Several private programs allow cell phones to be donated to needy users such as domestic-violence victims, the elderly and the disabled. Those phones typically do not have service, but federal rules require wireless carriers to pass on 911 calls to dispatchers regardless of the phone's service status.
Carriers also manufacture and sell phones that can only dial 911.
Both types of phones cannot receive calls, which can pose a problem if the caller gets cut off from the emergency dispatcher.
At the request of public safety groups, the FCC studied the issue and determined that it is not yet technically possible to require carriers and phone manufacturers to provide callback numbers on the so-called non-initialized phones.
Instead, the FCC voted to require such phones to be programmed so that 123-456-7890 would show on dispatchers' screens as the telephone number. That would alert the dispatcher to quickly get information, knowing a call cannot be returned.
Non-initialized phones now also must carry labels advising the user that 911 operators cannot call back, and carriers must issue to each user a more detailed notice of the phone's limitations.
The action comes as the FCC's Enhanced 911 initiative continues to roll out, to be completed over the next several years. The system requires carriers to make sure emergency services can pinpoint the location of distressed callers on cell phones to within 300 yards, using either global positioning or networking.
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