Deadline Schmeadline

The FCC loves to set deadlines, but it also loves to render them useless. Following last week's extension -- again -- of the deadline for VoIP providers to cut off subscribers that didn't explicitly acknowledge the limitations of their 911 service, two wireless carriers have filed for extensions to a year-end deadline for E911 service as well. This is the same E911 that's been planned for for years, with the occasional meaningless fine doled out to carriers while local governments frittered away money meant to upgrade their call centers to handle the new locative technology on items like pens and boots. Talking about implementing new 911 technology to make everybody safer sounds nice, but the regulations and deadlines all sound pretty toothless, really.

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