Next-gen 911 progress lagging, FCC panel says

NEXT-GEN 911 PROGRESS LAGGING, FCC PANEL SAYS
[SOURCE: NetworkWorld, AUTHOR: Brad Reed]
Speakers at the Summit on 911 Call Center Operations and Next Generation 911 Technologies told the Federal Communications Commission that America's next-generation 911 system is "woefully behind" where it needs to be in order to keep up with the deployment of mobile broadband technology. Next-generation 911 is an initiative meant to expand the types of mobile communications that can be received by emergency service providers by equipping Public Safety Access Points (PSAP) with IP connectivity. This way, a person in an emergency situation could contact emergency service providers through traditional voice calls, text messaging or even mobile video. But despite the rapid development of mobile broadband technology in recent years, panelists at the FCC's summit on 911 call center operations Wednesday said that next-generation 911 is not where it should be relative to current technological capabilities. We're unfortunately woefully behind, which leaves us ill-prepared for the next mass-casualty event such as a Hurricane Katrina," said Jim Kohlenberger, the executive director of the Voice on the Net (VON) coalition. "If we're able to connect every school and library to an IP network, we should be able to do the same for every PSAP."
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/020708-next-gen-911.html

* Remarks by FCC Commissioner Tate
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280051A1.doc