A missed question

At last nights town workshop a representative of Comcast addressed the council. He talked much about the new high speed system that they were introducing, and the 3 for 1 package.

Mr Dover asked about the phone system and if it is set up to work well with the 911 system. The Comcast representative replied that they were required to have it 911 capable.

This is the point a question was missed. A rather important question.

The 3 in 1 package from Comcast has TV, Computer, and Phone, all in one. The phone that you may need to dial 911 with one day. The phone that may, or may not work when the power goes out.

Telephone companies are "required to have emergency power. Telephone exchange rooms usually have arrays of lead-acid batteries for backup and also a socket for connecting a diesel generator during extended periods of outage.". Many of us have had the power go out and still be able to call family members to inform them we are ok, or to see if they are.

I contacted Comcast service and they informed me that their modems have a battery that will allow up to 8 hours of phone service after a power outage, and the battery can be upgraded to a full 16 hours. So it looks like you will have a short time to make any needed 911 calls. How this 8/16 hours compares to the telephone companies services is something to keep in mind when making the choice of companies to go with

The Mayor mentioned Vonage(?) as that is another online phone service. I believe M has that and could address if it would still work during a power outage.

The technology of today may be more user friendly, but it also opens windows for problems to occur.