The Next Generation: NG9-1-1

There is a general consensus that present and future digital communications for 911 services would be best supported by Next Generation 911 technology (NG9-1-1). Other benefits include better connections between 911 call centers, emergency responders, and alert and warning systems; more robust capacity; and the flexibility to receive calls for help in any format. Three major laws supporting improvements in the handling of 911 emergency calls have been enacted since 1999. The major bills enacted into law are
The Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 ( P.L. The New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008 ( P.L. The 911 Act and Federal Communications Commission Regulations

To assist the effort to provide comprehensive 911 services nationwide, Congress in 1999 passed the Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act ( P.L. 106-81 ), often referred to as the 911 Act. 108-494 ). In response to the Hatfield Report's call for a federal champion, the act created the E-911 Implementation Coordination Office (ICO) to be jointly administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the NHTSA. 110-283 ). Creating the Base for Change

Through the laws that it has enacted, Congress has established the principle that 911 calls should provide the same level of information and responsiveness no matter what the communications device, the location of the call, or the physical abilities of the caller. The plan was presented on September 25, 2009, leaving no time for the ICO to develop more detailed plans for action before its authority ended on September 30. NG9-1-1 Transition: FCC

The ARRA required the FCC to prepare a national broadband plan. The National Broadband Plan (NBP) was submitted to Congress on March 16, 2010. An IP-enabled network for emergency communications has been defined as an "emergency communications network or system based on a secured infrastructure that allows secured transmission of information, using Internet Protocol, among users of the network or system." In the NBP, the FCC has made recommendations that support the transition to NG9-1-1 but it has not provided a policy statement that captures the vision of shared capacity, with many applications riding on the same infrastructure. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is responsible for promulgating and enforcing regulations to assure that cell phone and VOIP calls, as well as those from wireline phones, convey required information to the appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). PSAPs must also invest in technology in order to receive more detailed information. The Role of the E-911 Implementation Coordination Office
The keystone of the ENHANCE 911 Act of 2004 was the mandate to establish a program "to facilitate coordination and communications between Federal, State, and local emergency communications systems, emergency communications personnel, public safety organizations, telecommunications carriers, and telecommunications equipment manufacturers and vendors involved in the implementation of E-911 services." Transition to IP-Enabled 911 Systems: The NET 911 Improvement Act of 2008
The NET 911 Improvement Act of 2008 has required that the ICO "shall develop and report to Congress on a national plan for migrating to a national IP-enabled emergency network capable of receiving and responding to all citizen-activated emergency communications and improving information-sharing among all emergency response entities." The 211 dialing code is reserved by the FCC on a provisional basis as a universal number for community information and referral. Service levels and response times for all types of citizen-activated calls would benefit from a transition to IP-enabled networks and in many cases could share infrastructure with 911 networks
Call Centers and Post-Disaster Response
Call centers are identified as a pivotal link in an end-to-end network of emergency communications, information, response, and post-incident care.
Today's 911 system is built on an infrastructure of analog technology that does not support many of the features that most Americans expect to be part of an emergency response. Efforts to splice newer, digital technologies onto this aging infrastructure have created points of failure where a call can be dropped or misdirected, sometimes with tragic consequences. Callers to 911, however, generally assume that the newer technologies they are using to place a call are matched by the same level of technology at the 911 call centers, known as Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). However, this is not always the case. To modernize the system to provide the quality of service that approaches the expectations of its users will require that the PSAPs, and state, local, and possibly federal emergency communications authorities invest in new technologies. As envisioned by most stakeholders, these new technologies—collectively referred to as Next Generation 911 or NG9-1-1—should incorporate Internet Protocol (IP) standards. An IP-enabled emergency communications network that supports 911 will facilitate interoperability and system resilience; improve connections between 911 call centers; provide more robust capacity; and offer flexibility in receiving and managing calls. The same network can also serve wireless broadband communications for public safety and other emergency personnel, as well as other purposes.
Recognizing the importance of providing effective 911 service, Congress has passed three major bills supporting improvements in the handling of 911 emergency calls. The Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 (P.L. 106-81) established 911 as the number to call for emergencies and gave the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authority to regulate many aspects of the service. The most recent of these laws, the NET 911 Improvement Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-283), required the preparation of a National Plan for migrating to an IP-enabled emergency network. Responsibility for the plan was assigned to the E-911 Implementation Coordination Office (ICO), created to meet requirements of an earlier law, the ENHANCE 911 Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-494). Authorization for the ICO terminated on September 30, 2009. ICO was jointly administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The FCC has included recommendations for advancing NG9-1-1 as part of the National Broadband Plan it presented to Congress on March 16, 2010. It has proposed that the FCC take on an expanded role in assuring that NG9-1-1 services meet future consumer expectations for broadband-based communications. Congress may evaluate whether additional actions are needed on its part in order to support a cohesive policy for transitioning to NG9-1-1.
Other types of citizen-activated emergency calls are handled in call centers. Increasingly many calls for assistance are placed by dialing 211. The number has been provisionally designated for community information and referrals. Service levels and response times for 211 calls would benefit from a transition to IP-enabled networks and in many cases could share infrastructure with 911 networks.