NTIA and NHTSA Annual Report to Congress on Next Generation 911 Activities

We are pleased to submit this letter as the annual report on the activities of the Implementation Coordination Office (ICO) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), pursuant to Section 6503 of the Next Generation 911 Advancement Act of 2012, Pub. L. 112-96, Title VI, Subtitle E, codified at 47 U.S.C. § 942(a)(4).1 The ICO provides national leadership and coordination of stakeholder efforts to develop comprehensive and technologically enhanced 911 (E9l l) and next generation 911 (NG911) services. The ICO also develops, collects, and disseminates practices and procedures used in the implementation of E911 services and administers a grant program specifically for the benefit of 9ll Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs).

In August of 2019, the ICO awarded a total of $109,250,000 in grant funds to 33 States, the District of Columbia, and two Tribal Organizations.2 During fiscal year 2020, NHTSA and NTIA supported the grantees as they began implementing their grant-funded projects.

The ICO held webinars to provide guidance on the grant program and also met with each grantee to discuss their project plans. Grantees were also selected for additional monitoring activities. These grant-funded projects are focused on the migration of PSAPs to IP-enabled emergency networks, adoption of NG91l services and applications, interconnection with emergency response organizations, and training of public safety personnel in 911 services. NHTSA and NTIA are committed to supporting 911 as a vital service to maintain the security and safety of the American people and will continue working toward greater coordination and communications among Federal, State, local, and Tribal emergency communications systems.

If we can provide further information or assistance, please feel free to contact us. We have sent copies of this report to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce; the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations; and to the Co-Chairs of the Next Generation 911 Caucus.

/s/James C. Owens                                             /s/Adam Candeub
Deputy Administrator                                          Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  for Communications and Information 
                                                                            and Administrator
                                                                            National Telecommunications and
                                                                            Information Administration

1 47 U.S.C. § 942(a)(4).
2 See NHTSA and NTIA, Press Release, Departments of Commerce and Transportation Announce $109 Million in Grants to Modernize 911 Services for States and Tribal Nations (Aug. 9, 2019), available at  https://www.911.gov/pdf/911-Grant-Program-Awards-Press-Release-Aug- 2019.pdf.