9-11 still available on canceled landline!

[LisaR]

As the OP of this thread, I feel that I need to put up a huge disclaimer.

I am NOT advocating anyone cancel their land line service because they will be guaranteed 9-11 service.

I did not cancel mine with that hope. I have Magic Jack which has 9-11 capabilities and we also have 3 cell phones. I am 100% comfortable with those options for my family.

I was just very surprised when I discovered that my canceled land line was still capable of getting 9-11. I always hear people say they do not want to cancel their land land and rely only on cell phones because they will lose 9-11. Apparently some areas still offer this option so you should check into it if you are interested. If my land land phone loses that option tomorrow, I am still comfortable with our other options. If you can't say that same, don't do it.

 

[Imzadi]

The thing that really scares me in reading this thread, is the fact that even if you do have 911 service now on your disconnected land line you don't know how long that will be availble and you won't get any warning when or if it's disconnected.

I didn't think I had 911 service till a few hours ago. My landline has been shut off since Dec. It obviously didn't concern me all this time. I have two cell phones and all of NYC right outside my window and doormen downstairs I can yell to for help if I need to. Also, have a heck of a lot of neighbors who can call for help, too, or come over. I'm close to two neighborhood police precints. If lose 911 service tomorrow, no biggie. It's just nice having it, while I have it. But no, I don't depend on it.

 

[mkaccountant]

Great to know, thanks for posting! When I canceled our Verizon, the customer service lady told me that the line would be completely dead and cell phones were not reliable for dispatchers to pinpoint your location in case of an emergency. She was very doom and gloom. I told her I would risk it; I was tired of paying way too much for something we never used.

 

[Imzadi]

Yeah, I keep reading from a lot of doomsayers how I might need the landline for 911 emergencies in which I can't speak or shout out, & 911 can trace the call, I figured, that technology was only developed in the last several years. For the past 4000 years man has been on the planet, we haven't had that ability. Humankind hasn't been on the decline, we have thrived for several millenia without it.

It is a nice convenience to have, but to just believe the phone companies' fearmongering advertising (& those Lifeline Alert ads targeting seniors,) without really examining the true odds of having an emergency in which an average person is actually near the landline phone, can dial 911, but not talk into the phone to give an address, are not very high - unless you are/have elderly or are diabetic and prone to passing out.

Otherwise, people would have to be tethered to their landline phones at their sides. They couldn't go out in their yards, too far from the handset station, & God forbid, they decide to take a walk out in the country with not even cell phone service, in case they fall & can't get up. Truly, people have to individually accurately access the real chances they will be in such danger that we have to have that 911 tracing service (that didn't didn't exist years ago,) hooked up at home.

 

[Green Tea]

I feel like the only family in America that actually uses the landline. I don't have that many minutes on my cell phone. And usually people dial the house phone to find me.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Just a PSA reminder from your friendly neighborhood former 911 dispatcher:

Just because you can dial 911 and it will connect does NOT automatically mean it's E-911 (enhanced). So it might connect, but might not come up with your address and call back #. And even if you DO have a traditional landline and your area has E-911 it might not always be working properly.

So at EVERY phone post your address and phone #. You never know who will have to call (grandma, one of the kids, a sitter, your neighbor) and you will want them to be able to give the dispatcher an accurate address and call back #.

Hope you never need it though!

 

[disbridemimi]

I feel like the only family in America that actually uses the landline. I don't have that many minutes on my cell phone. And usually people dial the house phone to find me.

I use mine! Much better quality then my cell, and nothing worse than dropped calls or bad connection when talking to my friends across teh country.

Not only do I use my landline for regular calls, But I have had to call 911 in an emergency and thank god everyday that I had it. I had someone climb in my window at 3am, and let me tell you no way I would have been able to "find" my cellphone while hiding from someone in the house. or walk around trying to get a good signal if I had found it.

