iCERT offers NG911 funding input to Senate

The Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies (iCERT)—a key association of 911 vendors—expressed support for $15 billion in federal funding of next-generation 911 (NG911) deployments throughout the U.S., as well as borrowing authority to ensure that monies are available quickly.

In a letter to Senate leaders dated yesterday, iCERT Executive Director George Kelemen states that H.R. 7624—the Spectrum Innovation Act passed by the House in July—“largely satisfied” the six key requirements that a consensus of national organizations cited as necessary. Under that bill, up to $10 billion in NG911 funding would come from proceeds of a proposed auction of 200 MHz of spectrum between 3.1 GHz and 3.45 GHz.

However, the iCERT letter also expresses support for two Public Safety Next Generation 911 Coalition proposals that would increase the total funding amount to $15 billion, as well as establish borrowing authority to ensure that public-safety answering points (PSAPs) would benefit from the funding sooner.

“First, the legislation should provide sufficient funding to ensure that all areas of the country are fully implemented,” according to the iCERT letter signed by Kelemen. “Based on available cost estimates, iCERT believes that an additional $15 billion is required to achieve full nationwide deployment of NG911.

“Second, funding must start to become available within the next few years. While iCERT understands the challenges associated with funding NG911 through future spectrum auctions, there are significant risks in further delaying the deployment of NG911. Consequently, as the Coalition recommends, we urge the Senate to include borrowing-authority provisions in the bill that would allow NG911 grant funding to begin prior to completion of the requisite auctions.”

At the heart of the Spectrum Innovation Act is language that would extend the FCC’s authority to conduct spectrum auctions, which have generated hundreds of billions of dollars for the U.S. Treasury during past three decades. The FCC’s auction authority was due to expire on Sept. 30, but it was extended temporarily to Dec. 16 as part of the legislative moves that prevented a government shutdown.

Congress will have to wait to consider legislation until the mid-term elections are completed in two weeks. After that, federal lawmakers are scheduled to return to Capitol Hill to conduct a “lame-duck” session that is set to end in December. Typically, the results of the mid-term elections greatly influence the strategies employed by both Democrats and Republicans during the lame-duck session, according to Beltway sources.

Any legislation that is not passed in this Congress would have to be reintroduced in the next Congress, which likely would mean a significant delay of several months to get a bill passed.

The House-approved Spectrum Innovation Act would extend the FCC’s auction authority for 18 months and require the FCC to auction spectrum in the 3.1-3.45 GHz band, with $3.4 billion in proceeds from the auction being dedicated to fully funding the “rip and replace” program that is designed to remove telecom gear from China-based Huawei and ZTE from U.S. networks. Another $10 billion from the auction—if available—would be used to help fund the transition from legacy 911 systems to IP-based NG911 technology throughout the nation.

This uncertainty about when federal funding would be available in several years—if at all—is a major reason why the Public Safety Next Generation 911 Coalition and iCERT are seeking immediate borrowing power to enable quick access to funding. Precedent for such borrowing authority exists, as the FirstNet Authority was allowed to borrow up to $2 billion of its authorized $7 billion while awaiting full funding via FCC auction proceeds.

This iCERT letter is the latest written input from key 911 organizations provided to Senate leaders about potential NG911 funding from the federal government, which historically has left 911 financial matters to state and local governments.

In addition to the aforementioned proposals from the Public Safety Next Generation 911 Coalition, the Senate has received letters from the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), the National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA) that recommend what features should be included in potential NG911 funding legislation.

All four of these groups support the notion of federal funding that would help ensure that all PSAPs nationwide have the financial resources necessary to make the transition to NG911 technology. However, there are significant differences between the groups on many key details of potential legislation.

In terms of administration of a potential NG911 grant program, the Spectrum Innovation Act calls for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)—the government organization that oversees the FirstNet Authority—to run the program.

NENA and NASNA both called for changes in administrative portions of Spectrum Innovation Act., such as significant role for the 911 Implementation and Coordination Office—a joint effort of the National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)—instead of having the NTIA administer the grant program on its own.

In addition, the Spectrum Innovation Act would establish a new NG911 cybersecurity center, while NENA and NASNA have asked that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency continue its 911 cybersecurity role.

Meanwhile, the Public Safety Next Generation 911 Coalition was the first organization to ask Senate leaders to allocate $15 billion for NG911 funding, instead of the $10 billion for NG911 that is included in the Spectrum Innovation Act passed by the House.

While the cost study funded by the 911 Implementation and Coordination Office calls for federal funding between $9 billion and $12 billion, industry sources have noted that those estimate are based on data that is more than five years old. The Public Safety Next Generation 911 Coalition noted the need for additional money above the proposed $10 billion figure to properly fund cybersecurity efforts and training for 911 staffers on the new NG911 technology.

During the past several months, many industry sources have noted the impact that inflationary pressures are having on aspects of the U.S. economy, making the $15 billion figure seem more realistic in future years—and even causing some to note that a figure closer to $20 billion might be more appropriate.

Whatever the final figure, Kelemen cited the urgent need for Congress to pass legislation that would provide federal dollars to fund the transition from legacy 911 technology to an IP-based NG911 platform that can accept modern voice, text, data and video communications from people seeking emergency help.

“Our nation’s emergency response systems are vital to public safety, and our communities deserve the most advanced systems possible,” according to the iCERT letter. “Anything less places the public, our communities, and our nation at risk. iCERT urges you to work with your colleagues in Congress to act promptly to pass legislation that would provide critical funding for NG911.”