By law, disregarded mobile phones must still provide 9-1-1 assistance. The twenty year old rule was designed to ensure that all people regardless of financial circumstances have access to emergency assistance. The theory is good until 9-1-1 operators find themselves overwhelmed by crank calls that inhibit emergency responses. Although 9-1-1 has the ability to track calls to a certain degree, it is simply impossible to pinpoint every call particularly if that individual does not want to be tracked. With phone carriers reluctant to help narrow the field, federal regulators are left with no choice but to consider changing the regulation.
Law officials argue the change is necessary to free emergency response teams despite the need to help people with disabilities. Regardless of how an individual feels about the issue, the bottom line is that these crank calls cost billions of dollars annually. If 9-1-1 is to continue at the same level of operation, ultimately the benefits we gain from providing greater accessibility may be too high of a cost for the program to remain solvent.
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