The Federal Communications Commission opened a Notice of Inquiry into next-generation 911 services. The NOI seeks comment on how to include new communications forms, including Internet-protocol based communications and wireless communications.
More than 650,000 911 calls are made daily, and nearly 70% of those calls come from mobile devices. “Right now you can’t text 911,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, noting that during the Virginia Tech school shootings, some people texted 911 but the texts never went through because the technology isn’t available.
The FCC is seeking comment on how to include SMS, instant messaging, photos, video, real-time text and telemetry. The commission also is wondering how to incorporate device-initiated services, such as highway cameras, security cameras and personal medical devices, enabling these types of devices to call 911 in an emergency. In addition NG 911 networks could include auxiliary data such as a caller’s personal medical history and information about the location of the call, such as whether it is a business or home.
Concerns that need to be addressed include interoperability with legacy 911 systems; liability concerns; privacy and security concerns; network and data concerns; consumer education; whether the FCC has jurisdiction in these areas and how to coordinate between the federal, state and local governments.
Finally, the NOI seeks comment on how next-generation networks would work for people with disabilities and non-English speaking people.
FCC seeks comment on next-generation 911
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