Witnesses urge Congress to fund NextGen 9-1-1 deployment for national parks

Leanne Magoski, president of the National Emergency Number Association, told the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands that Next Generation 9-1-1 (NextGen 9-1-1) is essential to improve emergency response in national parks and public lands. "Next Generation 9-1-1 is not a single product, vendor, or network, but rather a system of interoperable systems built through cooperation and open standards," Magoski said, adding that NextGen enables multimedia calls and precise x/y coordinates that can be life-saving for lost or injured visitors.

The bill under consideration, H.R. 7 0 3 1 (Making Public Lands Safer Act), would direct the Department of the Interior to assess NextGen 9-1-1 status across the National Park System and develop a plan to modernize emergency communications at park public-safety answering points (PSAPs). Magoski said park PSAPs typically rely on legacy routing so location and multimedia data are lost or must be verbally relayed between centers, causing delays. She recounted a Monterey County dispatcher pinpointing a lost hiker and guiding the caller for 24 minutes using NextGen-enabled tools.

Why it matters: Members noted rising park visitation and the practical safety gap when callers in rugged terrain cannot describe their location. Magoski told the committee that nearly 90 percent of 9-1-1 calls now come from wireless devices and that NextGen systems allow dispatchers to receive texts, photos and precise location data that legacy copper-line technology cannot pass automatically to other centers.

Cost and federal role: Magoski cited a 2018 study estimating nationwide NextGen deployment at $9–12 billion (roughly $15 billion in today's dollars) and said NENA has requested an initial federal grant program of $3–5 billion to accelerate buildout and reduce state and local burdens. "We have asked Congress for an initial investment of $3 to 5,000,000,000 in the grant program, and that would offset the costs of your local and state programs," she told the subcommittee.

Exchanges during questioning focused on operational benefits and gaps: Representative Fulcher asked whether any national parks currently have full NextGen capability; Magoski answered, "Correct," meaning parks do not yet have full deployment and rely on legacy routing that can require call transfers to a 10-digit number and verbal relays of location and media. Members and witnesses discussed the need for interoperable nationwide deployment so park PSAPs can seamlessly receive and share data.

The hearing record will remain open for follow-up questions. No vote on H.R. 7 0 3 1 occurred at the hearing.