Next Generation 911 (NG911)

November 2016 – The Wireless RERC published a research brief summarizing the results of a study of 9-1-1 policies at the state and local levels in relation to text-to-911 and next generation 9-1-1 (NG911) deployments in the United States. The brief is a high-level summary of state emergency communications offices and public-safety answering point (PSAP) policies regarding text-to-911 and/or NG911 as it relates to people with disabilities’ access to emergency services.

October 2014 – The FCC announced it will host a forum next month promoting accessibility in wireless emergency communications. The event will allow industry and emergency communications specialists the opportunity to present innovations in services, emergency, assistive and accessible technologies that increase information and communications access in the event of an emergency.

May 2014 – The Wireless RERC filed reply comments to the FCC’s Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding Facilitating the Deployment of Text-to911 and Other Next Generation 911 Applications. In accord with Sprint’s comments, the Wireless RERC agreed that, while relay service providers perform a valuable role in providing telecommunications access for people with disabilities, within the context of 911 calls relay services are not ideal.

July 2013 —The Emergency Access Advisory Committee (EAAC) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a report outlining “gaps in NENA i3 NG9-1-1 specifications related to EAAC Accessibility reports.” The report reviews the NENA Functional and Interface Standards for Next Generations 9-1-1 (NENA i3), a document widely used in the development of NG9-1-1, and notes that certain gaps in the NENA i3 may prevent accessibility within NG9-1-1.  Specifically, the EAAC notes that future versions of NENA i3 need to address many items, including the need for standards to address e

June 2013 — Wireless RERC principal investigator, Dr. Helena Mitchell, presented 9-1-1 & Alert Trends for People with Disabilities at the National Emergency Number Associations’ (NENA) annual conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. NENA’s educational tracks, among other things, addressed NG911, accessibility, text-to-911, public outreach, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS).