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Law enforcement, fire, EMS, and 9-1-1 professionals handle over 240 million emergency 9-1-1 calls per year. Our 9-1-1 system is the most critical of critical infrastructure — relied upon nationwide every day to obtain assistance in a variety of life-or-death situations. Unfortunately, 9-1-1 networks across the United States have not kept up with advances in communications technology and, in large part, are based upon technology dating back to the 1960s and limited to voice calls and some texting.
The focus on improving our nation’s infrastructure provides a unique opportunity for Congress to make a once-in-a-generation investment to modernize our 9-1-1 systems to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1). NG 9-1-1 will enable Emergency Communications Centers (ECCs) to receive a variety of multimedia (photos, videos) and other data from 9-1-1 callers and seamlessly share this information with other ECCs and responding fire, EMS, and law enforcement officials in the field. This will make emergency responses faster and more efficient and make public safety professionals and the communities they serve safer. Simply put, NG 9-1-1 will save lives…
