Cell Phone Firms Pressed For Call Tracking Features
A newspaper in Alaska is taking up the issue of getting carriers to offer E911 ability so that police can determine where mobile callers are located. They list the typical list of situations where it would have been useful. However, this article has one other interesting twist. Apparently, if local law enforcements officially request E911 tracking systems be put in place, carriers have only 6 months to comply. One police station "triggered the clock" last week, and all of the local carriers are complaining. They want more time, and they want a special tax to be added in order to afford this. Now, I can see how giving them six months isn't enough time - but they've known this was coming for some time, and have really had years to prepare. At the same time, there's plenty of evidence that all the various E911 "taxes" done in other states never actually gets used for E911 projects. I have no idea if these carriers squandered their money, but there's no reason not to ask for a more detailed explanation of why they can't get things done in time.
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