There are times when texting on a cellphone can be dangerous — the most obvious being when the person doing the texting is sitting behind the wheel of a moving vehicle.
But there are also times when texting could be life-saving, such as when a person wants to alert authorities of an armed assailant without letting the assailant know it. Think of, for instance, a mass shooting in a school where children and teachers are huddled quietly in closets, hoping they won’t be found but still trying to summon help.
The problem, according to reporting by The Associated Press, is that in most parts of the country, texting a message to 911 is not available. The delay is not a lack of technology but rather a lack of funding.
Congress could speed up the deployment of text-to-911 service by mandating it. If it is going to do so, however, it should also put up the money to help it happen.
There are times when texting on a cellphone can be dangerous — the most obvious being when the person doing the texting is sitting behind the wheel of a moving vehicle.
But there are also times when texting could be life-saving, such as when a person wants to alert authorities of an armed assailant without letting the assailant know it. Think of, for instance, a mass shooting in a school where children and teachers are huddled quietly in closets, hoping they won’t be found but still trying to summon help.
The problem, according to reporting by The Associated Press, is that in most parts of the country, texting a message to 911 is not available. The delay is not a lack of technology but rather a lack of funding.
Congress could speed up the deployment of text-to-911 service by mandating it. If it is going to do so, however, it should also put up the money to help it happen.
