[IP] more on Cellphone 911 calls failed in big storm: Prudence

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Bob Frankston <Bob2-19-0501@bobf.frankston.com>
Date: December 22, 2005 6:19:07 PM EST
To: dave@farber.net, ip@v2.listbox.com
Subject: RE: [IP] Cellphone 911 calls failed in big storm: Prudence

When are we going to allow a marketplace-based solution? E911 has to be
mandated in the bucket-brigade telecom system where nothing works unless
everyone does things just right.

In an end-to-end system these systems become far easier to build.  
Perhaps
rules for providing location information from DHCP servers are needed  
but
otherwise it's a system that can be implemented out elements. I'm not
saying it's trivial but it doesn't have to be limited by a rigid
definition.

A simple example -- if I am reporting an accident when will I be able to
send an image or video from my camera-phone. With an E2E system that  
can be
implemented incrementally. With the current system will it ever be  
doable?

Can I use voice-grams or text if there is a connectivity problem or  
is it
all or none? Can I use alternative connectivity?

Marketplaces aren't magic -- in some you have to mandate an arbitrary
solution and in others guidelines can work very well and then you solve
problems as they arise rather than having to anticipate all possible
scenarios..

-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber [mailto:dave@farber.net]
Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2005 17:40
To: ip@v2.listbox.com
Subject: [IP] Cellphone 911 calls failed in big storm: Prudence



Begin forwarded message:

From: Jim Warren <jwarren@well.com>
Date: December 22, 2005 5:09:54 PM EST
To: dave@farber.net
Cc: Liz Ditz <ponytrax@batnet.com>
Subject: Re: [IP] Cellphone 911 calls failed in big storm: Prudence

> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Liz Ditz <ponytrax@batnet.com>
> Subject: Re: [IP] Cellphone 911 calls failed in big storm: Prudence
>
> Dave, E911 is all well and good, but a prudent person has a backup
> plan.
>
>  I live and travel about  in Silicon Valley, which has a patchwork
> of emergency responders.  ...


It may be even worse, when calling 911 on a cell-phone!

Unless they (the infamous "they") have changed it since the last time
I checked (in the San Francisco Bay Area), 911 calls on cell-phones
are ALL connected to the California Highway Patrol's emergency
operators.

Even the MANY 911 cell-calls that have NOTHING to do with a highway
-- or even street-way -- emergency.


And they've been notoriously delay-prone, at least in the past (donno
'bout now).  (They also have to deal with the other kinds of
"emergency" calls:
   I'm lost.  Can you help me?
   I'm at Polk and Market.  What's the best way to get to the Cow
Palace?
   Is the traffic very heavy on 101 in Menlo Park?
   I'm on the Golden Gate Bridge, but don't have the $5 toll-fee.
What do I do?
   I heard there was a wreck on 280 near 92?  Did it involve a LeBaron?
Etc etc etc.)

Once they finally get to your 911 cell-call, if it does NOT concern a
vehicular or traffic emergency, CHP-911 then has to transfer you to a
local-jurisdiction 911 operator -- and may or may not transfer it to
the right one for your needs.

Geee ... and the 911-call concept seemed like such a good idea. (Back
in the days of landline phones wired into fixed locations.)

--jim


[No doubt this will be yet another excuse why the government "needs"
to be able to track the location of every cell-phone, all the time
it's turned-on.  ;-)  ]


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