National 911 Progress Report provides unprecedented insight into state 911 operational and financial data

Significant percentage of 911 calls are from cellular phones

This is no big surprise, but states reported that 70% of calls placed to 911 in 2013 were through a cellular phone, as the nation continues to embrace technology in the digital age. 

This also serves as important demographic data for 911 stakeholders’ and policymakers’ consideration when identifying future emergency-communication needs, like the implementation of text-to-911.

The source of the remaining 911 calls in the nation breaks down as follows:

• Wireline – 25%
• Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – 2%
• Telematic or other – 1.3%
• Multi-line Telephone System (MLTS) – 0.6%

State 911 costs and revenues are as varied, as expected

The 60-plus data points states submitted to the database included financial information detailing the amount and source of revenue to fund 911 services. As with the number of 911 calls placed, the range of total revenue among states is vast and does not take population into account.

Some states reported funding systems in place with total 911 revenues equaling total 911 authority costs. This balance takes into account the average funds collected per person, the cost per call and number of calls per person. Conversely a  number of states reported significantly higher costs than revenues.

Revenue sources aren’t always clear

The source of revenue proved to be a difficult piece of information for states to submit, due to discrepancy in financial reporting periods, insufficient jurisdiction to collect financial data at the county or local level, and a lack of general information available from state, county and municipal governments. Taking note of the challenges that some states and territories faced in collecting this data is useful information in itself; it may be helpful in finding ways to overcome barriers and facilitating an environment of partnership and collaboration.

That said, the participating states were able to report the following sources of annual revenue:

• Unknown or unspecified source – 55%
• Wireless surcharge – 19%
• Wireline surcharge – 16%
• Prepaid charge – 10%

911 system management varies greatly state-by-state

Also available now is a breakdown of the number of sub-state 911 authorities within reporting states. According to the report, 911 authorities are not synonymous with PSAPs; instead, they are the organizations and agencies responsible for providing 911 services that are responsible for managing call centers. These entities are typically a “county, parish, municipality, Council of Government, or special 911 or emergency communications district authority.”

The graphic (Figure 2) demonstrates the significant differences in the number of sub-state management agencies for 911 services. Of the 38 states that responded, approximately one-third of states had no sub-state 911 Authority, while seven identified as having 100 or more sub-state authorities.

Figure 2: Total number of sub-state 911 authorities in a state

Looking to the Future

All 50 states and 6 territories were invited to submit 2013 data, ranging from the number and type of 911 calls they receive each year to the percentage of NG911 systems that were operational in September 2014.

This week, NASNA members and 911 state administrators are in the process of submitting 2014 data, and a reporting of that data is expected later this year. Submissions will be accepted until July 3, 2015.

This ongoing commitment by both NASNA and the National 911 Program to collect data on an annual basis confirms the importance of the effort and the 911 community’s need for information to make educated, data-driven decisions to strengthen 911 services across the nation.

To learn more about the National 911 Profile database effort and the most recent report, visit 911.gov.

Harriet Miller-Brown is president of the National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA).