Our Rights to Safety Contingent on Consumer Participation
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.:: By Lori Lowling ::. l 03.26.05
It was shocking to realize, another tax-funded program, 911 emergency services is controlled by Corporate America. In my continual pursuit to cut spending within my own personal & business budgets, I had been debating the cost savings and feasibility of discontinuing all analog 'land line' phone services in lieu of additional cellular phone numbers, when I converted to broadband internet, a few years ago. Only recently, when a *Free Phones* offer (with a 2-year commitment) was extended to me after my cell service provider was swallowed by their competition, I took the bait and ran into the new bent I have with 911.
After the cellular phone lines were all in place, I called my analog phone service provider to place the disconnect order on my account. Of course it is the representative's job to retain me as a paying customer and he did his job well, giving me the 3rd degree, making sure I understood the benefits of continuing to maintain the line.
During his schpeel, (though not entirely true) he uttered a phrase I cannot get out of my mind. He said, "You don't get 911 service with the cell phone." I expressed that I was willing to continue paying the 911/ Disability Access Fee (.85¢), the Federal Subscriber Line Charge ($6.38), the Federal Universal Service Fee (.65¢), as well as the Federal Excise Tax and the bevy of other State & Local Taxes. I questioned why the option to do so was not available and declared that it seems like an infringement on my rights while beginning to question those worse off than I ... (We all deserve the right to buy just the emergency line regardless of reason.) I proceeded to terminate my account.
After the call, I immediately checked my cell phones emergency numbers list and found "911" and a few additional options as well. And, after showing my kids all the options and showing them how to dial the cell phone by pressing "yes", I felt the transition had been completed. A few days have gone by now and it's still bothering me ... I keep going through my mind how State & Federal emergency services / 911 a tax-funded government service (funded by our tax dollars) can only be utilized by maintaining a basic monthly service account (for an antiquated technology) through a private company. Huh???
I contacted local police department questioning the response time and discerning difference in protocol between dialing 911 via an analog /"land" line versus the dialing of 911 using a cellular service. It seems the difference is that a analog /"land" line will automatically patch the call directly to your nearest police department, while the cell call will be responded to by the nearest state police barracks who dispatch to your local department. The office I spoke with referred me to the state police to uncover possible time comparison figures for cell vs. analog 911 response delay.
I immediately programmed my local police emergency number into the phone book of my cell phones. And prepared the following letter:
Dear Senator John Kerry,
I have come upon a question of public concern, a breech in basic homeland security, taxpayers access to services being used to leverage continued sales of private sector services.
It is unsafe and sometimes life-threatening to be without an operable phone. Many states cannot turn off gas or power during winter months (because it is "unsafe") yet, disconnecting an emergency line of communication (and holding hostage our tax funded programs in trade for an open account to antiquated technologies from private sector companies) is legal?
I believe it is the right of all Americans to feel safe in their own homes, to have immediate access to local police departments by dialing 911 (or pressing the button of any device designed to patch the call). The self-employed ("underemployed" and ineligible for most government aid programs), elderly, working-poor, indigent and their children / dependents have the right to contact 911! Not-to-mention tax-paying poor, in very rural areas, without the funds to pay the minimum costs for phone service or urban neighborhoods (with an ever-changing distance to an operable pay phone) where phone service providers refuse to replace pay phones damaged by vandalism.
What is the actual time for emergency services to reach victims living in such aforementioned situations compared to people with active analog lines? Wouldn't crime decrease if anyone could call 911 from a safe location? How much does this cost our communities in social programs on the other end?
I believe it is my right to demand my analog telephone line remain active and able to dial 911 should emergency services (funded with tax dollars) be required even though I no longer wish to buy a monthly service plan through my local analog telephone provider (a private sector company with it's least expensive analog telephone service plan called "Measured Service" totaling approximately $33.00 monthly / $396.00 annually (after taxes and surcharges). I am willing to pay the monthly surcharges and taxes and public pay phone rates (.35¢ per local call) for any local calls placed from said line.
Also, I implore you to seek remedy to cell phone emergency dispatch through state police barracks, causing obvious delay when immediate help is needed. Please seek FCC policy reform holding cell phone providers accountable for direct dispatch to nearest local police departments and not state police barracks.
I look forward to your response to these issues.
Sincerely,
Loraine Lowling
The current status quo is unjust and unsafe. Raising the all-to-familiar question of which citizens this government is willing to protect. Just who decides who deserves to be safe?
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