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[General] King County full page ad about e911

King County government ad that 911 via VOIP is unpredictable.

Didn't we see this a week or two ago?

reply to MrBentor
A couple of comments:

1) Yes, it's old news and 'we' know about that... BUT... a lot of people, who are not tech savvy like many of us, don't know about it and I think it is a good way to deal with the issue and keep people informed.

2) I don't think they're saying that VoIP *IS* dangerous, but instead, that its limitations *MAY* be, in the event of an emergency.

3) It's tax dollars, but if that ad can help save a life or two, then I'm OK with it.

reply to MrBentor
I am impressed with the add. It doesn't tell any lies. It doesn't say NO VOIP provides E-911 or even give that impression. It does say to CAREFULLY check with your VOIP provider whether they support E-911. I think that is a good thing. For someone who wants E-911 it is a good warning, it doesn't say abandon the idea of VOIP, it just says keep this in mind and choose accordingly.

Kudos to them.

And yes, for all of us this is old news. But as VOIP becomes more mainstream it is not old news for many people, and it is becomming more important the VOIP support E-911. When it was only a "second" line E-911 isn't really important. When it is THE ONLY LINE (or you have multiple VOIP lines) E-911 rapidly becomes much more important.

You are reading that add, and changing what it says. I would give them at least a 9/10 for wording. They carefully say NOT ALL, they don't say none (or even imply it). They say read the fine print, see what the VOIP provider says about 911 what access do you have (and they tell you to check if it is E911). They are carful to NOT SAY ALL VOIP HAS NO E-911. Nah, I changed my mind I give them 10/10 for wording. If you intentionally misread it to say they are saying VOIP is dangerous I don't know what you would consider valid. Perhaps you would prefer.

"It might maybe be that perhaps possibly your VOIP provider does not support full E-911. Of course they also might support full E-911. So therefore you might maybe possibly perhaps want to check if you VOIP provider support full E-911"

Of course if my county took out an add with that wording I might maybe be really upset.

reply to MrBentor
As long as local governments are on a kick about full disclosure, why not waste some money on ads like:

YOUR ILEC'S FLAT RATE PLANS AREN'T REALLY FLAT RATES
once you factor in all the junk fees & taxes

and

UNLIMITED CABLE INTERNET SERVICE ISN'T REALLY UNLIMITED
but they don't have to tell you what the limits are

and

WE DID A STUDY AND FOUND THAT MUNICIPAL BROADBAND LEADS TO CANCER, BANKRUPTCY, HALATOSIS, AND DIM-WITTED CHILDREN
Study conducted on board an all expense paid cruise ship funded by the ILEC

and

YOUR ILEC PROMISES TO RUN FIBER TO EVERYONE'S HOME BY THE END OF THE YEAR
We let them increase your rates and gave them a huge tax break to do this, and we trust them -- we don't need a binding contract or anything legal to enforce their promise

finally, the best of all:

THE COUNTY IS IN A BUDGET CRISIS AND WE NEED TO RAISE TAXES SO WE CAN CONTINUE BRINGING YOU THESE IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
don't mind the crappy roads, bureaucratic nonsense, and occasional corruption scandals. Dammit, we *deserve* a raise every year, unbelieveable health benefits, and a taxpayer funded retirement pension. Paying for these ads is just gravy!

reply to MrBentor
This thing smells SO much like telco FUD, it is NOT funny. If they REALLY cared, they would publish a list of emergency numbers that you could call from your King County location (I live in King County). If they REALLY, REALLY cared, they would have a web site where you could register your VoIP number, AND its corresponding physical location (using a callback closed-loop code to prevent fake entries).

But they do not care, they are just covering their archaic turf from erosion by new technology. Buggy whips, anyone?

Oh yeah, Microsoft is in King County, too. Perhaps they consulted on this FUD project.

reply to jester121
Don't forget:

VOIP LINES DON'T PAY TAXES TO YOUR COUNTY, SO PLEASE DON'T USE THEM, WE NEED YOUR MONEY

reply to MrBentor
Seen it. Read it. Still keeping my two VoIP lines and never ever going back to Qwest.