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Can Your Xbox Dial 911?
from the i-don't-have-that-game dept
Our initial reaction to the House's first crack at telecom reform may have been positive, but it sounds like things are going down a typical path -- moving forward and not really pleasing anybody. The question of network neutrality remains up in the air, but VoIP regulations are causing some concerns, too. There's a provision that says all VoIP providers must provide E911 service, and Microsoft says with such a broad description, it would have to build 911 functionality into the Xbox, MSN Messenger and Live Meeting. Of course, even if new rules said they'd have to add it, the deadline would probably just keep getting pushed back, so Microsoft shouldn't worry about it too much.
Reader Comments
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No Subject Given
ohh i love Microsoft
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Re: No Subject Given
fuck microsoft.
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No Subject Given
There is a reason why our fore fathers wanted a limited government. And the inability for the governemnt to get things right has a lot to do with it.
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Government can't get it right...
Just be glad you don't get all of the government you are paying for. Incompetence and inefficiency in government is a blessing in disguise.
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lolz
Our government has really gone to shiat, I don't understand how they can't just look out of the box and really think.
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They're ignorant
Politicians are a lot more concerned with their own shortsighted careers than really learning how things work.
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Holy crap...
Unless these guys start getting their heads out of their a** and start looking up instead of down, we might get somewhere in life.
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bunch of cry babies
To me it seems like the gov just want to make sure anybody with only an internet phone connection can still get through to 911. Microsoft is just whining like they always do. If people do not see this for what it is, they are just as stupid. Come on 911 on X-Box, who the hell wants to reboot the hardware in an emergency anyway? And...they would probably rename it like they do everything they get their hands on, like 'folders' for directory and 'favorites' for bookmarks. What could 911 be refered to that Microsoft could call it to further imply the stupidity of its userbase? Maybe they will take something like a simple dial 911 command and make it extremely complicated and give the user a 'wizard' to do it for them.
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Re: bunch of cry babies
Don't worry though they will still have to release service packs to continue to screw things up after its release.
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No Subject Given
this isn't true -- just more media hype. the FCC will require that all providers who offer a POTS-like product by terminating calls to the PSTN to also offer a way for those customers to call 911.
unless the call hits the PSTN, it won't be subject to E911 rules.
i don't know if the xbox is also now capable of terminating calls to the PSTN, but point-to-point services like MSN or skype aren't going to be subject to E911 rules.
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Re: No Subject Given
first off microsoft is making a good point that you all seem to agree with that xbox shouldnt have the ability to call 911, as the current wording would make it... Also skype would be effected cause it can call any regular number.
now they are just regulating random data on the line, and making it different... oh these bits encode voice better regulate that..
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