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Experts urge Congress to fund nationwide Next Generation 911 rollout, warn delays raise costs and risks
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Summary
Witnesses at a House Energy and Commerce hearing pressed lawmakers for sustained funding and clearer federal guidance to complete nationwide Next Generation 9‑1‑1 (NG9‑1‑1) deployment, saying many 9‑1‑1 centers still rely on century‑old, voice‑centric systems and that delays raise costs and public‑safety risk.
Federal and local emergency communications officials told a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee that completing the nationwide deployment of Next Generation 9‑1‑1 (NG9‑1‑1) requires a sustained, dedicated funding stream and clearer federal guidance.
Dr. Brian Fontes, former chief executive officer of the National Emergency Number Association, told the committee NG9‑1‑1 “is a suite of standards based technologies that will fully modernize the 9‑1‑1 systems with information rich data, enhanced cybersecurity, redundancy, and resiliency.” He said much of the nation’s 9‑1‑1 infrastructure remains ‘‘voice centric’’ and therefore unable to receive texts, photos, video or other data that could help responders assess emergencies before they arrive.
Why it matters: NG9‑1‑1 will let call centers receive and transmit richer data — dispatchable location, photos, video and real‑time translations — which witnesses said can shorten response times and improve situational awareness. Many local public‑safety agencies, however, lack the funds to run legacy systems while paying transition costs for IP‑based NG9‑1‑1. Fontes cited prior federal cost studies showing a 2018 estimate in the range of $9 billion to $13 billion and said updated estimates could be roughly $15 billion in today’s dollars.
What witnesses said: Steve Newton, emergency management director for Chatham County, North Carolina, described operational benefits of emergency service IP networks used during recent disasters: ‘‘Because the calls are managed at a digital level on this ESInet … the network management center … is able to reprovision and turn those calls to another 9‑1‑1 center not impacted,’’ he testified, describing routing that kept calls answered after Hurricane Helene.
Multiple witnesses argued that asking for another long cost study would only delay deployment. Fontes said waiting for additional analysis could ‘‘turn out to be a delay’’ and urged Congress to create an accessible funding mechanism states and localities can use to phase and manage the transition.
Cybersecurity and governance: Witnesses emphasized that NG9‑1‑1 is not only a technology project but a governance challenge. Fontes and others urged funding that supports planning, deployment tranches (planning, deployment, completion) and the state and local governance structures that administer 9‑1‑1. Several witnesses also flagged cybersecurity as a crosscutting need, saying funding should include support for vulnerability assessments and ongoing maintenance.
Outlook: Committee members from both parties pressed for bipartisan solutions to fund NG9‑1‑1 and to avoid leaving smaller and rural PSAPs behind. Witnesses recommended a mix of federal funding, state matching and targeted grant programs to accelerate deployment while preserving legacy service during the transition.
Ending: Lawmakers pressed witnesses for options that can be implemented quickly; witnesses repeated that funding, paired with clear governance and cybersecurity standards, would be the most direct path to nationwide NG9‑1‑1.
