The top 10 U.S. wireless carriers have agreed to implement text - to-911 by 2020 . The plan was made public by the FCC . Until the system is implemented , people will receive text - back messages .
The top four U.S. wireless carriers have agreed to support text-to-911 by 2014 . The announcement was made today by the FCC . Until the system is running , people will receive bounce-back messages .