Is what AT&T told me true or not

I worked as a 911 operator and what they are saying is true.

That being said . . . I dumped my landline years ago.

I recently had to get one again since I live in rural Alaska and it was the only way for me to get DSL, but if it weren't for that . . . No landline here.

Nikki

It depends on what system your 911 center, how many towers are in your area and which cell phone your using. Your basic cheap phone can triangulate you to within 1000ft or so, but little more. Even with a GPS equipped phone they can get closer but may not be able to pick a specific house out and if your 911 center doesnt have they enhanced 911 system they may have no cell data at all.

If your cell phone is dedicated to your home you can often register your cell number with the 911 center so it always points to your home. only issue is if you take it away from you home any 911 call with return the wrong info.

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Gary in Central Ohio

A couple of years ago a hunter south of here became lost. He finally called 911 and they were able to triangulate his location through several towers. Rescue helicopter found a clearing nearby and vectored him to it.

I'd hate to bet my LIFE on the accuracy of Mapquest.

According to them, I live over a mile from where my house REALLY is

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

There are cell phones of various quality on reception. One of my sisters & BILs live in a hollow on the other side of a ridge from me. Have Vontage (sp?). They get very poor reception on cell phone there. Better in winter with no leaves on trees, but not much better during summer. They arranged for a Vontage engineer to come and run tests. He said, yup, your service is going to be poor out here. When out of reception range their cell phone will only take messages. For transmitting they go to the top of the hill on a highway or in to a cafe in town which has enhanced transmission.

At my place they get good reception. However, I'm wearing a 24/7 heart monitor for a couple of weeks. Terminals and a sensor on body, which transmits to a monitor which then transmits to a satellite to the company's location. I can't transmit where I am, even outside the trailer. However, when I go to town I get three bars. Thus, every other day or so I need to take the monitor to town for downloading. That's OK. I go in to town at least twice a week to buy lottery tickets.

911 is basically why Post Office routes were changed to a specific street/road address. For my sister's place they gave them an odd number, even though they live on the even side of the road. 1509 should be either 1508 or 1510. Across from them is what is now a pasture with a house falling down.

AT&T charges us for 911 service, and we don't have 911! They tell us that someone else is to blame. They have for a couple of years now. They say that the Cherokee Nation and the County are responsible and have not finished the job. We don't have any addresses that are physical in nature. RR only. There has been some road signs put in place, but no addresses. Not sure they can or should be charging use, but are and will continue. I do have cell phones and would drop AT&T, even though I have AT&T cell. Cell will not work at my location in the house. Metal roof on my house. Tower about 3 miles away. We started having to call using an area code and while trying to call a # I did get a 911 location in another county about 35 or 40 miles from me. She said we had been getting lots of calls. I asked if she could see me, she said yes, and said the town, but I live a good distance from the little town in the country. Would like to have something else if I could get service. Seem there is nothing perfect, that is the way we want it to work.

I've got Hughesnet and it does not do well with VOIP, certain times of the day are very congested and it slows way down. So you can have a lot of lag in the voice transmission.

Where we live, we rarely get cell phone reception, no matter what cell phone company; but a new tower is just about done closer near here that should solve that problem - hopefully.

We've thought about satellite, but I'm confused. Don't you still need a landline anyway? It also seems satellite is so expensive, so doesn't a landline + DSL work out cheaper? I'm also worried about whether internet service will be as fast. I keep wondering how you know how it will all work out before making the switch because, making the switch and going back, is bundle!

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"Challenges are what make life interesting -- overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

The county I live in has the E-911 service. Last year, I overheard on my scanner, the sheriff was looking for a run away youth whom they contacted on his cell phone. They traced the cell phone to a certain road and had the deputy drive down the road and when he was near the house where the caller was had the deputy stop and they went in the house and got the run away youth.

Bill

I have Dish sat. where I live. I don't need a landline for it to work. Sometimes the serviceI get with it is barely better then the dialup I had. Their to my problem when I call and complain is that I need to upgrade. They offer 3 levels of service and I have the cheapest. I ask them why would I pay your more money when you can't give me what I'm paying for now? We pay extra on our cell phone bills for the local areas to upgrade 911, but most haven't used it for that. I would like to know where it is going.

Was this really necessary? What does this have to do with the OP's question?

Sally, I was basicly telling OP to beware because the companies are tricksters, and then I was trying to support my oppinion by relating another example of how these companies try to scare and trick people into spending money. I was adressing the overall unethical and immoral character of modern day corperations. Is my language a little stronge, maybe, but you know after years of having slick telimarketeers calling my house night and day and having salesmen and companies trying to manipulate every last penny from me, I feel I have the right to be a little angry.

Sorry if this offends you.
I do feel that underhandedness, and deceit are sins that will lead us to suffer in hell when we die if we do not repent and change our way of living.
I am sure a lot of Americans can relate to my frustration with global corperations.

nope!!!

probably true, contact your local 911 service

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Brenda Groth
http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/

Nope you don't. My Hugesnet was hooked up a couple of days before our landline was put in. They are totally unrelated to each other.

We haven't had a landline in so many years I can't remember what its like to have one. Our neighbors still have one, doesn't work when the power goes out because they can't find their 'old time' rotory dial phone to plug in.

We've been thinking about getting a CB radio setup (with battery backup)

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"At The Worlds Beginning There Was A Mother"
~ Chinese Tao Te Ching~

And GPS which is what cell phones locate you with are not always accurate.
If people put my address in there GPS device it has me 9 miles from where I am. have been told that by several people now in the past years. So don't just go on the premise that GPS will find you in a emergency.
I will always have a land line for emergency use, and for emergency calls coming in.
My folks are in their 80's and Yes I could have Magic Jack which I did for awhile but didn't like the delay at all. But then your computer HAS to be on to receive incoming calls live. And I am not sure if I would wake up if the cell phone was ringing, and then you always have to make sure that is charged etc. I have a cell and take it with me when I drive, but when I am working outside etc. I bring the land line phone out with me. This going without a land line is fine for "The middle aged" folks but as you get older maybe health is going down hill some, and your parents get older I sure would want a GOOD reliable phone service. There is way more reasons to think "outside of the box" then just think yourself in certain cases.

And in my case if I drop my land line service then my DSL service goes up by quite a bit a month. LOL So it is not much of a savings at all if any.

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Oh my, dishes yet to wash and dry

See My Pictures at
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"Good reliable phone service!!!!"

HA there is no such thing in my area!!! We had landline until last year. BUT the service line goes miles across a cow pasture. Whenever it rains and the farmer puts his cows on that pasture they break the line!! LOL The phone goes out. THis has happen many times over 15 years. Last year after waiting 3 weeks for the service to be repaired and the phone company said it would be at least another 2 weeks, we cancelled the land land.
We only get Sprint service in our area, and it is not very good as it is. But if you go out on the balcony you can hear pretty well without cutting out too much.
911??? Well it just isnt going to happen where we are...

Alice in Virginia

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There is nothing any worse than an angry little old lady, they've had a lifetime to learn all the dirty tricks and people get upset if you hit them!

GPS is always accurate. Maps aren't. Your problem isn't GPS, but pathetic map databases that think your address is at a different latitude/longitude than it really is. Your friends need to update (or upgrade) their inaccurate GPS devices.

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The garden's getting bigger this year. Again.

No I am going to leave it just as it is. Then I am not bothered by anybody i don't want to have come around. And if somebody does want to use there GPS unit I tell them Don't, and tell then how to get to my place Over The Phone Just like we did a few years ago without these confounded gadgets in every car.

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Oh my, dishes yet to wash and dry

See My Pictures at
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