911 dialing on a phone with no service

[Spacejet]

Hi all,

Does anyone know if telephone companies are required to provide the ability to dial 911 from a home phone even if one has no phone service?

[Billy Ruffian]

1. I'd check with your state's utilities commission

but for land line phones, I don't think so.

[mermaid]

2. I Don't think So On A Land Line. On A Cell, Yes. n/t

[xmas74]

3. Nope.

I dispatch and, at least in my state, they are not required to from a landline.
We have an organization here that donates used cells to people with medical problems. It can only call 9-1-1.

[Spacejet]

4. Hmmm

So any cell phone at all can dial 911 even if it has no service? If you call 911 from a cell phone, do they know where you are though?

[xmas74]

5. Cell phones are supposed to have 911 service

no matter what.
Some dispatch centers do have the capability to track the call. Some are lagging, but it is not the fault of the center (I could rant and rave about that all night).
One of the best services, IMHO, is SprintPCS. They have a 24 hour emergency service line for emergency services. They once traced a moving vehicle, with a suicidal subject and his young child, within an 1/8 of a mile.

[Spacejet]

7. Well basically

I don't have home phone service, but I want a way to call 911 just to be safe. I don't have a cell phone either.

So just to be sure - if I got a cell phone used off of ebay (that isn't damaged of course) for like $10, I could just keep it and call 911 from it if I needed to with out ever activating it? So a verizon one would be best I guess.

[xmas74]

8. I would get one of the prepaid ones instead.

You can get a cheap card and if you live in a smaller area, you can contact the dispatch and they will put all of your info on the CAD. Then, you can call regular line and everything will show up-no problem.
It's a little bit safer that way. Otherwise, it might come back as a trunk line on 911 (generic line showing a generic number-tips us off that it is a cell call).

[BiggJawn]

6. You gotta dial tone?

If not, you don't call anyone.

[lpbk2713]

10. With Verizon in many areas you can have DT on a non-working phone.

Say you move into a house or apartment. You plug your phone into the jack and get DT. That doesn't mean it is still working on the phone number of the last tenant that was there. If you start to dial a number you will get a recorded message telling you that this line is out of service. The only legitimate numbers you can call are 800 numbers that connect you to the Verizon business office so that you can place your order for new service. They could make it so that you could call 911 but it would be more trouble than it is worth. If the line is in an unoccupied house it would be too easy for pranksters to abuse it.

[REP]

13. I Think Verizon is Disabling Their QDTs Too

I know the rival LEC is, and since Verizon is in the same territory, might be doing it to for the same reasons (abuse and lack of facilities).

[BiggJawn]

17. I didn't know that.

I don't have Verizon. My phone company just cuts off everything. You pick up the phone, and it just hums.

But you can call the Verizon call center to order service? Incredible. That would make it easier to restore service, for sure...

[thatgemguy]

9. I'd check with the phone company

Within the last couple of weeks, here locally in eastern Ohio, a group of people got in some trouble with the law.

It seems they were sitting around getting drunk in a trailer and dialing 911 and hanging up on a land line phone that the service was disconnected with no dial tone.

The numerous hang up calls they made, went through to the 911 dispatch center. The sheriff's department was dispatched to investigate what the problem was.

Needless to say, the authorities were not thrilled.

If the phone line is still connected to the network, it may be possible for 911 calls to go through. I'd check with your phone company to make sure.

[alphafemale]

11. In GA here. And Yes I think.

As I recall...

You get a dial tone, even without service so long as phone lines are there - without service. But can only call 9-1-1 or the phone company to establish service.

All other #'s get you cut off and given a "Courtesy message" with a number of how to establish service.

You can call 9-1-1 free from a pay phone too.

[REP]

12. Not in MO, KS, TX, AR, OK, NV or CA

Probably not in any of the other states, but I know the tariffs for the states mentioned, and no, the phone company is not required to provide ANY service. In some localities, there may be a QDT on the line that will allow an outgoing callto either the local phone company or 911, but those are being disabled due to massive abuse and lack of facilities.

[fleabert]

14. here's what came up on google: 911 cell phone charity

http://www.emergencycellphones.com/


http://www.charitablerecycling.com/CR/faqs.asp

What happens to the phones that are donated to Charitable Recycling?

Many phones are donated to shelters for abused adults and children so they may have 911 (emergency only) communication. Charitable Recycling also provides cell phones to medical patients who are awaiting organ transplants. Also, some of the phones we receive are refurbished and redeployed in areas of the world where there are no land (wire) lines, or, where the cost of a new phone is prohibitive. Phones that cannot be refurbished or donated will be recycled and disposed of in an environmentally-responsible manner.

this one is $200.00!!!! Holy Crap!
http://www.charitablerecycling.com/CR/faqs.asp

one more, more diverse info...
http://www.thefrugallife.com/cell_phones.html

[fleabert]

15. sbc in CA has these options for low income qualifiers...

http://www02.sbc.com/Products_Services/Residential/1,,68--1-3-3,00.html

about 50% off the basic rate... around 6 bucks a month for really basic land line service.

that is the cheapest I could find for land line service in my area, not sure where you are or what the situation is... I can't look up other plans without giving them my email addy, sorry. I think there is a bare bones plan that only gives you 3-5 outgoing calls per day, but 911 calls don't count.

[REP]

16. ULTS Measured Rate (CA) = 60 Calls Per Month, .08 each Additional

The first sixty calls are included, and long distance calls do not count toward the 60 calls. After the first sixty calls, each additional call is ,08 each (not per minute).

ULTS is granted on basis of income only, not age or disability. A perfectly healthy person with a low income qualifies; but a disabled with an income 27K would not.