Verizon moves toward 911 texting

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski praised Verizon Wireless for selecting a vendor to help deploy its first-in-the-nation implementation of its "text-to-911" service.

The service will allow wireless phone users to contact Public Safety Answering Points, or 911 call centers, using text messages. It could be of particular use to deaf and hard of hearing consumers, who have been shown to be rapid adopters of smartphones for their text-messaging capabilities. “Verizon is at the forefront of 911 public-safety innovations, and today’s announcement is another step in making SMS-to-911 service available to those who cannot make a voice call to 911,” said Marjorie Hsu, Verizon Wireless vice president of technology. FCC spokesperson Tammy Sun said Chairman Genachowski "commended the company for offering consumers another way to reach 911 that is consistent with how millions of consumers already use mobile devices in their daily lives."