Congress Makes Small Down Payment on NG911 Network in Spectrum Bill
Spectrum legislation approved by Congress last week as part of the payroll tax cut extension bill offers $115 million to help defray the costs of a next generation 911 (NG911) network. That’s the good news for public safety. The bad news is that amount is less than one twentieth of the expected cost. But public safety officials said other provisions should be helpful in making NG911 a reality.
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While they did not get as much funding as originally sought, the House co-chairs of the Congressional E-911 Caucus cheered the inclusion of their bill (HR-2629) to fund the new 911 systems. The original bill by Reps. John Shimkus, R-Ill., and Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., proposed appropriating $250 million for NG911. Shimkus “was not disappointed” by the amount of funding provided, his spokesman said. “This is the first time funds have been allocated at all, so any amount is a great first step.” The NG 9-1-1 Institute said the bill “provides the most significant level of federal funding to advance 9-1-1 services in memory.”
The legislation also directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to prepare a report on the costs of deploying NG911 nationwide and directs the GAO to examine NG911 funding, particularly with respect to how 911 fees are used in various states. The legislation also provides the same liability protection for NG911 applications that is already in place for phone calls, to encourage carriers and call centers to roll out new services without fear of lawsuits.
In an October report, the FCC estimated that the network connectivity and call routing costs to transition to NG911 will be as high as $2.68 billion over 10 years (CD Oct 6 p9). That figure is for connectivity alone. The costs of an upgrade have long been on the FCC’s radar screen. A year ago, the FCC’s Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) approved a report recommending a blue ribbon panel to consider how to pay for upgrading 911 (CD March 15/11 p1). The National Broadband Plan also called for a study on the costs of moving to NG911.
National Emergency Number Association CEO Brian Fontes said in an interview Tuesday he appreciates Eshoo and Simkus’s work on getting some funding for 911. “It’s better than nothing,” Fontes said. “As important as the dollar amount are the studies that are required to be submitted to Congress.”
The federal study of NG911 costs will help, said NENA Government Affairs Director Trey Forgety. “Hopefully, in the next couple of years we'll have a much better figure on exactly what it’s going to cost to get it done,” Forgety said. The studies will also offer insights on “what is the right way to be funding a service that’s this critical,” he said.
"I think it is significant,” said Greg Rohde, executive director of the NG911 Institute and a former administrator of the NTIA. “I know that the 911 community and the cochairs wanted more, but certainly $115 million in direct spending is still significant and it’s the most we've ever seen in a direct program for 911.” Also important, Rohde told us, is that the legislation reauthorizes the continuation of the 911 Implementation Coordination Office. “That was a major victory of the cochairs in 2004 to establish that as a home for 911 in the federal government,” he said. “That office has already done some good work and has a lot more important work it has to do.”