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Highly, highly, highly recommend you enable 911 calls by default on all plans -- let parents disable it if they want. Cell phones do this, even without a SIM ca
by floren 1y ago
Highly, highly, highly recommend you enable 911 calls by default on all plans -- let parents disable it if they want. Cell phones do this, even without a SIM card. Don't gate safety for $9.99/mo.
Edit: "The FCC requires that providers of interconnected VoIP telephone services using the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) meet Enhanced 911 (E911) obligations." https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/voip-and-911-service https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/voip-and-911-service
Also "911 Services: Providers of "interconnected" VoIP services – which allow users generally to make calls to and receive calls from the regular telephone network – do have 911 service obligations" https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/voice-over-internet-protocol-voip https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/voice-over-internet-pro...
- neilv 1y agoYeah, that jumped out at me. If you're doing something that looks like a phone, just do 911, always, even if you're losing money by doing that.
- ars 1y agoIs it possible to call 911 from a phone that doesn't have an incoming phone number assigned?
- turnsout 1y agoYes, because you can pull the SIM card out of a cellphone and dial 911.
- tiagod 1y agoAs far as I know, you can even call 911 with a SIM card on but no service to your network. It will just use another network.
- lucaslazarus 1y agoYes, because cell phones can do it even without a SIM card
- davideg 1y agoThis is a really good point, though E911 probably costs the provider something. I wonder if they could offer 911 support at actual cost ($1-2/month).
- eterm 1y ago> probably costs the provider something Yes, So what? Eat the cost. Any life saved was worth it.
- winstonewert 1y agoThen I'm sure you're willing to donate the cash to make it happen.
- wizzwizz4 1y agoDonate my time and services? Sure. Donate the cash? To a business? … So, you mean, paying someone else's profit margin, while they hold lives hostage? Immanuel Kant says you don't negotiate with terrorists.
- __float 1y agoThis should be such an infrequent occurrence that the cost should be negligible. Surely their $10/month plan has enough margin that this can be covered?
- winstonewert 1y agoThere is likely a cost to the infrastructure necessary to enable calling 911 that scales with the number of users not the number of 911 calls. Where I'm at, there is a 75 cent per month fee added to phone plans to cover the costs of access to 911. If most people are on the free plan, the margin from the few paying customers won't cover it.
- spicybright 1y agoEvery cellphone without a valid service plan is still required to be able to call 911 in most places of the world, including the US, and carriers eat the costs. It should be obvious why. Frankly it's weird they're making a clone of a classic touch tone corded phone and somehow get around this. Especially for a kids product when we teach kids to call 911 in an emergency.
- turnsout 1y agoIt's not arbitrary—if you look at your cellphone bill, there's a tax for 911 access. They could probably offer a cheaper plan with just 911, but they can't make it free. But I think $9.99 is fair all things considered. I'm not sure I see the safety issue. My 7 year-old currently doesn't have the ability to dial 911 without an adult's cellphone. If I give them a Tin Can that has no 911, they are no more or less safe than they were before.
- ars 1y ago> they are no more or less safe than they were before. I disagree. They think they can call 911 from it, so in an emergency they will try that, and fail, and try again (because things fail all the time in today's world), wasting a ton of time. Without this device they would try some other plan, maybe go outside and scream for a passerby to help.
- J_McQuade 1y agoI kinda get why they think they don't want to enable this, but when I was a kid I once called 999 (in the UK) as a joke and let me tell you it was only once. My friends and I were there in the room watching films that we shouldn't and the uniformed and kitted-out Constables turned up and gave us an incredibly stern dressing-down about 30 minutes later. Luckily, I am in the UK where a bunch of 12 year olds who've just watched Scream calling the police about shadows doesn't result in something getting shot, but still - I think I learned something about actions and consequences that day.
- dylan604 1y agoWay back when, my toddler loved to play with the cordless phone, and just happened to be able to dial 911. a lot. We'd realize a connection was made but not who was on the other end and just hang up. Eventually, 911 called back inquiring why so many hang ups and if someone needed help. I was surprised they took our explanation without dispatching someone to follow up. Maybe that's different now as I know my city has a policy of all calls require a follow up even if it's hours to next day later when they know it's not an emergency
- gerdesj 1y agoWhat is bloody annoying is that you can't even test 999. When you set up a PBX it would be nice to know that it would work via the obvious way of actually calling it. Surely it would be possible to create a test version which gets terminated by a computer instead of hassling an operator - you could send DTMF codes or something similar to indicate a test. I suspect that there is a little more to your story. Probably that the fuzz had some spare capacity at the time and decided to do an educational exercise on you lot - which worked nicely. Nowadays you hear about all sorts of daft 999 calls - there is a TV programme about it. Now we are moving into the SOGEA era in the UK. That's where we have "glass" phone lines (FTTP) that don't supply power but have jolly fast internets. 2025 is the year that the copper network gets shut down, except that it wont be! Oh and we will all be using VOIP ie SIP n RTP. The final pretense of circuit switching will trot off into the sunset and be bundled behind a green tent and a single shot will be heard.
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- aaron695 1y ago[dead]
- ortusdux 1y agoI vaguely recall that there was a time when cellphone companies were required to provide free 911 access. People that only wanted a phone for emergencies were advised to get one and not pay for service because it could still dial 911.
- actionfromafar 1y agoI think that still is the case in Europe?
- floren 1y agoIt's still the case in the US, pop your SIM out and note it'll still say "Emergency calls only" on your lock screen.
- spicybright 1y agoIt's still the case now for sure on cell networks that are still active that your phone can reach. At least in the US.
- timcederman 1y agoHas been true for as long as I've had a cell phone (coming up to 30 years).
- emrehan 1y agoFCC has rules for calling 911, and many state statutes reinforce or extend FCC rules. Tin Can is probably not bound by these rules, but it looks like a phone and works like a phone. In an emergency where seconds matter, it better not fail anyone. Enabling 911 calls for all could not only save lives, but also save the company from lawsuits.
- mathiaspoint 1y agoI'm surprised they do 911 at all. My Canadian VoIP provider doesn't do it and my understanding is that it's relatively difficult to do.
- xpe 1y agoYes! I am not a lawyer, but I know many… In addition to steering clear of legal issues, demonstrating overall decency is the right thing to do. In terms of $, customers have already spent money on the company’s hardware devices.