Legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would establish the Office of Public Safety Communications.
The Public Safety Communications Act would amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Organization Act to create an Office of Public Safety Communications. The office would be responsible for evaluating public safety communications matters for Congress, communicating public safety policies to public and private entities, and
administering the grant programs associated with the Next Generation 911 technologies.
“As the wife of a first responder, I know how important public safety communications are to law enforcement and emergency response personnel,” U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL), who introduced the bill, said. “New technologies are emerging daily that can help to improve the work of our first responders, which is why coordination is critical. I know this is a bipartisan effort that should garner support on both sides of the aisle and I look forward to welcoming my colleagues to join this legislation.”
An Public Safety Communications associate administrator would head the office. The administrator would be a career appointee who would report to the NTIA assistant secretary. The appointee also would advise the assistant secretary.
The bill was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.