https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • IWCE 2022 Winter Showcase
    • IWCE 2023 Pre-event Guide
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • Commentary
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • All Things IWCE
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • IWCE
    • Conference
    • Special Events
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Premier Partners
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Register for IWCE
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookie Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • TU-Auto
  • In the field
    • Back
    • In the field
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Internet of Things
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Call Center/Command
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Network Tech
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Operations
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Regulations
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • Organizations
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
Urgent Communications
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Omdia Crit Comms Circle Podcast
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • IWCE 2023 Pre-event Guide
    • IWCE 2022 Winter Showcase
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • All Things IWCE
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • UC eZines
    • Sponsored content
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • Conference
    • Why Attend
    • Exhibitor Listing
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Join the Event Mailing List
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • TU-Auto
  • newsletter
  • In the field
    • Back
    • Internet of Things
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Cybersecurity
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
acc.com

Commentary Newsletters


Sometimes you have to laugh, if only to keep from crying

Sometimes you have to laugh, if only to keep from crying

I never thought I would see the day that my pets would have a 911 system, much less one that, at first glance, appears to be as good as mine. I’m trying to decide whether I find such a thing amusing or absurd.
  • Written by Urgent Communications Administrator
  • 21st January 2010

You stumble upon the most interesting things when you’re online. Yesterday, I found a press release for the Pet Protector System, which is being billed as a 911 emergency system for dogs and cats. I immediately was intrigued, as I have one of each species under my roof, so I read the release and then jumped onto the company’s Web site.

For a mere 20 bucks per pet, per year — $100 annually for households with five or more critters — you will receive an ID tag for your pet that contains an identification that’s unique to the pet, plus a toll-free number that can be called 24/7 anywhere in the United States and Canada. Anyone who comes upon a lost or distressed pet can call the number and immediately will be connected to a live operator who, according to the company, will contact the pet’s owner. If the pet is injured, and the owner can’t be found right away, the operator will provide the caller with directions to the nearest vet and authorize emergency medical treatment.

I never thought I would see the day that my pets would have a 911 system. I’m trying to decide whether I find such a thing amusing or absurd.

If you don’t think these folks are going to be successful with this service, think again. There are more than 70 million domestic dogs and more than 80 million domestic cats in the U.S. Their owners spend tens of billions of dollars annually on pet care, which is one of the country’s few growth markets right now. People are going to sign up for this service, and this company is going to rake in the dough. Even 1% market penetration would generate roughly $30 million in registration fees each year.

I’ve been thinking about all of this in relation to the 911 service that we humans rely upon. The sector strikes me as being the red-headed stepchild of emergency response. That’s not how I see it. When I think of the 911 sector, a bicycle wheel immediately comes to mind, with 911 being the hub and the various elements of emergency response emanating from it as the spokes. Whatever happens in emergency response starts in the 911 center, which is analogous to the central nervous system.

I don’t think government officials at the federal and state levels see things in the same way. Lawmakers and policy-makers will tell you that they do, but actions speak louder than words. Congress largely has failed on its promise made five years ago to provide much-needed funding for public-safety answering point upgrades, only appropriating $43 million — or 3% — of the $1.25 billion it authorized. States still continue the practice of diverting money collected from commercial wireless subscribers to support the 911 system to other purposes. And no one in Congress seems able to understand that such practices not only degrade the 911 system, they also defraud the American public.

It all makes me wonder whether the time has come to consider privatizing the 911 sector. What if the commercial wireless carriers kept the money they collect from their customers for 911 instead of turning it over to the states? And what if they increased those fees as needed to generate the money required to operate and maintain a robust, next-generation 911 system? Isn’t it reasonable to think that entities such as Verizon and AT&T would be capable of effectively managing and operating the 911 system, if they were properly motivated, i.e., if they could turn a profit?

