||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER |||
Do you or a loved one rely on a cell phone for emergency purposes? Do you or a loved one use a medical device that sends information to your health care professional via cellular service? Do you or loved a one use a medical alert system in case of emergencies? If so, these devices may not work in the very near future even to dial 911.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that many cellular services, including AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile plan to phase out their 3G networks this year. According to a 2018 market analysis conducted by OpenSignal, about 20 percent of Americans continue to use 3G networks. If you or a loved one are one of these people, it’s time to upgrade your devices.
Most newer devices operate on 4G or 5G services, however. To find if a cell phone or other device will be phased out of a 3G network and how to upgrade your device, contact your network provider or other device provider. If you or a loved one rely on a medical device to send information to a health care provider, contact the health care provider for guidance.
To read more about the phase out of 3G service from the FCC, go here: https://tinyurl.com/2y82wk55. If you or your loved one is a senior or an adult with a disability and need help navigating this transition, contact Jami Mitchell at 360-376-7926 or jamim@sanjuanco.com, or Heidi Bruce at 360-370-0591 or heidib@sanjuanco.com.
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