How do you call for help? To call for help dial 9-1-1 on any phone that is working, you will be connected to an emergency operator, called a dispatcher. The dispatcher immediately connects you to the person that can help. 9-1-1 emergency services should be used to report a crime in progress or a fire, or to request an ambulance. 9-1-1 should be used only when you have an emergency. Using 911 for non-emergency calls may delay the arrival of help for people caught in real emergencies.
What is an emergency? An emergency is when there is danger (like a fire) someone is badly hurt. Don't let the word scare you. You can be a big help when there is danger someone is hurt – just dial 9-1-1 . If you have questions about what an emergency is, it is best to talk to your parents or another adult.
What is 911? Dialing 9-1-1 on your phone is the fastest way you can get help for yourself or someone else. 9-1-1 was put into operation in 1968 as the number to call for emergency help anywhere in the United States to make getting emergency help faster and easier.
Before 9-1-1 was put into operation, people had to find the right phone number in the phone book or through an operator to about an emergency. If there was a fire, people phoned the fire department. If there was a crime, people called the police. If someone got hurt, an ambulance had to be called. Finding a number for any of these emergency services could be very confusing, especially if the person calling was in a hurry or in an unfamiliar area. But today, you only need to know one number for emergency help. You can reach the fire department, the police, or an ambulance by simply dialing 911. For more information about 9-1-1 visit http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/er/911.html.
What do the numbers in a phone number do? The telephone number that you dial to call somebody is an address, similar to the street address of your home. In the United States, all phone numbers have a total of 10 digits. The numbering plan was developed by AT&T in 1947. It uses three blocks of numbers - two blocks of three digits and a single block of four digits. It is used for wirelane and cell phones.
Area code
Prefix
Line number
301
555
0703
Area code – A different area
code is assigned to each specific geographic region in the United States, such as a city or a part of a state. In the example above, the geographic region “301” is part of Maryland. Area codes are assigned by the US Government. Prefix – The first 3 digits of what you think of as your phone number are called the prefix. This prefix originally referred to the specific telephone company switch that a phone line connected to. Each switch at a phone
company's central office had a special three-digit number. Line number
– The last four digits of your phone number is called the line
number. It is the number assigned to the phone line that runs
into your home or a business. The line number is assigned to
the phone line and not to the phone you are using. Because the
phone number is not assigned to the phone, the phone can be
changed and you can even add more phones to the same line.
How does someone with a hearing disability use a telephone? A text telephone (TTY) allows a deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-disabled person to make a telephone call. The TTY is a telephone that looks like a typewriter with a text screen – the TTY is connected to the telephone line in the users home or business. Once the telephone connection is made the TTY user types his message to the called party and the words appear on the TTY screen. The called party responds to the caller by typing on his TTY- all conversation is printed on the screen. Instead of listening to what the other person on the phone call says deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech disabled people reads what the person said. The TTY allows a person with a hearing disability to directly call another person who has a TTY. Persons using a TTY may also call any standard phone user by placing the call through a Telecommunications Relay Service.
What is Telecommunications Relay Service? Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) is provided over the telephone line and allows persons with hearing and speech disabilities to communicate by telephone with persons who may or may not have such disabilities. TRS facilities have special equipment and are staffed by communications assistants (CAs) who relay conversations between people who use text telecommunications devices and people who communicate by voice. The caller can use a text telephone (TTY) to dial the telephone number of the local TRS center. For the TTY user, the first step – the inbound call to the TRS center – is functionally equivalent to receiving a dial tone. The CA in turn places an outbound voice call from the TRS center to the called party. The CA serves as the link in the conversation, converting all typed TTY messages from the TTY caller into voice messages, and all voice messages from the called party into typed messages for the TTY user. The process is performed in reverse when a voice telephone user initiates the call to a TTY user.
Can People with Hearing Aids Use Standard Telephones? The Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988 (HAC Act) requires that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ensure that all telephones manufactured or imported for use in the United States after August 1989, and all "essential" telephones are hearing aid compatible. "Essential" phones are defined as "coin-operated telephones, telephones provided for emergency use, and other telephones frequently needed for use by persons using such hearing aids." These might include workplace telephones, telephones in confined settings (like hospitals and nursing homes), and telephones in hotel and motel rooms. Secure telephones, as well as telephones used with public mobile and private radio services, are exempt from the HAC Act.
What is Video Relay Service? This type of Telecommunications Relay Service enables individuals who use sign language to make relay calls through Communications Assistant (CA) who can interpret their calls. To use video relay service the telephone call is made over the internet and uses video equipment so the CA and the caller can see each other. The caller uses sign language to tell the CA who to call and what to say. The CA voices what is signed to the called party and signs back to the caller. This type of relay service is not required by the FCC, but is offered on a voluntary basis by certain TRS programs. This option is helpful for people who use American Sign Language (ASL), and for people who cannot type on a TTY easily, such as children who are ASL users. Video Relay Service is another type of Telecommunications Relay Service that allows persons with hearing and speech disabilities to use the telephone.
How does a fax machine work? The idea of fax machines has been around since 1842, when Alexander Bain invented a machine capable of receiving signals from a telegraph wire and translating them into images on paper. Fax machines provide an easy way to send document to any phone number equipped with a fax machine. A fax machine works by scanning each outgoing page, converting the image into a series of light and dark dots. This pattern is then translated into audio tones, and sent over regular phone lines. The receiving fax "hears" the tones, pieces the grid together, and prints the total number of dots. The resulting document is a black and white likeness of the original page.
Do you know that after midnight, February 17, 2009, you will need a digital-to-analog converter box for any analog TVs (non digital) you have?
More info... Note: This feature is for educational purposes only. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the FCC. The results of the survey will not be used in any FCC proceeding without notice.
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