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July 07, 2005
A Better Emergency Response:
With London in disarray today, it is crucial that we look to see how we might develop advanced emergency response capabilities. Our condolences go out to the victims and their families.
I have heard from a friend that she has been using Skype, Instant Messaging, and email to check in with her friends, because none of them can get through on their mobile phones (because the networks are overloaded and most people are not near land lines as they were en route to work).
It is essential for us to educate government to the possibilities of IP technology -- IP-based communications providers (along with Wi-Fi and other wireless technology providers) can improve the public welfare through by deploying cutting-edge IP-based applications and more ubiquitous wireless access). VoIP, by its very nature, should dramatically improve the emergency response capabilities of communications devices, and social policy should not serve to cut off the advanced capabilities that IP technology would afford. IP technology empowers a user to take her service anywhere without having to check with the application provider to verify that the application provider has an arrangement to reach the specific local emergency response center.
The added nomadic capability and other valuable features of a VoIP and Wi-Fi-enabled PDA will improve emergency response. Such a PDA could be an invaluable aid during a crisis, particularly where no other wireline devices are within reach to contact emergency responders.
During the tragedy at the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001, emergency response lines were overrun with incoming calls. What if citizens had PDAs with alternative features, functionalities and capabilities that could have allowed them another means to reach emergency responders, or simply friends or family, via text, SMS, IM, IP voice, or even IP video. Shouldn't these functions be encouraged even if the PDA with inbound and outbound voice-enabled software applications cannot offer the user the ability to reach the every local PSAP in the country?
I understand that Open Park is attempting (but beset by bureaucratic intransigence) to install Wi-Fi hotspots across the Mall in Washington, DC. Imagine how dramatically we could enhance our ability to handle an emergency situation if we could avail ourselves of such public broadband access points. Last month, Congress and many other Federal offices were evacuated because a small plane strayed off course and into DC airspace. Tens of thousands of government employees fled for the Mall. In a real crisis, 911 lines would again be overrun, as would mobile connections. If, God forbid, this were a real emergency (like we see in London today), wouldn't it be great if we had another option - a broadband, IP-enabled public hotspot on the Mall that would allow citizens to avail themselves of the IP technology and the public Internet to obtain and transmit essential information? Frankly, wouldn't it have been great for panicked citizens to have been able to use such a public hotspot to verify that this was or was not a real emergency?
The Global IP Alliance is trying to promote such advanced, next-generation, IP-enabled emergency response solutions. We seek cooperation with providers, vendors, engineers, emergency responders and government to realize this vision.
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Posted by jeff on July 7, 2005 09:52 AM | Permalink
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Posted by: SNL DVD <a href=http://www.saturdaynightlivedvd.com/ SNL DVD at January 22, 2006 11:38 PM
Jeff,
I agree with you wholeheartedly. However, for this to happen we must first change the poor image of VoIP in the area of quality and reliability. This is evident from the popularity of VoIP troubleshooting sites such as www.testyourvoip.com with more than 12 million hits over the past 10 months. I can also attest to this based on my personal experience. I have used VoIP as my primary residential line for the past year through a prominent VoIP provider and have become accustomed to weekly outages.
The problem is the lack of attention by VoIP service providers to quality and reliability of their service while focusing on acquiring more customers. Until VoIP service providers take the quality and reliability issues seriously we will not be there.
Regards,
Kaynam
Posted by: Kaynam Hedayat at July 8, 2005 10:05 AM
I agree with you completely, Jeff.
Last summer in Central Florida we were hit by 3 hurricanes. Each time, the phone lines were the first thing to go down. Next was power. The only thing that kept my communication to the outside world was my buried cable line Internet connection and batteries. By using IM and FWD and Vonage, I was able to serve as a communication center for my whole neighborhood so they could call their friends and family and let them know we were ok.
Here's to hoping that Hurricane Dennis fizzles before hitting Florida again!
Posted by: John Higgins at July 8, 2005 02:57 AM
Daughter Katy was able to wake us up with news that she was OK in London before we had even heard of the despicable attack. This worked because she only had to make a local connection to the Vonage number we have there and the call then transited the Internet to us here in the US.
On 9/11 we didn't find out that New York daughter Kelly was safe until we got her email because the landline and cell networks were overloaded.
With its recent orders, the FCC is discouraging the shift of voice to the more terrorist-rtesistant Internet. More rant on my blog at http://blog.tomevslin.com/2005/07/call_from_londo.html
Tom
Posted by: Tom Evslin at July 7, 2005 01:38 PM
Jeff, I can chime in and say that I used IM to contact all of my London people this morning to assure that they were alright. The cellphone networks in the UK were not only overloaded, though, but they also chose to free up significant parts of their systems to aid the rescue and recovery effort (a great example of quick thinking/action on the part of telecommunications service providers).
Stay safe, bud.
Posted by: KČ at July 7, 2005 10:51 AM