Top US wireless carriers agree to speed up launch of text-to-911 service

By Jennifer Martinez - 12/07/12 11:57 AM ET

The four largest wireless carriers in the United States have agreed to speed up their deployment of a text-to-911 service, which will allow people to send emergency text messages to local 911 call centers, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski announced on Thursday.

Genachowski said AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile are expected to roll out the text-to-911 service in 2013 and the carriers have committed to making the service available nationwide by May 2014. The agreement will ensure that more than 90 percent of U.S. wireless subscribers will be able to connect with emergency services by sending a text message to 911, and local 911 call centers will be equipped to receive the texts, according to the FCC.

“Access to 911 must catch up with how consumers communicate in the 21st century – and today, we are one step closer towards that vital goal," Genachowski said in a statement.

"Last year I announced a comprehensive plan to accelerate the transition to Next Generation 911, including text-to-911, and the FCC has acted to advance this effort," the chairman said. “I also called on the communications industry and public safety entities to work together to enable nationwide text-to-911 as quickly as possible, and I am pleased that the nation’s four largest wireless carriers and leading public safety organizations have responded with today’s commitment, which will save lives starting in 2013."

The text-to-911 capability will provide another way for people to contact emergency services if they are in a situation where a voice call could jeopardize their safety, and also help people with hearing or speech disabilities who may not be able to make a emergency voice call, the FCC said.

The four carriers have also agreed to implement an automatic "bounce back" text message that will tell subscribers if their text did not reach 911 because the emergency text service has not been rolled out to their area yet. The carriers will implement this message by June 30, 2013.

Next week the FCC will consider other ways to roll out the text-to-911 function for all subscribers, and Genachowski vowed that the commission will continue to advance its work in this area.

"We will also take additional steps in this area next year, including closely monitoring carriers’ compliance with the commitments they have made today and addressing other aspects of Next Generation 911 such as enabling transmission of photos and videos to 9-1-1 centers," Genachowski said. "We are also working to strengthen the resiliency and reliability of the existing 911 system, where significant deficiencies were revealed by this summer’s Derecho.”