 

[hockeyprincess]

Did not read the entire thread but here's the scoop on 911:

If you have DISCONNECTED the phone service from your home phone, there is NO DIAL TONE on the phone, you DO NOT have ability to call 911 no matter what from that line.

If you have dial tone but can't place outbound calls, you should have the ability to dial 911 if needed. It's called Soft Dial Tone and is typically used in situations where the end user has been disconnected (suspended) for non-payment of the bill. The Federal Law states the phone company HAS to allow and provide soft dial tone for 911 purposes only if the end user is suspended for non-pay.

If you have requested to "Disconnect" your line completely and are no longer paying any type of bill to the phone company, the phone company will not provide Soft dial tone or 911 access and they are NOT REQUIRED to.

And believe me, they are not going to give anything they don't have to. I would not rely on this soft dial tone at all, I would make sure you're able to dial 911 from whatever phone you are using as a main line into your home.

Wonder where I work? You guessed it......

 

[lnh'smom]

Just a little side note also: DSIL has an emergency button on her cell phone. She always "locks" her phone in case her DD16months gets ahold of it. Well, that "lock" doesn't work on the emergency button. So yup, a few weeks ago DSIL's phone rang and she took it away from her daughter who began screaming and yes, it was a 911 dispatcher. DN had called 911. DSIL tried to explain what happened and DN is screaming in the background. The police came and everything. DSIL was so embarrassed. Now she makes she DN can't ever get her phone!

 

[Imzadi]

If you have requested to "Disconnect" your line completely and are no longer paying any type of bill to the phone company, the phone company will not provide Soft dial tone or 911 access and they are NOT REQUIRED to.

And believe me, they are not going to give anything they don't have to.

Okay, what about in my situation? I have Dry Loop DSL service, no landline. The phone company also calls it a data only line, still uses my landline to send the DSL through. They use the exact same phone number to identify my account, the phone line & wiring in the building. I DO pay $24.99 for the DSL. When people call in they hear a recording that my phone has been temporarily disconnected. As I stated earlier, I have no dial tone but when I dialed a digit, the recording came up saying I can't make calls but DO have 911 service.

I just think, as I stated in my first post, it's different in different areas and regions, and depends on the phone company servicing people. I don't expect the same service in metro NYC to be the same as in OH. I certainly wasn't and don't expect 911 service. It really doesn't matter to me if I'm connected or not.

 

[QT Pooh]

It is a nice convenience to have, but to just believe the phone companies' fearmongering advertising (& those Lifeline Alert ads targeting seniors,) without really examining the true odds of having an emergency in which an average person is actually near the landline phone, can dial 911, but not talk into the phone to give an address, are not very high - unless you are/have elderly or are diabetic and prone to passing out.

Or unless someone breaks into your house and you want to alert the police without alerting the housebreakers to where you are in the house.

 

[QT Pooh]

There are certain states that have a Do Not Disconnect (DND) Policy that allows customers a soft dial tone to do two things...1) to use for emergencies and 2) to call the local phone company to reconnect their service. Not all states have this DND Policy (I think more don't than do) and if you live in one of those states that does not have this policy, you will not have 911 through a disconnected land line.

 

[Muffin]

There are certain states that have a Do Not Disconnect (DND) Policy that allows customers a soft dial tone to do two things...1) to use for emergencies and 2) to call the local phone company to reconnect their service. Not all states have this DND Policy (I think more don't than do) and if you live in one of those states that does not have this policy, you will not have 911 through a disconnected land line.

How do you find out if a certain state has this policy?

 

[QT Pooh]

How do you find out if a certain state has this policy?

Easiest thing to do would be to call your local telephone company and ask them if you would have access to 911 if you had to disconnect your service for some reason. I'm not sure there is a master list...the FCC regulates 911; however the states regulate their local telephone companies. The information *might* be available on your state's public utility commission's website.

 

[Muffin]

QT Pooh,

Thanks for the input. I did look at the FCC website, but couldn't find anything there. I didn't think of the state's public utility comm, so I'm going there now.