Porcupine 911

[error]

What about having the number sent to one person and if it isn't answered after so many rings it moves on to the next?

It will work similarly to this, if there's more than one person covering a given time slot, but I'm not going to send a call to someone unwilling to accept it.

The tower has been up for years.  I guess they figure it is too early to make money supplying 1100 people with cell service.  It is real hilly in Grafton.  I don't know if that is a factor.

Ideally the tower should be the tallest structure around on the tallest hill around. And, of course, the carriers should actually have working antennas on it. For instance there was a really nice tower up on top of one of the hills at Gunstock, and reception throughout the site was great -- unless you had AT&T (formerly Cingular), which wasn't on the tower at all. Then you were roaming or had no service at all.

[money dollars]

Maybe you can lease a bit of your land to the cell phone carriers for a tower.

The tower has been up for years. 

Didn't Bob Hull buy the property(IIRC, the old McIntyer place)?

I think he renamed the dirveway to Liberty Lane. Doesn't he live there?

[d_goddard]

It's a problem with the high speed internet, not the phone, and the cell phone has no reception most places where we've been spending time.

Welcome to Grafton. That is a feature, not a problem.

Or an entrepreneurial opportunity...

[Dave Ridley]

i think a rapidly distributed recording may be better than a live operator for these reasons

1) you get thru more immediately
2) More people hear the original message
3) there is an exact record of your message rather than someone just hearing it and writing it.
4) Its more decentralized

[error]

Live calls can also be recorded and distributed if need be.

[Evenstar]

I'm currently living in the unfree state of Virginia, but I have Vonnage (so free long distance) and tend to stay up late.  Not sure if you're still toying with the 911 live operate idea, but I guess I'm willing to help out if it's needed.  I'd certainly need more information, like who in the Shire to call if I were to get an incoming call and the like. 

I love this idea and have noted both numbers for the future (with an asterisk next to the 911 that it may not be active at the moment).

[Russell Kanning]

you can ask to join the phone list

many of us have free long distance and if we have enough backups/coverage ... maybe we can cover the whole day

[error]

I've still got the number and it's active, though there hasn't been as much interest as I would have liked from people willing to answer it. Send me a PM and let me know if you are willing. Thanks!

[srqrebel]

I've still got the number and it's active, though there hasn't been as much interest as I would have liked from people willing to answer it. Send me a PM and let me know if you are willing. Thanks!

Could you elaborate as to what this is exactly?  Is this like a live version of Porc 411, but using a different number?  If so, how can there be multiple volunteers?  Does each volunteer choose a time slot when they are regularly available to take the calls?