[EAS] Reverse 911 problems

[Tom]

Weeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll..........................


Barry Mishkind wrote:
> http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/01/one_third_of_fairport_harbor_e.html
> Over 1/3 of the calls never connected. 
>   

And of the number that did connect, how many were actually home?

> The article seems to suggest part of the problem is people on cell phones.
>
> "These systems rely on published phone listings ... "
>
> In addition to the cell phones, how many people do you know today that
> will NOT answer a phone from a number they don't know - nor listen to
> any recorded message?  
>   

Me.  That's part of the attraction, in fact,  And if I were to have a 
landline phone,* it *wouldn't be in the directory, either - when I did 
have one, the number was non-published, not just unlisted - not in 
anything other than Ma Bell's switching and billing computer, and 
unavailable to anyone without a court order... unless I called you, and 
you had Caller ID, because I normally didn't block it.

> The end of the article refers to a smarter response: sending a text message
> to the local cell sites in an impacted area. The local EM guy says "could be
> years away."   The FCC says "next year."
>   

The local EM guy is closer - as in, "never"... because not all customers 
have text capability, nor do they want it... like me.  I don't text; 
speech is faster in any case.

And if the phone is off, or the battery's dead, the text message will 
sit in the buffer somewhere...

If the subscriber is in a noisy environment, and doesn't hear the alert 
that he has a text message...

Or if, like me, there _/* is */_  no alert for receiving a text message, 
because that feature is disabled.  (AT&T sends directory assistance data 
to a subscriber - no "extra" charge -  as a text message.  I found that 
out about a week after using 411.  A.  *Week.* / /*/After./  *The 
message was sent to my phone.  No alert tone set for incoming text 
messages - nor for voicemail, either, actually.)


> The last I recall, the story was the cell companies could do it, but don't
> want to do it.
And it wouldn't be all that effective if they did... see above.

-- 
Tom Spencer
PG-18-25453 (nee' P1-18-48841)
http://radioxtz.com/
"If you keep on dancin, and dancin, and dancin...
They're gonna turn the music back ON!" - D. Dragon AKA The Captain