House subcommittee holds hearing to examine the nation’s 911 networks

The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing last week to examine the nation’s 911 networks and any weaknesses that may exist within the system itself.

The purpose of the hearing, titled Realizing Nationwide Next-Generation 911, was to examine if the nation’s 911 system is keeping pace with the next-generation innovations of voice, data, and video capabilities.

“Today we all carry devices that allow us to communicate by voice, by text, by email, and by video,” full Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) said. “And now that we are at the threshold of deployment of FirstNet, our nation’s first responders will have a dedicated network to do the same. But our 911 networks, which are based on the technologies of the past, do not provide a seamless connection between the two.”

The hearing featured testimony from Barry Ritter, executive director of the State 911 Board for Indiana, who stressed the importance of public-private partnerships and stated that funding alone was not enough to achieve next-generation 911 (NG911) capabilities.

“Leadership, collaboration and cooperation between local, state and federal government – and between industry partners and industry associations is also a must,” Ritter said.

Speaking on behalf of the Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies, Mary Boyd, VP of regulatory, policy and external affairs at West Safety Services, testified that the nation could not continue to let 911 fall behind. Funding for the accelerated implementation of NG911 services across the United States would provide significant benefits and improved security and emergency services for the public and underserved populations, she said.

“Realizing NG911 services throughout the nation is critical, but as with any large-scale transition there are challenges that must be overcome,” Subcommittee Chairwoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said. “…We should recognize that this transition is underway and these challenges are not insurmountable.”