FCC To Allow Texting To 911 321
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.'"
Re:Lets get with the times (Score:5, Funny)
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:Text Pictures from the Highway (Score:3, Funny)
I wish I could text pictures or video from the highway .... I sometimes pull up next to them and take a picture with them with my phone .... Taking the picture isn't distracting to me as I drive ....
Ah... so when other people do it, its dangerous and they deserve to be reported to the police. But you, on the other hand, are a safe responsible phone user. Now it all makes sense.
Re:They're kidding, right? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:What the hell (Score:3, Funny)
also a lot of people are idiots.
You win the prize! Don Pardo; tell him what he won!
I feel bad for the 911 operators (Score:2, Funny)
Re:What the hell (Score:5, Funny)
My dad somehow managed to butt dial 911 while at the gun range one day... that was a fun adventure.