SUBSCRIBE TO TMCnet
TMCnet - World's Largest Communications and Technology Community

CHANNEL BY TOPICS


QUICK LINKS




FCC to Revamp 911 Services to Accept Emergency Texts

911 Services

911 Services Featured Articles

› View All 911 Services Articles
November 23, 2010

FCC to Revamp 911 Services to Accept Emergency Texts


By Tracey E. Schelmetic, TMCnet Contributor



Good news for the texting generation: the Federal Communications Commission (FCC (News - Alert)) is formulating plans to allow citizens to text messages into emergency 911 services, rather than making voice calls, and is furthermore looking at implementing a service that will allow phone users to stream videos from their mobile phones into emergency contact centers, according to Wired.

Established as a national standard in 1968, the 911 service has had to change to accommodate newer technology. The service handles more than 230 million calls a year nationwide, and 70 percent of calls today originate from mobile phones. The FCC's last major overhaul of 911 services happened in 2001, when mobile carriers were required to the agency to allow 911 to identify the location of callers either through GPS or cell-tower data. A few years ago, some Internet telephony service providers were required to implement 911 calling that would route emergency calls to the appropriate local center, a tricky prospect since the originating locality of calls that happen over VoIP can be difficult to determine.

As of today, the 911 system still cannot accommodate text messages, multimedia messages or streaming video. A newer system designed to handle those messages would allow citizens to report crimes without being overheard, which would encourage people to report crimes in situations where it might be difficult or unsafe for them to do so (domestic violence situations, street crime, for example).

In a press release today, the FCC referenced the Virginia Tech shooting of several years ago as an example of how a more modern system could be useful.

“The technological limitations of 9-1-1 can have tragic, real-world consequences,” noted the release. “During the 2007 Virginia Tech campus shooting, students and witnesses desperately tried to send texts to 911 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.”

The FCC also also stated that it plans to allow automated “pinging” of 911 by sensors, including chemical detection sensors, alarm systems, medical devices and onboard navigation and information systems in automobiles such as On-Star.

The FCC has not yet stated whether the changes will become federal requirements that will be implemented in all localities as mandatory policy.


Tracey Schelmetic is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Tracey's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Tammy Wolf


› View All 911 Services Articles





Technology Marketing Corporation

2 Trap Falls Road Suite 106, Shelton, CT 06484 USA
Ph: +1-203-852-6800, 800-243-6002

General comments: [email protected].
Comments about this site: [email protected].

STAY CURRENT YOUR WAY

© 2024 Technology Marketing Corporation. All rights reserved | Privacy Policy