| its so 911 can locate you and its an FCC mandate. |
| ...that you were up to no good if... |
|
Federal rules intended to allow wireless 911 distress calls to be pinpointed are prompting criticisms from privacy advocates and consumers worried about giving the big telecommunications companies the ability to track people's movements. "There are two sides to this," says Eddie Hold, a wireless analyst with research firm Current Analysis. "Every wireless user wants to call 911 and get a local service. But it's certainly going to be a privacy issue when you have the cell phone able to track you." Some of the giant telephone companies will be putting Global Positioning System (GPS) chip technology inside their phones. Others will use a method that uses information such as the strength of a cell phone's signal. Sprint PCS is planning to put GPS chips inside its handsets, which will require it to persuade as many consumers as possible to buy new phones. Cingular Wireless, the company being created out of BellSouth and SBC Communications, will use a similar technology for part of its footprint, but will use a "network based" approach for the rest. Verizon Wireless says it, too, will use one of several network approaches, which involve judging a person's location from such data as signal strength and simple triangulation. AT&T says it needs more time to decide. |
| ...companies are pondering what kind of technology they will need to meet federal requirements. The rules will require companies to be able to locate 911 calls to within about 100 feet. |
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