TCS: Kent Hellebust talks about text-to-911 adoption, future expansion

A Republican senator this week introduced a bill calling for a mid-band spectrum auction with proceeds being used to fund the FCC’s “rip and replace” program, but—unlike legislation passed by the House—the current language would not provide any funding for next-generation 911 (NG911) deployments. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) introduced S.4820—entitled the “Protecting Communications Networks from […]

Intrado, a longtime key player in the 911 industry, has sold its safety business to the Stonepeak investment firm for $2.4 billion, but Intrado will retain its Digital Workflows unit, according to a press release issued yesterday. For more than four decades, Intrado Safety has played a crucial role in delivering 911 calls from citizens […]

National Emergency Number Association (NENA) CEO Brian Fontes this week sent a letter to key Senate leaders that expresses support for federal funding for deployment of next-generation 911 (NG911) technology throughout the U.S. but appears to seek some changes in the legislative language pending in the Senate. Much-anticipated federal funding for NG911 currently is included […]

Legislation before the U.S. Senate that would allocate as much as $10 billion in federal funds for next-generation 911 (NG911) deployment includes language that “will unnecessarily detract from and delay NG911 implementation,” according to a letter from the National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA). Under H.R. 7624—the version of the “Spectrum Innovation Act” approved […]