The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that offers five elements aimed at ensuring Next-Generation 911 (NG911) systems are effective, reliable, and interoperable.
The FCC says that NG911 will add text, video, and data to legacy 911 capabilities. The goal is to implement the new technology in a manner that enables calls to be transferred between networks while not introducing new vulnerabilities.
In addition to not introducing new vulnerabilities, the rules aim to facilitate the transition while balancing public safety with the needs of both industry and local 911 authorities,
The five proposed rules would:
- Update the existing FCC 911 reliability rules to ensure that they apply to service providers that control or operate critical pathways and components in NG911 networks.
- Update the reliability standards for providers of critical NG911 functions to ensure the reliable delivery of 911 traffic to NG911 delivery points.
- Establish NG911 interoperability requirements for the interstate transfer of 911 traffic.
- Modify the certification and oversight mechanisms in the current 911 reliability rules to improve reliability and interoperability in NG911 systems while minimizing burdens on service providers.
- Empower state and local 911 authorities to obtain reliability and interoperability certifications directly from covered 911 service providers, so that 911 authorities can more easily address reliability and interoperability concerns within their jurisdictions.
A second NRPM from the FCC, also released yesterday, seeks to reduce emergency response times by enabling 911 call centers and first responders to quickly identify the location of people using wireless phones.
The goal of integrating IP into the 911 infrastructure goes back several years. It was well under way in June, 2023, when the FCC said that it was considering rules that would require voice and service providers to deliver 911 calls over IP networks to help upgrade to NG911. The NPRM asked for proposed requirements and implementation costs.
