The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted new rules to expedite the transition to Next Generation 911 (NG911) services with the aim of ensuring that the country’s 911 system functions effectively and supports the deployment of advanced 911 capabilities – including video, text, and data.
Currently, state and local 911 authorities are in the process of transitioning from legacy 911 technology to NG911 technology with Internet Protocol (IP)-based infrastructure that will support new 911 capabilities and improve 911 interoperability, security, and system resilience. The FCC noted that completing the transition requires originating service providers – the 911 callers’ phone companies – to format 911 calls to be compatible with NG911 and to deliver the calls to new destination points on IP networks as established by 911 authorities.
State and local 911 authorities looking to transition have run into a roadblock as some originating service providers have delayed connecting to the new IP networks, which prolongs the transition process and increases costs for public safety.
To solve those problems and speed the transition, the FCC has adopted the first nationwide NG911 transition rules that define the responsibilities and set deadlines for originating service providers to implement NG911 capabilities on their networks and deliver 911 calls to NG911 systems. The FCC said this will expedite the nationwide transition to NG911, lead to faster call delivery and improved service reliability, and save lives.
“Today we continue this ongoing effort to update 911. We adopt rules to facilitate the transition from the analog phone and circuit-switched technology to next-generation 911,” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said on July 19.
“Our rules will create a consistent Federal framework to assist with the transition to next-generation 911 nationwide,” Rosenworcel said. “We take these steps because what comes next with next-generation 911 is big. It will provide improved support for voice, text, data, and video communications. It will mean more redundancy to protect against outages. For those who call, it will mean the opportunity to provide real-time video of the emergency. It will mean the ability to provide first responders with instantaneous pictures. It will make it possible to transmit a patient’s medical records directly to 911 dispatchers. And for those who take calls in an emergency, all of this data can inform public safety efforts, improving emergency response and saving lives.”
The new rules were adopted unanimously by the five FCC commissioners.
