The Federal Communications Commission announced that Americans will be able to text 911 in an emergency by May of 2014.
The four big wireless carriers-Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile-have agreed to forward 911 texts to emergency call centers. They cover 90 percent of American cellphone users, providing yet another way to get in touch with emergency personnel.
Text messages are more reliable in areas with bad reception, when a phone call to 911 might be spotty or not go through. It's also a good option for people who might be in a situation where they need to stay quiet and can't speak.
The change also makes it much easier for disabled or hard-of-hearing people to use 911 emergency services.
"Text-to-911 will provide consumers with enhanced access to emergency communications in situations where a voice call could endanger the caller, or a person with disabilities is unable to make a voice call," said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.
The FCC is stressing that the 911-forwarding service is in addition to, not a replacement for 911 phone calls.
"Text-to-911 will be a complement to, not a substitute for, voice calls to 911 services, and consumers should always make a voice call to 911 during an emergency if they can," said Genachowski.
Many emergency centers aren't equipped to handle incoming text messages, so while the big carriers will forward them on, that might not bring any help.
In those instances, the FCC is mandating a "bounce-back" text that notifies the sender that their text didn't go through and that they should call 911 if they can.
Of course, if the emergency requires silence, a new text message could be disastrous, though not any more so than a text or call from a friend at just the wrong time.
Future improvements to the 911 system include the ability to send video.
Many Verizon customers can already use the system, as the carrier started rolling out the service earlier this year.
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