WHAT IS THE NG911 NOW COALITION?
The NG911 Now Coalition is comprised of leading 911 national associations including NASNA, NENA, and iCERT, and is aided by experts in the federal government and academia. The mission of the NG911 NOW Coalition’s is to promote an accelerated implementation of NG911 throughout the nation.
WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THE NG911 NOW COALITION?
By the end of the year 2020, all 911 systems and call centers in all 56 states and territories will have sufficiently funded, standards-based, end-to-end, IP-based 911 capabilities, and will have retired legacy 911 systems, without any degradation in service to the public.
IS THAT GOAL REALISTIC? 2020 IS LESS THAN 4 YEARS AWAY?
The 2020 Goal is certainly aggressive but the need for timely deployment of NG911 is urgent. We believe it can be achieved with the right level of leadership, commitment, and participation from both government and industry.
WHAT IS THE COALITION DOING TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF NG911 BY 2020?
The Coalition has identified five areas that are critical to timely deployment and has identified the issues that are impeding progress. The Coalition established a working group for each of the five focus areas—governance, funding, technology and operations, and education. Each working group focused specifically on the issues that present the greatest barriers to the rapid implementation of NG911. The working groups further developed recommended strategies for eliminating or resolving those issues. These strategies ultimately will coalesce into an Action Plan designed to advance NG911 as quickly as possible. The Gap Analyses and Resolution Strategies report can be accessed at www.NG911NOW.org.
WHAT ARE THE LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES OF THE NG911 NOW COALITION?
Congress has a strong interest in the effectiveness of the nation’s 911 systems, and will certainly have an important role to play in promoting the accelerated deployment of NG911 through its leadership and legislative action, where appropriate. The Coalition is developing a legislative agenda that will build on the Next Generation 9-1-1 Advancement Act of 2012 and its predecessor legislation that established the National 9-1-1 Implementation Coordination Office with authority through Oct. 1, 2022 to implement an NG911 grant program. In addition, it is the intent of legislation to provide greater liability protection and clarity for all participants engaged in the provisioning and use of the 911 system and to further incentivize the deployment of NG911 systems and technologies capable of interfacing with NG911 systems.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
One of the first initiatives the Coalition will undertake is to develop a high-level cost estimate for deploying NG911 across the country based on expert efforts already completed or in progress. This work will inform efforts to identify potential funding sources and develop a legislative agenda that will seek to secure significant funding resources for deployment of NG911 systems. However, make no mistake, the costs of a delayed deployment will be far greater, both in terms of inefficiencies and the foregone opportunities to implement technologies that will vastly improve public safety.
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM THE 911 COMMUNITY?
We want other organizations and individuals to embrace the mission, and adopt the goal. We want the community to work together – with us – and take action as an active advocate for accelerating NG911.
WHAT ARE THE COALITION'S "NEXT STEPS"?
The Coalition seeks input on the entirety of its initial gap analyses, and will adjust its focus as that input is received. Currently, however, we believe that the Coalition’s resources should focus on four initiatives: (1) implementing a legislative strategy that addresses important governance and funding issues; (2) supporting existing initiatives, such as the NG9-1-1 work being undertaken by the FCC and the National 911 Office; (3) developing an education campaign to promote a broader understanding of the benefits of NG9-1-1; and (4) developing alliances with key organizations that can help to accelerate NG9-1-1 implementation.