NAC: prepaid cell phone

[Brett Dikeman]

Andrew Buc wrote:
> I'd like to get a prepaid cell phone, to be used pretty much for 
> emergencies and nothing else, so it needs to be fairly inexpensive. 
> Since I occasionally travel to Canada, I'd also like it to work in both 
> the States and Canada, at least in major cities. Anyone have any 
> recommendations? Thank you.

If it's only for the -real- emergencies, carriers are required to route 
911 calls and cell phone makers are required to make phones that let 911 
calls be dialed (for example, I don't think GSM phones require a SIM 
card to make a 911 call)...and on some phones, pressing 911 in relative 
quick succession even overrides the key-lock.

I had an analog phone in the 200q20v installed by one of the previous 
owners- I didn't remove it purely because it worked for Smartraveller 
and 911 (at least here in MA, the * call was free for Verizon customers, 
and Verizon was pretty much the only carrier with analog service, even 
in '98-99). So, you may even be able to get traffic reports for free in 
your area too.

Also, my former employer had a boatload of Nextel phones and was 
(supposedly) going to donate them to a domestic-abuse shelter, for the 
same reason...no service contract on the phones, but they could still be 
used to make a 911 call.  Kills two birds with one stone- gets domestic 
abuse victims a way to call for help and keeps cell phones out of the 
dumps, at least a little bit longer (getting to be a huge problem, and 
yes, they're full of all sorts of toxic stuff, lead for starters, but 
lots of other nasties in the batteries, capacitors, the screen, etc).

Brett
-- 
"They that give up essential liberty to obtain temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Ben Franklin
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