Little Progress Made in Funding Move to Next-Generation 911, FCC Task Force Told
Congress has done nothing to support next-generation 911 since the FCC Task Force on Optimal Public Safety Answering Point Architecture (TFOPA) released its final report in January, said Philip Jones, a utility regulator from Washington state. Jones chairs Working Group 3-Optimal Resource Allocation. TFOPA held its first meeting since approving the report (see 1601290051). The group plans to delve deeper into issues raised last year, FCC and TFOPA officials said Friday.
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FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler spoke to TFOPA at its January meeting, saying the U.S. was “not cutting it as a nation on 911.” Jones said the Senate Commerce Committee has discussed NG-911, though there was little activity in the House. “Nothing has happened, no bill on NG-911, unfortunately,” he said. Wheeler has been “quite active” in his outreach to Congress on the issue, Jones said.
A few states also have looked at NG-911 funding in recent months, Jones said. For example, Nebraska enacted a law calling for the state Public Service Commission to “coordinate a consistent and rational 911 plan for the entire state,” appoint a state director and work with the legislature on funding, he said. Jones said in his state, legislation restored $5.7 million in funding for NG-911 that had been diverted to pay for other state costs. Another emerging issue is that in some cases, prepaid wireless subscribers aren't paying monthly fees dedicated to funding 911, Jones said. “There are allegations of significant underfunding.”
Public Safety Bureau Deputy Chief David Furth said the report is an important document, which Wheeler circulated on Capitol Hill and the FCC shared with the states. “I’ve actually spent a fair amount of time over the last couple of months going through it and trying to glean all of the really important bits of information that are contained,” Furth said. “We really see it at the commission as a cornerstone for 911, and making the PSAPs capable of providing the best possible service in this report.”
Furth said the FCC has devised goals for the year. Working Group 1-Optimal Approach to Cybersecurity for PSAPs will look at emergency communications cybersecurity centers (EC3) and what operations and costs might look like in different jurisdictions, he said. The group also will delve deeper into identity credentialing and access management “and how that will be incorporated into the EC3 environment,” Furth said.
Working Group 2-Optimal 911 Service Architecture will develop a “scorecard” so PSAPs can track the factors that will make them NG-911 ready, Furth said. The group also will look at workforce training and education issues in an NG-911 world and also develop a practical guide for states and other jurisdictions to use when they provide NG-911 core services, he said. Working Group 3 will develop a funding sustainment model “to help states and 911 authorities understand their financial needs in transitioning to NG-911,” Furth said.
TFOPA Chairman Steve Souder, director of the Department of Public Safety Communications in Fairfax County, Virginia, said the report was welcomed by the troops on the ground, the 911 call takers. “They saw it as meaningful, filling a void that existed,” he said.
Jay English of APCO, chairman of Working Group 1, said one of the goals for 2016 is to get a better view of the likely costs of better cybersecurity for PSAPs. “We took a best guess approach at the pricing” in the January report, he said. “We'd like to drill down to the next level and find out what this looks like if implemented at a state or a regional or a local level, what the options are and what some of the potential related costs are.” The task force will also look more closely at workforce training, English said. “Cybersecurity is one of those areas where simple neglect results in disastrous outcomes.”
Jones, who has been one of the most active of TFOPA members, told other members he will leave the task force in coming weeks. Tim Schram, a member of the Nebraska Public Service Commission, is expected to be his replacement to represent NARUC on TFOPA, Jones said.