Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted an Order that establishes new rules to facilitate the deployment of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1). The focus of the Order is on the call delivery portion of NG9-1-1. Service providers will be required to deliver 9-1-1 traffic, including routing and location information, in an IP-based format to one or more points specified by a state or local 9-1-1 authority that meets certain readiness criteria. The Order affords significant deference to state and local public safety officials to designate the point(s) of delivery and indicate their readiness. The FCC also specifies that service providers will be responsible for associated costs and testing.
The FCC adopts a technology-neutral approach that allows for a variety of technologies, standards, and architectures to implement NG9-1-1, ensuring that ECCs have the flexibility to continually benefit from ongoing innovation. Importantly, the FCC defined NG9-1-1 in a comprehensive, end-to-end manner using a definition agreed upon by a broad consensus of national public safety associations. Defined this way, the FCC agrees with APCO that NG9-1-1 entails more than replacing legacy infrastructure with IP-based connections: NG9-1-1 is a system of technologies that support interoperable multimedia communications from the public to emergency communications centers (ECCs) and out to responders in the field. The new rules complement the public safety community’s advocacy for federal funding to support the deployment of NG9-1-1.
“APCO welcomes these new rules from the FCC,” APCO CEO and Executive Director Mel Maier said. “We are grateful that the Commission was responsive to the 9-1-1 community’s needs, both to trigger the delivery of IP-based 9-1-1 traffic and to ensure there is no cost-shifting from service providers onto ECCs. These rules are a significant step toward our broader goal of full NG9-1-1 deployment. We look forward to continuing to work with the FCC to support this framework and to continuing our advocacy for Congress to provide the funding needed to ensure NG9-1-1 happens quickly and in every community in our country.”
APCO International® (www.apcointl.org)
APCO International is the world’s oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals and supports the largest U.S. membership base of any public safety association. It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide – and the welfare of the general public as a whole – by providing complete expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy and outreach.
