier to another. These mandated features only get imposed if the carriers get an approved way to bill customers for them somehow.

      --
      'The tyrant will always find pretext for his tyranny.' - Aesop's Fables
    9. Re:Great! by brtech · · Score: 1

      Turns out this is a horrible idea. It sounded great, but it causes many, many more problems and it roughly never helps. When you call 9-1-1 from a phone that is not active (it's called an "uninitialized phone"), they don't know who you are (there is no phone number, and no subscriber for that phone number) or where you are (the location stuff needs the phone number to work). 9-1-1 gets this untraceable call from an unknown location.

      Every 9-1-1 call center (PSAP) gets thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of calls from these devices every year. Most PSAPs never get a "good" call - they just don't happen. There are kids playing with them, there are flea markets where, since the only call a phone without a plan can make is 9-1-1, they call 9-1-1 to show the phone works before a buyer pays for it. There are people trying to trick 9-1-1 to sending a SWAT team. It goes on and on.

    10. Re:Great! by Trepidity · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I can believe most of the calls are either accidental or fraudulent. I'm surprised the location part doesn't work though. Shouldn't Phase II E911 be able to report an approximate location based on the tower that's receiving the call?

      --
      10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
  5. exact origin of a text by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The post says: One technological hurdle this mandate faces is the difficulty of tracing "the exact physical origin of a text message, particularly in residences with multiple floors."

    Wouldn't the sender of the text message be able to type the exact address in his or her text message? Like: "Please send ambulance to 1200 pine st. apt 205, Springfield"

    Just asking

  6. Useful for low-coverage areas by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 5, Funny

    Lots of places can get a text through where voice calls will fail. Especially if you're down in a ravine off a road in a marginal area.

    Now then, I've had a cell phone for 18 years and nothing has changed (regarding coverage gaps - the bills have gone way up). Curious that the FCC is just noticing this now - maybe one of the Commissioners left the metropolis for a few days.

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  7. I wasn't aware... by kenh · · Score: 1

    ...that SMS text messages include location information (long/lat).

    I could see instances where it would be useful for a security/alarm system to send a text to 911, but the originating number would be set to a fixed location, but for a mobile phone to be required to send the 'exact' location is a technical 'bridge too far' in my opinion...

    Does the FCC really think that in an emergency it is easier/quicker/better to send an SMS 'text' message from a mobile phone, rather than use the phone for it's original purpose and dimply CALL 911 and TALK to the agent?

    It IS a phone you're sending that text from!

    --
    Ken
    1. Re:I wasn't aware... by jbolden · · Score: 1

      They can call you. There are different types of 911 messages. For example: dead deer blocking lane 17.2 mile market southbound highway XYZ doesn't require a callback.

    2. Re:I wasn't aware... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's also not an emergency. With any luck they will call back to point that out. If you're that worried about the deer, pretend you are a man and move the damn thing off the road yourself. I've cleared roads several times, including a sofa on a highway. I know you were just trying to come up with a random hypothetical, but I'm just sick of how people think about these things. They'd rather call some one than spend all of 30 seconds to solve the problem - a problem that is only a problem because of others that won't help out their fellow motorists either. Arg!!

    3. Re:I wasn't aware... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can send a text with a weaker signal and through an overloaded cell tower. Unfortunately I live in an area where overloaded cell towers are common.

      If you are even in an earthquake, hurricane or other large scale disaster, text you status to friends and family outside the disaster area. You won't be able to call them but the text will get through.

    4. Re:I wasn't aware... by brtech · · Score: 1

      What if speaking isn't a possibility? Like, say, you are deaf. Or maybe you are in danger and letting someone know you are calling 9-1-1 would not be good for you. Of you are young, you are stressed, and it just makes more sense to you to text rather than call.

      Normal SMS does not send location. When you send a text to 9-1-1, they get your location and forward it to 9-1-1.

  8. Changing nature of 911 by kenh · · Score: 2

    911 calls are by nature a conversation, a two-way exchange of details from the caller and suggestions from the operator as the situation unfolds. That will (likely) be lost in a text exchange - what parent will keep texting 'she's not breathing, she's turning blue' to 911 when they are standing by their choking child?

    --
    Ken
    1. Re:Changing nature of 911 by dasunt · · Score: 1

      911 calls are by nature a conversation, a two-way exchange of details from the caller and suggestions from the operator as the situation unfolds. That will (likely) be lost in a text exchange - what parent will keep texting 'she's not breathing, she's turning blue' to 911 when they are standing by their choking child?

      On the other hand, a bystander may be more likely to text than call 911, especially if it's a situation where they don't want their actions known.

    2. Re:Changing nature of 911 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      True, text messages are not the right way to contact 911 in a medical emergency, unless you don't have enough signal for voice but can get a text through. The emergencies they will be great for is abductions and home invasions, you can covertly send a text much easier then a voice call. Also this will be great for people with hearing or voice related disabilities.

    3. Re:Changing nature of 911 by Random+Destruction · · Score: 1

      choking child

      I don't think that's the intended use at all.

      I'm guessing they're expecting texts more like "someone broke into my house, and I'm hiding in the closet", or "my husband is abusing me, and thinks I'm just cleaning up in the bathroom, but I need help", etc. Situations where being discreet is important, situations where people currently try to text 911, and often get no response.

      --
      :x
    4. Re:Changing nature of 911 by Fnord666 · · Score: 1

      I don't think that's the intended use at all.

