Emergency Communications

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.

The research presented in the handout was conducted by the Wireless RERC and funded by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).  It provides the background and results of research activities that examined the effectiveness of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) to provide messages to people with disabilities.  Specifically, the handout includes comparative analyses of the awareness of EAS and WEA messages, the accessibility of the two systems, as well as the types of protective actions taken

The Emergency Lifelines Workshop & Tabletop Summary Report is available.  The workshop, held in Spring 2016 at the Georgia Institute of Technology, hosted forty-four (44) individuals with active leadership roles in emergency communications at the invitation-only event. The event engaged representatives from academic, local, state, and Federal agencies to better understand the needs of individuals with disabilities during emergency situations, whether natural or manmade.

Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP), in collaboration with the Wireless RERC, submitted comments to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) In the Matter of Amendment of Part 11 of the Commission’s Rules Regarding the Emergency Alert System [15-94]; Wireless Emergency Alerts [PS Docket No.