We are excited to share that last week the U.S. House called for $10 Billion to support the implementation of Next Generation 9-1-1 in America.
We are excited to share that last week the U.S. House called for $10 Billion to support the implementation of Next Generation 9-1-1 in America. The money will be spent over four years and is a part of a multi trillion dollar budget reconciliation proposal.
The money will be available to the following entities:
It gets even better. The grant program is calling for an additional $100 million to establish a Next Generation 9-1-1 Cybersecurity Center and advisory board. The Cybersecurity Center would work with state and local governments to share information, analyze threats, and prevent attacks. The advisory board would administer the grant and provide recommendations on the implementation of Next Generation 9-1-1 services.
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), a member of the bipartisan Congressional NextGen 911 Caucus mentioned that this is a notable move in the right direction for the future of the industry. She stated how call centers across the country are using legacy systems that have been in place for more than 50 years. She said, “This is unacceptable—we’re the most innovative country in the world, and we’re capable of so much more. Thankfully, we have the opportunity today to make the investments needed to adopt the next generation of public-safety communications.”
The 9-1-1 association NENA tweeted about the news. They said “NENA applauds the inclusion of $10 billion for NG911 in the budget reconciliation bill. This money would enable a transformation of the nation’s 911 system into one that provides smarter, faster, more resilient emergency response. It’s time to upgrade America’s 911 system.”
Public safety is one of the few bipartisan issues and it’s clear Congress is committed to making advancements in a way that everyone can support. Consensus is that the nation’s emergency communication centers need to migrate to an IP-based NG9-1-1 network is exactly what we need to save more lives than ever before!
With government backing on its way, it’ll be wise to begin your research on the organizations out there that can help support the migration from your legacy system to a NG91-1 network. Consider reading our blog post Questions to Ask When Upgrading to NG9-1-1. This will be a great starting point when speaking with Next Generation 9-1-1 providers. We would love to see your community succeed in your migration to NG9-1-1. Please contact us with any questions about the process and our solutions.