FCC Chairman Wheeler says Congress should help fund next-gen 911 rollout, mapping and cybersecurity resources

Wheeler said believes the federal government should have a role in the mapping process.

“The maps our PSAPs use to identify where callers are calling from should not end at the county or state line,” Wheeler said. “The airwaves that carry the vast majority of our emergency messages don’t understand geography, so we shouldn’t be wed to geographic demarcations developed decades ago.

“We have all heard of the tragedy in Georgia, where a woman trapped in a sinking car drowned because her mobile signal was picked up by an antenna in an adjoining PSAP’s territory, and that PSAP did not have the maps that would allow them to locate her. 

“Congress could authorize establishment of a national maps database to ensure that every PSAP has access to the latest and most accurate maps and uses them. As maps increasingly include the third dimension [the vertical—or Z—axis], approaching this issue in a consistent, effective and efficient manner will be money well spent.”

Meanwhile, one of the biggest challenges that public safety faces in the all-IP environment of NG911 is the threat of cyberattacks, which require defense mechanisms that may not be financially or technically practical for smaller PSAPs with limited resources.

“PSAPs are being thrust into the same cyber fight that has proven so challenging to both government and commercial organizations, but without the necessary tools,” Wheeler said. “The simple truth is that PSAPs—particularly smaller PSAPs—are not well resourced to address this fight and, in many cases, cannot afford to face it alone.

“One way to help PSAPs protect themselves against cyberattack would be for Congress to incent the development and use of shared Security Operations Centers supporting multiple PSAPs. We need to think creatively about coordinating our cyber defenses to leverage expertise as broadly as possible so that all our PSAPs have access to tools to protect themselves.”

In addition to 911-related issues, Wheeler said public safety should utilize spectrum-sharing technologies that represent “a tremendous opportunity to take advantage of new capabilities to deliver substantial and meaningful benefits to all of our communities.”