Of all the issues facing cellular communications in the U.S., 911 service ranks among the most important. We as a country have grown used to 911 as our lifeline in case of emergency. Yet due to the rapid introduction of cellular technology around the turn of the century, 911 services fell behind. The FCC stepped up in 2007, mandating that all carriers test e911 services at a local level by 2012. This represented an upgrade to their 2000 mandate, which required all phones sold after December 31, 2002, to be equipped with 911 location technology. Now it appears 911 is expanding beyond voice and into the text realm.
The 911 text messaging trial took place in Black Hawk County, Iowa, and was deemed a success. This doesn’t mean, however, that it is wholly reliable. It also still has plenty of issues to improve, including a prioritized delivery system, the ability to send location information, and an interface which would allow for the easiest possible interaction with 911 dispatchers. Now that operators have conducted a successful test, though, those issues might become more prominent.
One question consumers might ask is, why text message? Wouldn’t communicating with a 911 dispatcher work better if the two sides can hear one another? In most instances the answer is yes. For fires, accidents, and other typical 911 scenarios people will be encouraged to dial 911 and speak to a dispatcher. However, there are certain scenarios wherein silence could be a boon. During robberies, for example, a caller would be at risk if overheard. However, given the silent nature of text messaging, the victim could contact emergency services without giving himself away. This applies to other crime scenarios as well.
Another aspect of 911 text messaging involves the speech and hearing impaired community. Since in many instances a call to 911 would provide little to no actual communication (though if working properly it would reveal location information), text messaging could be a major advancement. Adopting 911 text messaging would give the speech and hearing impaired a more natural alternative.
Emergency services are important for society as a whole, so the development of text-message-based 911 services seems like a worthy project. However, given the number of cell phone 911 failure stories we’ve heard over the past year, we know we have a ways to go.
Share this Post
Subscribe and Follow
Subscribe to the Going Cellular feed via RSS and follow Going Cellular on Twitter!
{ 0 comments… add one now }