FCC Mandates That All Wireless Carriers Let You Text 911

The Federal Communications Commission has set out on a mission to make sure we as citizens can have an alternative of contacting the police. For years now we have been raised to know that when there is a crisis, we are to hurry and call 911. Nowadays since we have modern technology, smartphones are our tool of choice when out and about. The number one act that we do on our phone is text. According to the FCC, “Reports indicate that more than 7 out of 10 cell phone users send or receive text messages. Text messaging is also widely used by Americans who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities.” With 7 out of 10 cell phone users texting, its no doubt that the FCC wants to use the text based communication as another form on contacting the police.

Texting 911 isn’t a brand new idea, the form of communication is already in use in a few cities but is not mandatory. “Although text-to-911 availability is currently limited, it is rapidly expanding. More than one hundred 911 call centers serving portions of 16 states, as well as Vermont and Maine statewide are now accepting emergency texts, and there are already reports of lives saved.” said the FCC. Since the FCC doesn’t want to leave anyone out, they have adopted rules that will require all American wireless carriers to allow their users to text 911. Wireless carriers are given a six month window to deploy the technology if a request is sent by a 911 call center.

With the statistics in showing that more people are texting and the growth of text-to-911 is rapid, it’s obvious that carriers cannot say no to the technology. It’s already proven that the technology is saving lives and can be really convenient if you are caught up in a bank robbery, kidnapped or any other disastrous crisis that this world has to offer. Text-to-911 provides a life saving alternative for everyone, especially the hard of hearing or people with speech disabilities that cannot call the police. Since Text-to-911 is on its way, let us know what you think about the new alternative to contacting the police.

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