[79241] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: Vonage Hits ISP Resistance
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Bill Nash)
Fri Apr 1 12:25:09 2005
Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2005 09:28:01 -0800 (PST)
From: Bill Nash <billn@billn.net>
To: Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org>
Cc: Michael.Dillon@radianz.com,
North American Noise and Off-topic Gripes <nanog@merit.edu>
In-Reply-To: <012901c536dd$45ac76d0$6601a8c0@stephen>
Errors-To: owner-nanog@merit.edu
On Fri, 1 Apr 2005, Stephen Sprunk wrote:
> I understand the woes of mixing 911 and VoIP myself, although I'm not a
> Vonage user. The VoIP phone on my desk connects 911 calls to the Vancouver,
> BC, PSAP (since it's off a PBX at work), but I also know the direct-dial
> number for the local Dallas, TX, PSAP -- the emergency line, not the
> "administrative" line that Vonage uses -- and if I bothered, I could easily
> set the PBX to reroute 911 there instead. Location information is tougher,
> but I have to tell the operator my location on a cell phone too, so it's not
> a deal-killer.
It kinda makes you wonder how people contacted the police in the
early 80s, completely discounting that people had even conceived of the
notion of 'emergency' before the 70s.
When I was a kid, I was made to memorize my home address, my phone
number, an emergency contact number, and the local police number. 911,
while a great idea, is a classic example of the desire to let technology
replace basic common sense.
I don't mean to get off on a rant here..
- billn
