FCC Issues NG9-1-1 Report to Congress

On behalf of more than 6,000 9-1-1 call centers across America and our members who lead and staff them, NENA is pleased that the FCC’s Report to Congress on Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) adopts many of NENA’s recommendations. The commission's report was required by the Next Generation 9-1-1 Improvement Act of 2012, which was enacted as part of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012.

We are pleased to see an incentive-based model proposed for nearly every one of the FCC’s proposals to Congress. We believe this will drive better results faster than a more prescriptive approach.
We are pleased to see strong recommendations with respect to the need to provide a national regulatory backstop; ensure that location determination obligations are clearly spelled out in law; and provide critical NG9-1-1 infrastructure components at the federal level.
A key challenge for Congress will be to level the playing field for 9-1-1 in federal grant funding programs, so that the necessary incentives can be meaningful. At present, 9-1-1 improvements are not included in the allowable costs for most federal public safety grant programs. Congress can fix this disparity without appropriating a single new dollar, and it should.

At NENA’s upcoming 9-1-1 Goes to Washington, March 17-20, our grassroots members will be visiting Members of Congress and stressing the importance of further federal action to speed the nationwide development of a more powerful, IP-based 9-1-1 system.