Lawmakers question use of E‑911 surcharge funds for state radio system as fund nears insolvency

Members of the House Finance Division II pressed Department of Safety officials on Monday about the long‑running practice of using enhanced 9‑1‑1 surcharge funds to cover operational expenses for the state's radio communications backbone.

Assistant directors from the division that runs the statewide emergency communications and the department's administration said the 47‑site radio system provides multiple functions beyond radio voice dispatch, including delivering data and fallback telephone service to emergency communications centers. "It does actually connect our PSAPs and does actually transport 9 1 1 calls," said Tim Scott, assistant director for the department's technical side, describing the network's role in voice, data and redundancy.

Several lawmakers, including Representative Hacken Phillips, said RSA 106‑H — the statute creating the enhanced 9‑1‑1 surcharge — does not explicitly authorize using dedicated surcharge revenue to pay for operational costs of the state radio network. Phillips warned that about $2,000,000 a year has been applied to the radio system and said the enhanced‑9‑1‑1 fund would become insolvent without a surcharge increase. "When you spend $2,000,000 a year out of this fund that may or may not be appropriate under state law, you are sacrificing the need to spend that $2,000,000 on other emergency services that would be used under this fund," she said.

Department officials told the committee the system provides interoperability for county, state and local dispatch centers, and said joining the state core can save individual agencies money on vendor fees. Robert Lucier, assistant director for PSAP operations, said allowing local dispatch centers to join the core has already reduced costs for some jurisdictions and improved redundancy: "It's becoming more important because everything we do is media diversity, carrier diversity when it comes to delivering data."

Committee members asked the department to propose alternative accounting and funding scenarios so the committee could weigh whether the radio system's costs should be kept in the dedicated E‑911 fund, moved to another account, or apportioned between accounts. "If we're okay with that, then I think you should accept the language in HB2. But I know that this committee has spent time thinking about the importance of keeping dedicated funds for their dedicated uses and trying to find solutions when funds are insolvent," Representative Hacken Phillips said.

Officials said the Public Utilities Commission has recently approved a surcharge increase requested by the Enhanced 9‑1‑1 Commission, a move intended to shore up the fund; committee members asked the department to return with a suggested split of costs that would separate radio operations from the E‑911 fund or otherwise explain alternatives. The committee did not vote on a change and asked directors to return with proposals.