August 11, 2011 08:58 pm EDT

FCC details plans to bring texting, photos and video to 911 service

The FCC started talking about its intention to allow for 911 texting (and even photos and videos) last year, and now Chairman Julius Genachowski is out with a detailed plan for a "next generation" 911 service. The standout feature of it is just that -- the ability to send a text, photo or video in the event of an emergency -- but that also brings with it a complete overhaul of the backend of the service, and a switch to an IP-based architecture from the current circuit-switched system. That, the FCC says, should also provide more flexibility and resiliency, and it has a number of other improvements in mind as well, including increased accessibility for people with disabilities, and new measures to improve the accuracy of location gathering (including new rules for wireless carriers). Of course, it all still is just a plan at the moment, but the agency says it will consider a move to accelerate adoption of the plan next month.

FCC details plans to bring texting, photos and video to 911 service originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original Link: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/11/fcc-details-plans-to-bring-texting-photos-and-video-to-911-serv/

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