Is what AT&T told me true or not

as far as the landline/911 issue, in my town, the dispatchers aren't even in this town.

She didn't even know where my street was, how it was spelled, I had to repeat it 3 or 4 times (yes, I was calm and speaking clearly the first 3 times) and even then kept saying 'WHAAAAT?" 'Millmale ROAD??? WHAAAT' I asked her if she knew what town I was in, and then remembered that the town had 'outsourced' the dispatch job to a town one hour away, I believe. Good idea!
When I cancelled my landline, they used the same scenario. If our dispatch was in my town, I might have listened, and kept the basic '911 only line'.
On the other hand, I know plenty of folks who just have a cell. I cant afford TV and landline and cell. Use my cell more than landline.

Sherry in Maine

I don't know how long ago this happened but Maine has been 100% Enhanced 911 since sometime in 2008. You should not have to tell the dispatchers anything. Their SMART terminals should pop up with all pertinent info on the screen even if you say nothing. It is very common to have a dispatcher in another town. Also, If something happens, such as an extreme emergency and they are flooded with calls, they will overflow to another backup center. The system is not 100% but pretty close to it. I'm not trying to dispute what you said. Just thought you might want to check into it and see if they have it correctly in the system now if you still have the landline. I hope you never need it but it is nice to know that it is working correctly if you do need it.

Dave

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"The more you know, The less you need"

I have a landline phone, necessary for my DSL service. However, if the electric goes out, my phone will not work and requires electric to receive or to place calls. My cell phone (tower is 1/4 mile away...) always works, power or no.

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Be a fountain, not a drain!

^()^
http://tubbsfarmstead.com/

Your landline phone is run off of approx -50vdc supplied by the central office. If you have a corded phone that is hooked direct to the line (NOT through an answering machine, etc) it should work. Wireless phones or any phone that you plug into a wall will not. It is very nice to have a phone like this in case of extended power outages.

Yes a cell phone will work during a power outage but I was talking in terms of the original posting about being nice for 911.

Again, I am not trying to talk anyone into keeping their landline. I just know for me it is worth it.
Dave

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"The more you know, The less you need"

That is why I have a cheap Real Phone, so if no power I can go and plug in the Regular Phone, and you can get a cheap one for under 15 bucks. So not having any power is not an issue when it comes to home phones if you still have a land line. Even if you have cordless ones, as many do including me.
But having a older stye is just for insurance if no power.

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Oh my, dishes yet to wash and dry

See My Pictures at
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/0903/arabianknight/

I forgot to mention....

when I was injured on the farm, I called my husband with my cell phone, told him to come get me to go to the hospital and then hung up (I wasn't too clearheaded at that moment). He called 911 because he wasn't sure exactly what was going on. He gave them the 911 address and they still got lost.

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...to be a rock and not to roll...

I don't like cell phones. But that's beside the point.

Out here in the country, can they find your house with 911? Mapquest, my Garmin GPS, and other mappers cannot find my address. Either they don't find it, or they place it in the middle of my zip code area.

And we've had E911 for 5 years now, the upgraded one..... Had to change address, fire number, etc.

Now, if you do get hurt/ have emergency out in the country, where will you be? In the house looking out the wondow, or outside on the property out in the field, garden, woods?

The 'safety' question is which is more likely to happen: You can dial the 911 landline phone on the wall but won't be able to talk, so they can come save you;

Or you will have your cell phone on you and can call for help, and explain where you are located so help can find you?

In the 'safety' scare ATT is feeding you, which is the more likely?

I'd think the cell phone is infinently more safety available to you; and I still hate cell phones.

Here at the farm I'm out in a tractor in the field, working with cattle, or out in the shop working with big equipment. The 911 land line hanging on the wall is likely not 'safer' for me than a cell phone would be.


--->Paul

Skype doesn’t work with Hughes net.

There is a 2+ second delay for the satellite uplink and return.

Dave

DH looked through the booklet for our cell phone and it specifically said that you should not rely on it for emergencies. They don't have enhanced 911 with cell phones. It wouldn't be quick or easy to use cell towers to find you. What'd happen if your phone calls dropped.

If you're concerned about safety in the field you'd be best served to have a cell phone in the field and a land line inside.

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Moms don't look at things like normal people.
-----DD

I've called 911 when on the Interstate several times to get help for people with no problem. We have an AT&T cell phone.

well thanks Switchman, I appreciate the info- a year or more ago, if I remember correctly, they 'outsourced' the dispatching to another town. If it is supposed to 'know' where you are already, then that dispatch wasn't 'in the know'. I am very happy I didn't have a raging fire around my ears while I spoke repeatedly to someone who didn't know who/were I was. It was still stressful.
What's next? Sending it to Pakistan?

Keeping a landline will make you more secure than relying on WORKING cell systems today in an extended disaster emergency. Especially in the country, if even one cell tower fails, you could be SOOL.

I came off my horse a year and a half ago; don't remember the accident or any of that day up until the point that I woke up on the CAT scan table, screaming. Evidently, I called 911 with my cel phone at one point when I was lying on the road. The call went to a neighboring county, and the call cut off. That 911 dispatcher called my number back and got the message that's on the phone for my work, which identified the company that I work for, which was in the next county over. She called that county dispatcher, and he knew exactly who I was and where I lived; they had an ambulance and a helicopter headed my direction before even my husband knew something bad had happened.

Helps to live in a small town and have everyone know who you are...

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"Never underestimate the power of a really good horse sneeze..."

As soon as our area gets 4G we will be chucking our land line as we only have it for DSL. Speeds will be faster with Verizon 4G than our DSL and both dh and I are accustomed to carrying our cell phones all the time.

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Wags Ranch Nigerians


"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West

When we were with AT&T we got our DSL internet from them but didn't pay for a landline service. It cost us $25 a month, which is much cheaper than Hughes net and much faster. Now we live where AT&T doesn't cover, but we still use the local phone company for DSL. It costs us $40 a month and we do have a regular phone line but we have to pay per minute for any calls we make. Incoming calls are free though.

We've kept our land line because 1)our cell phones do no work at our home very well; company does not matter. We would have to get in our car and drive around 2) During a power outage the portable phones do NOT work.

Also, during an intense emergency such as 9/11 was, the cell phone lines were jammed and that's probably how most major emergencies would be.

We have a older phone I bought a few years ago so when the power goes out we plug it in and if the phone lines are up we can call out without power.

Well our 911 calls go to a town 20 mile or so away not the one 7 miles .I have yet to need them good thing in this area . I'll take my chances with out them .

We have pay as you go cell phones. We also have a child with medical issues and I was worried about 911 not being able to locate our house in an emergency. I called the non emergency police number and they had me call 911 to do a test, after telling the dispatcher what was happening. They were able to locate the street my house was on.

So my advice is to call your police station and see if they can help you.

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Blessings,
Jean