Next Generation 911

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) within the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) within the U.S. Department of Transportation are responsible for the joint 911 Implementation and Coordination Office (ICO). The ICO is required to facilitate coordination and communications among public and private stakeholders at local, state, tribal, federal, and national levels; administer a grant program for the benefit of 911 call centers across the country; and author or consult on several reports to Congress.

NG911 Background

For more than 40 years, 911 systems have served the needs of the public in emergencies. As communication technologies have evolved to include wireless phones, text and picture messaging, video chat, social media, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) devices, the public expects that 911 services will also be able to accept information from these communication methods. While efforts are underway across the nation to enable call centers to accept text messages, the future success of 911 in serving the public's needs will only be possible when Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) have transitioned to an Internet Protocol (IP)-based 911 system, commonly referred to as Next Generation 911 or NG911.

NG911 will enhance emergency number services by creating a faster, more resilient system that allows digital information (e.g., voice, photos, videos, text messages) to flow seamlessly from the public, through the 911 network and eventually, directly to first responders. It will also enable 911 call centers to transfer 911 calls to other call centers, and help them deal with call overload, disasters, and day-to-day transfer of 911 calls to other jurisdictions.

Grant Program Background

As authorized by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Act), NTIA and NHTSA awarded $109,250,000 of new funding for a grant program to upgrade public safety answering points (PSAPs) to NG911 capabilities. Applications for the 911 Grant Program were due on April 2, 2019, and a full description of the program requirements is provided in the 911 Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Specifically, the 911 Grant Program will provide financial assistance to PSAPs to help fund their migration to IP-enabled emergency networks; adoption of NG911 services and applications, interconnection with emergency response organizations; and training of public safety personnel in 911 services.

As part of the development of the 911 Grant Program, NTIA and NHTSA developed and submitted the following Management Plan to Congress.

The following is the list of State and Tribal Grant Recipients. For more information on the 911 Grant Program, please visit www.911.gov.

For updated information on reporting obligations for the NG911 Grant Program, please see this guidance.

In July 2021, NTIA released an infographic detailing progress made by grantees through September 30, 2020.

*Denotes supplemental award included.

To subscribe to 911 Grant Program updates, please sign up at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOTNHTSA911/subscriber/new

NTIA’s 911 Program Contact:
Yuki Miyamoto
202-657-9660
ymiyamoto@ntia.doc.gov

NHTSA’s 911 Program Contact:
Laurie Flaherty
202-366-2705
Laurie.Flaherty@dot.gov