February 27, 2013— The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) submitted a Report to Congress pursuant to Section 6509 of the Next Generation 9-1-1 Advancement Act of 2012 (NG911 Act) entitled: Legal and Regulatory Framework for Next Generation 911 Services. The report, developed by FCC staff in the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, provides recommendations to build the necessary legal and regulatory infrastructure to support states, public safety answering points (PSAPs) and service providers, as they transition from legacy 911 to NG911. Primary recommendations to Congress include:
- Incentivize states to become “early adopters” of NG911 through challenge grants and other competitive funding programs.
- While NG911 deployment should be governed at the state and local level, Congress should promote standards, such as ensuring “NG911 [is] fully accessible to people with disabilities”, through continued regulation and outreach efforts.
- Promote the development of location technologies that can support all NG911 applications on all networks and devices.
- Evaluate and, where appropriate, eliminate state legacy regulations that impede the deployment of NG911 and ensure the inclusion of regulations that provides accessibility to NG911 services for all individuals, including those with disabilities.
- Support an advisory board that evaluates the enhancement and utilization of technologies that facilitate communication between public safety services and individuals with disabilities.
