This seems more like a feature that should be regulated into existence.

Satellite providers that offer coverage to handheld devices should be compelled to, free of charge, relay _emergency_ requests that are in the correct format to the relevant authorities with as much information as possible. On the same note, abuse of that service should be a crime worth going after. Not a 'parent with kids that played with all the buttons' goes to jail level thing, but no one should be going out of their way to activate it either.

That way, just like any phone can contact emergency services, even without a plan, so too could they use that part of the new service. A service which might offer data and messaging for NON emergency use as well (that one paid for by the consumer directly).