NG-911 Needs to Overcome Jurisdictional, Funding Hurdles, NCSL Hears
The advent of next-generation 911 will create both jurisdictional and funding challenges, government officials and stakeholders said. The pending changes call for new coordination. When Tennessee first created a statewide 911 board in the late 1990s, most local 911 centers “thought it was a terrible idea,” said Lynn Questell, the board’s executive director, speaking Thursday at the National Conference of State Legislatures meeting in Washington. But the presence of a board allowed coordination and implementation of E911 technologies in better and faster ways, she said, saying seven U.S. states still lack 911 boards and showing maps that revealed a dearth of 911 advances in those states.
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"Governance is inherently a multiparty effort,” said FCC Deputy Bureau Chief for the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau David Furth, noting its “particular challenge” in migrating to IP and NG-911. No one entity has jurisdiction over the entire system, he added. The National 911 Program helps provide “a federal home for 911,” said Laurie Flaherty, its coordinator. It operates under the U.S. Department of Transportation due to a history of emergency communications grants and laws going back half a century, which she said is “not logical but it works pretty well.” The FCC has attempted to regulate what the carriers can do and has looked at how states collect 911 fees and spend them, Furth explained. It has been tasked with presenting a report on an NG-911 legislative framework to Congress Feb. 22, he said, noting its call for comments in November, with a comments deadline of next Thursday and a reply deadline of Jan. 14. “We're very interested in comments from state and local governments,” he said, citing Tennessee’s efforts. “We want to build on [state coordination work]; we don’t want to replace that.” Economics have opened new partnership opportunities, Flaherty said: “People are talking to each other who never talked to each other. Because everybody’s broke."
Panelists pointed to complicated jurisdictional complications and also to state and federal statutes and laws that will need to be changed to accommodate NG-911. The National 911 Program released its legislative language guidelines (http://xrl.us/bn46wj) in November, which Flaherty described. A “companion to that document” is the 911 legislation tracking database of the National Conference of State Legislatures, she said. State laws deserve a watchful eye, she said, pointing to over 300 911 bills in 42 states proposed in 2012. Of the passed laws, 10 states clarified the responsibilities of their 911 boards, three kicked off NG-911 studies, and five dealt with language and statutes associated with NG-911, she said. National Emergency Number Association Director of Government Affairs Trey Forgety noted Maryland’s adoption of NG-911 language, which he called “very helpful.” He also praised the “deep dive” of the Wisconsin Legislative Council into these issues.
911 funding is a challenge, most panelists said. “We're going to have to figure out another way,” Questell said, saying 911 funds can’t come from landline companies alone. She argued that 911 should be considered a utility like water or gas and deserves what should be called a monthly service charge, not a tax. 911 needs its own funding and shouldn’t be solely population-based, she said. The FCC is focused on developing a “funding framework,” Furth said.
911 centers are considering the prospect of consolidation in years to come. “In Tennessee, we don’t use the c-word -- it’s too controversial,” Questell said. Her state has only featured one consolidation in the last 20 years, she said. Forgety said NG-911 “won’t make consolidation inevitable” but the economics of the centers will likely lead to “some level of consolidation.” The new technologies allow more cost effectiveness as well as more sharing of information and interconnection, said Forgety. The change “clearly raises the issue,” said Flaherty, who said state and local governments will have to face the question: “Okay, how many do you really need?” The U.S. currently has more than 6,000.
All stakeholders agree NG-911 is the future, Flaherty said. The “hugest thing” for public safety officials will be the ability to transfer 911 calls on a statewide level, in case a disaster requires shifting emergency calls to another region’s centers, Questell said. She described an instant message system that Tennessee 911 centers are setting up now. Furth pointed to the transfer of not just voice but data over emergency lines: “The public will be able to send more information -- better information -- to the PSAPs [public safety answering points].” Forgety cited the eight trillion text messages Americans send a year and a national trend toward mobile.
AT&T has advocated for sunsetting the public switched telephone network and migrating to an all-IP network, and “next generation 911 really has to be a part of this plan,” said Assistant Vice President of Federal Regulatory Affairs Joseph Marx. Support for building and maintaining legacy networks is becoming more expensive, he said, which other panelists echoed. The change will call for new paradigms of 911 funding as well as broader public education, he said: “The general public needs to be able to understand the changes that are coming.” The change calls for new training, Forgety agreed. “What does LOL mean?” he asked, pointing to challenges of text-to-911 and the differing interpretation of language -- is it “lots of love” or “laugh out loud"?