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I remember reading some stats on the Telstra phone boxes, they help a lot of people in need. A ton of calls go to emergency services, government services, etc.
by HDBaseT 5mo ago
I remember reading some stats on the Telstra phone boxes, they help a lot of people in need. A ton of calls go to emergency services, government services, etc.
I would be keen to know the total cost to run and maintain everything. There is a ton of boxes still around.
- askvictor 5mo agoThe costs are offset by the fact of the boxes providing free advertising for Telstra. That's the main reason they keep them operational.
- xattt 5mo ago> A ton of calls go to emergency services, government services, etc. Is it common for providers to charge for emergency service access? I thought this was a given.
- dwattttt 5mo agoI believe emergency services calls are free. The cost being talked about is the maintenance cost to the provider.
- toast0 5mo agoMy voip line has a charge for (e)911. I can pay $1.50 per month or $75 per call. Since my local police department has no direct dial number, non-emergency calls are routed through 911; that's pretty unusual, but I don't want to pay $75 to call police non-emergency, so I pay the $1.50. I've never seen emergency calling broken out on my bill from an ILEC though.
- saltmate 5mo agoHow often do you have to call the police?
- Computer0 5mo agoI call 911 about every 6 months for non-occupational related incidents. Usually random arson incidents I come across (?), watching drunk people drive through folks mailboxes and get stuck in ditches, and medical events.
- CalRobert 5mo agoI could imagine paying the $1.50 because in an emergency I don't want to be second-guessing whether it's worth $75 to call the cops.
- toast0 5mo agoHad to do it several times to talk to a detective about an identity theft case. (Which ultimately went nowhere... local PD was interested, Oakland, CA PD where an apartment was rented with my information doesn't care; federal agencies only seem to care for statistical purposes) Also have had to make a few calls to the fire department, 911 is more convenient, but I could find another number if I was going to pay $75.
- kotaKat 5mo ago> Since my local police department has no direct dial number There should be a local PSAP ("public safety answering point") forwarding number available somewhere. Your E911 provider will have that information buried deep within itself, since it has to know where to physically route your call. Have you tried reaching out higher up to say your local sheriffs office to see if you can get the local PSAP number? I'm kinda annoyed NENA keeps this gatekept slightly. https://www.nena.org/page/PSAP_Registry_home https://www.nena.org/page/PSAP_Registry_home
- toast0 5mo agoI have the PSAP for the county 911 dispatcher, because it was publicized when CenturyLink had broken 911. Which I guess I could use to save $1.50/month. But i still have to ask the 911 dispatcher to transfer me to the PD.
- xattt 5mo agoInteresting. In my area, the dispatchers are not unified either. There is an initial “greeter” who then forwards you to the relevant department.