      I'm guessing they're expecting texts more like "someone broke into my house, and I'm hiding in the closet", or "my husband is abusing me, and thinks I'm just cleaning up in the bathroom, but I need help", etc. Situations where being discreet is important, situations where people currently try to text 911, and often get no response.

      Agreed. I don't think it's intended to replace a 911 call, but to provide an alternative in situtations, such as you provided, when a 911 call might not be practical. Another example would be during a mass casualty event where 911 calls can't get through because the towers are saturated. SMS messages use essentially no bandwidth and would be able to get through, providing emergency services and first responders with additional information about injuries, people who are trapped, etc.

      --
      'The tyrant will always find pretext for his tyranny.' - Aesop's Fables
    5. Re:Changing nature of 911 by NoKaOi · · Score: 1

      911 calls are by nature a conversation, a two-way exchange of details from the caller and suggestions from the operator as the situation unfolds. That will (likely) be lost in a text exchange - what parent will keep texting 'she's not breathing, she's turning blue' to 911 when they are standing by their choking child?

      There are some situations where it's very difficult to make a call, particularly noisy situations. For example, I had to call 911 for a car accident where one of the car's horn was blaring (presumably the front impact had shorted something out). I couldn't hear the 911 operator and she couldn't hear me. I had to walk far enough away that we could hear each other. It would have been much easier to send a text saying something like "Car accident at intersection of X and Y, one driver with non-life-threatening injury." Of course, in most situations it would be better to call. They're not proposing to replace voice with text for 911, it is in addition to voice.

    6. Re:Changing nature of 911 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, you just wait ...

      Stupid mom: @911 Help @mykid is #ChokingToDeath
      911 Emergency Services Bot: Please call or text tel:911 if you're having an emergency, @StupidMom.
      Stupid mom: But she can't has breath @911; ima instagram u her blue face.
      911 Emergency Services Bot: #facepalm @stupidMom.

  9. It will be easier now ... by QuietLagoon · · Score: 1

    It will be easier now to notify 911 when facebook is down.

  10. For "emergencies only" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Anyone else worried about the privacy implications this? They want to be able to tie text messages to an individual easier.

  11. Do something about pocket dialing 911 by WaffleMonster · · Score: 1

    Funny FCC does not seem to care about taking action to do something about 911 call centers around the country being inundated by defective, poorly designed "smart phone" emergency dialers designed to bypass lock screens and call emergency numbers via spurious digitizer inputs. Everyone has their priorities....

  12. Re:In California. . . by Mr_Wisenheimer · · Score: 1

    . . . if you are near a State or Federal highway, you get routed to the CHP instead of local law enforcement even though in theory, the technology can usually tell whether or not you are actually on the highway or in a nearby city.

  13. Wait a second.... by bistromath007 · · Score: 1

    AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile... that pretty much IS all the carriers already. Isn't everyone else just an MVNO through them in the US? Even if there's an exception somewhere, the fact that all four of those support it makes it clear that the carriers are not at all the problem. You can't text 911 because there's like... three cities that are actually set up to receive them.

  14. Say 'hello' to yet another fee on your bill by RogueWarrior65 · · Score: 1

    Yes, there are places in the country where a text message can get through but a phone call can't so for search & rescue, this makes sense. All benefit aside though, you can bet that you will see yet another fee on your cellphone bill.

  15. It's a good idea by slincolne · · Score: 2

    Having a family member recently ill with a chest infection, and completely unable to speak (but able to email, SMS, etc.) - its a great idea.

  16. 911 and text by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I work at a 911 center, we process pretty consistently about 1300 calls per day, 1/5 of those calls are incompletes and of those more then half are from disconnected cell phones. As noted before the PSAP cannot call these calls back but we do get triangulation off them through phase 2 but unless something is heard in the background by the calltaker the call is disconnected and cancelled. WE have several phones that have called us more then 150 times in a month with just pranking or silence, not a single thing we can do about it.

    Texting to 911 sounds great in theory but in reality it will severely inflate the amount of people needed to service calls. Take a short description of a problem and say it out loud, now write those words in text now figure your probably an able texter give the phone to gramma have her text out that description....., it takes FAR longer to text it then to say it. Our center will of course accept 911 text calls but unless it's an emergency you will be told to voice call 911 and the line will be disconnected. Even getting to that point though requires enough texting to understand its NOT an emergency so there won't be much savings there. Even at the emergency text only level we anticipate needing at least 4-5 more FTE's for 24 hours and more likely 6 to 8 for this one single change and that's just to remain even with current work load which is already dangerously understaffed for call volume.

    Just another in a long line of unfunded mandates that will hit taxpayers in the wallet and it will be a large hit too, training persons for 911 takes a looong time and if they make it (30% chance) through training you then pay salary, benefits, 401k, etc etc.

  17. Rescue Dogs App is all you need by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't need 911 text... Rescue Dogs App:
    https://screen.yahoo.com/snl-digital-short-rescue-dogs-000000858.html

  18. NG911 by mdaughtrey7492 · · Score: 1

    There's been a 'next-generation' 911 effort going on for some years now that will encompass VoIP, video, text and IM from your mobile and PC device. The text/IM stuff is envisioned as a replacement for the current system for the deaf. There will also be better location information and better call routing. http://www.nena.org/ has more.

  19. This is all well and good... by Cyfun · · Score: 1

    ...but it's going to take forever to text a message on my rotary-dial phone!

    --
    In Soviet Russia, dot slashes YOU!