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Subcommittee hears call to deploy NextGen 911 across national parks
Summary
Witnesses at the House Natural Resources Subcommittee hearing urged Congress to fund Next Generation 911 in national parks, saying modern systems that transmit text, photos and precise location data can speed rescues in remote terrain; NENA and local dispatchers presented examples and cost estimates.
The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands heard testimony urging federal investment to bring Next Generation 911 capabilities to national parks, a change witnesses said could speed emergency response in remote areas.
Leanne Magosski, president of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), told the panel that Next Generation 911 lets public-safety answering points receive texts, photos and precise device coordinates — "not a single product, vendor, or network, but rather a system of interoperable systems built through cooperation and open standards." She said those capabilities are especially important in parks because visitors often do not know or cannot describe their exact location.
Magosski described a local example she said demonstrates the benefits: a dispatcher in Monterey County "was able to pinpoint the caller's location and stayed on the line with her for 24 minutes, providing turn-by-turn directions" until the caller returned to her parked vehicle. That, Magosski said, showed how multimedia and location features can turn a missing-hiker call into a remote self‑rescue without deploying large search teams.
In written and oral testimony, NENA offered cost context. Magosski cited a 2018 study estimating nationwide deployment at $9–$12 billion (which she said would be about $15 billion in today's dollars) and urged an initial federal grant investment of $3–$5 billion to offset local and state costs. She also urged passage of related legislation including reclassification measures for telecommunicators; the panel heard a reference to S. 725, the Enhancing First Responder Act, which the witness said recognizes 911 telecommunicators as public-safety personnel.
Members pressed for specifics about how NextGen 911 would change dispatch practice in parks. Magosski said legacy systems require dispatchers to dial separate 10‑digit numbers and verbally relay information to park points of answer, which adds time and risks loss of location data — a problem solved when systems exchange call data directly.
The subcommittee held the hearing record open for follow-up and invited written questions. No vote was taken; witnesses said wider deployment will require coordinated federal grants, technology upgrades at local centers, and cross-jurisdictional data‑sharing agreements.
The panel is expected to consider HR7031, the Making Public Land Safer Act, alongside broader appropriations and grant proposals for Next Generation 911.
