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The four largest carriers now support texting 911, but most emergency call centres don’t

911-Call

When the FCC set a voluntary deadline of yesterday for putting in place technology to allow people to text 911, all four of the main national carriers complied. But since most emergency call centres aren’t yet equipped to receive texts, don’t expect to be using it any time soon.

The FCC said that the ability to text 911 could be a life-saver for those with hearing or speech impairments, as well as in situations where it might be dangerous to make a phone call – while a crime is in progress and the perpetrator within earshot, for example.

But the wireless trade association, the CTIA, warned that even where 911 texting is supported, it’s still impossible to guarantee immediate delivery of texts. We’ve all experienced examples of texts that arrive the next day, so the advice remains to make a voice call wherever possible.

The FCC has uploaded a list of emergency call centres accepting 911 texts. If you attempt to text 911 in an area where the service is not supported, you’ll get a text bounce-back. Needless to say, please do not test the service.

Google, Android manufacturers agree to participate in “Smartphone Anti-Theft Voluntary Commitment” program

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Google has agreed to back a new initiative along with a host of Android manufacturers and all of the major U.S. cellular carriers that would require all smartphones manufactured after July 2015 to come with specific anti-theft features. The program is the latest attempt to prevent theft of smartphones, which some have blamed for increasing crime rates.

To this end, Google introduced the Android Device Manager application last year, allowing users to locate or wipe lost or stolen devices. Today’s agreement between the carriers and handset manufacturers essentially states that all parties will ship this type of system on new phones.

Specifically, the required anti-theft measures are broken into four kinds:

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FCC and Carriers come to terms, will allow cell phone unlocking

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unlock

Well, would you look at that, just moments after reports of a deal being near comes the news that a deal has actually been reached. The CTIA has posted a PDF document that reveals some of the agreed upon terms of the negotiations. The bottom line is no matter what, this is a major win for consumers and the overall industry even if the carriers are probably steaming over the deal.


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Want your Android device unlocked? So does the FCC Chairman and he’s working to make it happen

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tomwheeler

With the likes of Congress, President Obama and the newly minted FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler all coming out in favor of unlocked phones, the pressure is now on for the carriers to relent on their rigid policies. The good news for us consumers is that Wheeler is keeping the pressure on with a letter sent to the CTIA President Steve Largent. Largent, the head of the official wireless association governing body received the Chairman’s letter emphasizing his work to amend the consumer code which would “address consumers’ rights to unlock their mobile wireless devices one their contracts are fulfilled.”


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