Today, members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced the LIFT America Act, an infrastructure bill that includes $15 billion for the deployment and implementation of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) throughout the country. The NG9-1-1 provisions (section 15001) adhere to principles established by APCO and its partners in the Public Safety Next Generation 9-1-1 Coalition, a broad group of national public safety organizations representing law enforcement, fire, EMS, and 9-1-1. The NG9-1-1 portion contains a number of important measures in addition to the significant funding by:
- Protecting and building upon existing investments in NG9-1-1;
- Promoting interoperability;
- Preserving state and local control;
- Providing significant resources for cybersecurity;
- Establishing a mechanism for ongoing public safety input for the grant program; and
- Achieving end-to-end NG9-1-1 capabilities for emergency communications centers nationwide.
The leadership of Congressman Frank Pallone, the Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, a committee member and long-time co-chair of the Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus, was essential for the introduction of this bill.
“APCO wishes to sincerely thank Representatives Pallone and Eshoo and their staff for being strong allies of the public safety community and for their work in introducing this much-needed legislation that will greatly benefit 9-1-1 professionals and the public they serve,” said APCO Executive Director and CEO Derek Poarch. “We look forward to working with all members of Congress to build support and achieve passage of this bill, which is so critical to modernizing the nation’s emergency communications infrastructure.”
