Text-to-911 is a technology that has been quietly undergoing a series of pilot tests, with Frederick County, Maryland being the most recent locale to join the effort. Provided all goes well with these final tests, the telecommunications industry is working toward nationwide roll-out of text-to-911 by mid-May of 2014. Although it is probably unknown to the vast majority of individuals who grew up with texting, there are currently only a handful of Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) across the country that can receive and process a 911 text message. More below:
(GCN, April 4, 2013)
(GCN, January 7, 2013)
Comment: My personal feelings are that if things are bad enough for me to be thinking about using my portable communicator to request help from 911, a connection by voice is what I'll need to feel as though effective two-way communication has occurred. However, I get that there are people who feel texting is a better solution, or may be the only solution in some 911 circumstances. Consequently, I'm looking forward to having this capability added to my phone.
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