At 9:43 AM -0700 8/15/05, Bruce Johnson wrote:
On Aug 14, 2005, at 3:49 PM, Kathi Anderson wrote:
I really don't see the problem with 911 services. Isn't there another
emergency number that one can use in emergencies?
Actually, in many communities, there is not; 911 is a coordinator of
all emergency services. Time spent calling the 'wrong' number, then
trying to convince the people on the other end that this is a real
emergency and no I can't call 911 is time in which people will die.
Moreover, in an emergency, people remember 911. They'll waste
precious time looking up a phone number to call.
In an area served by a 911 system I believe it's criminal negligence
to offer phone service that doesn't interoperate with it.
And that points to to problem with getting 911 to work with a
"portable" phone like VOIP. Since you can theoretically take your
VOIP box with you and plug it into a network wherever you go, how
does it know where the heck you are?
Granted, that shouldn't be a big problem for VOIP setups in fixed
locations - like your office or home.
Cell phones can do it because you're going through a local
tower/provider, so they know where you physically are calling from.
Perhaps VOIP boxes should have built-in GPS so they can get the right
911 service... But that would probably raise the cost of the boxes.
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