Perhaps it’s a crazy notion. The commercial wireless carriers likely wouldn’t want the headache, even if they could make a few bucks for their trouble. And public safety would fight, claw and fang, to avoid losing control of what is arguably the most important component of emergency response. But is the privatizing notion any crazier than thinking that federal officials one day will give the 911 sector the respect and support — e.g., money, and lots of it — that it so richly deserves and needs? Based on historical evidence, both notions seem equally unlikely.

What do you think? Tell us in the comment box below.

Tags: Commentary Newsletters Policy & Law Commentary

Most Recent


  • Updated: How 'sidelink' peer-to-peer communications can enhance public-safety operations
    Editor’s note: A previous version of this column was posted that included only the first portion of the article—a mistake by the editor. IWCE’s Urgent Communications regrets the error and apologizes for any inconvenience. When first responders are called to action, they need reliable communications to coordinate an effective public-safety response. Public-safety personnel understand this […]
  • NG911 needed to secure our communities and nation
    As the new Congress begins its work in earnest, we look forward to continued progress in funding the transition to IP-based next-generation 911 (NG911) technology. Our nation’s 911 systems are critical to ensuring the safety and security of our communities, and nationwide implementation of NG911 will ensure these systems can leverage the most advanced communications […]
  • How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient
    It’s a scenario we’ve all experienced: an ambulance with a blaring siren racing against time to get a person in medical distress to a hospital through traffic. What we don’t see is 5G connectivity enabling paramedics to communicate with hospital staff via video conference and coordinate care in real-time before arriving at the emergency room. […]
  • 3GPP moves Release 18 freeze date to March 2024
    The latest set of 3GPP Plenary electronic meetings (e-meetings) concluded on Dec. 19, 2022. The meetings focused on the Release 18 (R18) feature progress and schedule. It was decided to extend the R18 freeze date (specifications complete for all R18 features) by three months to March 2024 to ensure the quality of the R18 3GPP […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

To leave a comment login with your Urgent Comms account:

Log in with your Urgent Comms account

Or alternatively provide your name, email address below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Unlocking the power of ESInets: Different NG911 provisioning approaches exist; level of control is key differentiator
  • Redefining communications for today’s mobile workforces
  • Bridging digital divide by fostering digital inclusion and economic recovery
  • Public safety needs a better way to triage emergency calls

Commentary


Updated: How ‘sidelink’ peer-to-peer communications can enhance public-safety operations

  • 1
27th February 2023

NG911 needed to secure our communities and nation

24th February 2023

How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient

26th January 2023
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


UrgentComm

The Future of Interoperability for Dispatch Console Solutions dlvr.it/Slcp33

28th March 2023
UrgentComm

RT @IWCEexpo: A look in at the Panel Session of Interconnected Critical Networks - Voice, Video and Data Interoperability... #IWCE23 http…

28th March 2023
UrgentComm

RT @IWCEexpo: Wildfires are a growing concern, but technology can offer solutions. Fantastic panel moderated by @FirstNetGov this morning a…

28th March 2023
UrgentComm

IWCE speakers debate state of public-safety interoperability dlvr.it/SlcZ5L

28th March 2023
UrgentComm

UK competition watchdog delays Airwave-Motorola Solutions ruling until April dlvr.it/SlcNxN

28th March 2023
UrgentComm

Gallery: IWCE 2023 kicks off in Las Vegas dlvr.it/SlZlk4

28th March 2023
UrgentComm

AT&T claims LTE coverage edge, FirstNet build more than 99% done dlvr.it/SlXZfr

27th March 2023
UrgentComm

Verizon Frontline supports U.S. Forest Service efforts against wildfires dlvr.it/SlX1g3

27th March 2023

Newsletter

Sign up for UrgentComm’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about Communications and Technology.

Expert Commentary

Learn from experts about the latest technology in automation, machine-learning, big data and cybersecurity.

Business Media

Find the latest videos and media from the market leaders.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital and print audiences? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • American City & County
  • IWCE
  • Light Reading
  • IOT World Today
  • Mission Critical Technologies
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.