Congress needs to step up and champion next-generation 911 (NG911)

But video and images are just the beginning of the NG911 experience. As mentioned above, this technology will enable the rerouting of emergency calls to another 911 center when a natural or man-made disaster has rendered a 911 center inoperable, inaccessible or uninhabitable. NG911 will enable 911 centers to share emergency call data with each other. NG911 systems will do all of this automatically and in real time—something that cannot be accomplished with legacy 911 systems.

Further, NG911 systems will enable text-based communications between emergency callers and 911 centers when making a voice call would be unsafe, such as in the event of a home invasion or active-shooter incident. Yet another example of NG911 functionality addresses concerns long held by the deaf and hard-of-hearing community regarding the ability to access 911 services directly. This technology not only will enable direct access, but it also will enhance the 911 center’s ability to conference in a sign-language interpreter through video relay.

Clearly, the nation’s 911 centers need NG911 now. And what NG911 needs right now is for Congress to become its champion and make implementation a national priority. Admittedly, it won’t be easy for Congress to find the money. But that’s exactly what was said more than a decade ago about a nationwide broadband network for first responders. And as Congress ultimately proved, where there is a will, there is a way. Let’s hope that history repeats itself.

Nancy Pollock is a senior consultant for Mission Critical Partners, a public-safety-communications consulting firm headquartered in Port Matilda, Pennsylvania. She can be reached at [email protected].