On February 16, Congress made a down payment on the future of our nation's 9-1-1 system when it provided $115,000,000 in grant funding to state and local 9-1-1 authorities. The move comes as part of a major legislative push to extend payroll tax cuts that were set to expire at the end of February. 

Alongside the grant provisions, Congress also directed the FCC to begin a proceeding aimed at curtailing automatically-dialed calls to 9-1-1 centers, and another aimed at determining the feasibility of including E9-1-1 location capabilities in multi-line telephone systems. The latter provision would help to ensure that factory workers, college students, and corporate employees can be easily found when they call 9-1-1 from campus landlines. Under the agreement, the FCC must also report to Congress on the need for legislative and regulatory changes to enable Next Generation 9-1-1 deployment nationwide. The legislation also reauthorizes the 9-1-1 Implementation Coordination Office, a joint program office administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Click here to read the rest of NENA's press release.