Text-to-911 adoption is growing, but more work lies ahead, with many state-and-territory deployments not stretching across the entire jurisdiction, emergency number officials told us last week. “We’re absolutely headed in the right direction,” but funding is necessary as well as "many, many 911 centers" and "we need to try to accelerate that,” said NG-911 Institute Executive Director Patrick Halley in an interview. Ahead of most, Maine and Massachusetts completed statewide text-to-911 rollouts this month.
Text-to-911 adoption is growing, but more work lies ahead, with many state-and-territory deployments not stretching across the entire jurisdiction, emergency number officials told us last week. “We’re absolutely headed in the right direction,” but funding is necessary as well as "many, many 911 centers" and "we need to try to accelerate that,” said NG-911 Institute Executive Director Patrick Halley in an interview. Ahead of most, Maine and Massachusetts completed statewide text-to-911 rollouts this month.
Early results of the first nationwide test of the wireless emergency alert system show “uneven” reception, the FCC Public Safety Bureau found from the October test of WEA and the emergency alert system (see 1810030051). Friday's public notice had more details for the EAS test, which wasn't a first, than for the WEA one because wireless test reporting isn't required, unlike for EAS. After surveying emergency communications representatives for most states and national industry associations, we found that officials, too, had better success with EAS tests. The report also squared with government predictions.
Next-generation 911 spending was nearly $200 million, less than 7 percent of total 911 fees collected, with 35 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia reporting such programs in 2017, the FCC reported Wednesday. Sixteen states said they deployed statewide emergency services IP networks (ESInets), 13 reported regional ESInets and 11 said they had local-level ESInets. Respondents said 1,381 public safety answering points were text-capable by the end of 2017 and projected another 1,103 PSAPs would be by year-end 2018. The District and 15 states spent funding on PSAP cybersecurity in 2017, but 30 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands reported they didn’t. States diverted nearly 10 percent of $2.9 billion in 911 fee revenue for unrelated purposes in 2017. For the first time, every jurisdiction responded for this year’s report, so some exact comparisons may not be possible. The FCC flagged Montana, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Rhode Island, West Virginia and the U.S. Virgin Islands as responsible for the $285 million in diverted revenue. Representatives for them didn't comment. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said Commissioner Mike O’Rielly shined a light on the problem. O’Rielly is pleased all responded, saying moving money "short-changes call centers and prevents necessary upgrades.” While NG-911 expenditures are low, that most states have those programs is “a step in the right direction in realizing that we do need to deploy” it, National Emergency Number Association CEO Brian Fontes told us. He expects states participating to rise further this year, noting California’s recent request for proposals and Utah’s RFP a few months ago. PSAP cybersecurity spending is “unfortunately” not universal, the NENA chief said: There’s “a lot of work to be done” there.
A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration final rule streamlines application and review processes for self-driving vehicles. Manufacturers must petition to apply for temporary exemption if a proposed new vehicle doesn’t comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards, it announced. The rule eliminates a provision the agency deem a petition complete before publishing summary notices for comment. It's effective 30 days after Federal Register publication. Also Tuesday, the Department of Transportation sought comment on integration of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications technologies into transportation. It wants feedback, also 30 days after FR publication, on “issues ranging from the use of alternative and emerging communications technologies to support V2X, to the challenges associated with achieving interoperability while accommodating technological change.”
A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration final rule streamlines application and review processes for self-driving vehicles. Manufacturers must petition to apply for temporary exemption if a proposed new vehicle doesn’t comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards, it announced. The rule eliminates a provision the agency deem a petition complete before publishing summary notices for comment. It's effective 30 days after Federal Register publication. Also Tuesday, the Department of Transportation sought comment on integration of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications technologies into transportation. It wants feedback, also 30 days after FR publication, on “issues ranging from the use of alternative and emerging communications technologies to support V2X, to the challenges associated with achieving interoperability while accommodating technological change.”
A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration final rule streamlines application and review processes for self-driving vehicles. Manufacturers must petition to apply for temporary exemption if a proposed new vehicle doesn’t comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards, it announced. The rule eliminates a provision the agency deem a petition complete before publishing summary notices for comment. It's effective 30 days after Federal Register publication. Also Tuesday, the Department of Transportation sought comment on integration of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications technologies into transportation. It wants feedback, also 30 days after FR publication, on “issues ranging from the use of alternative and emerging communications technologies to support V2X, to the challenges associated with achieving interoperability while accommodating technological change.”
States diverted nearly 10 percent of $2.9 billion in 911 fee revenue for unrelated purposes in 2017, the FCC reported Wednesday. For the first time, every jurisdiction responded for this year’s report, so some exact comparisons may not be possible. The FCC flagged Montana, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Rhode Island, West Virginia and the U.S. Virgin Islands as responsible for the $285 million in diverted revenue.
GAO found 26 long-range national security threats as identified by federal agencies, including the possibility adversaries could apply commercially available artificial intelligence to weapons. Other threats in Thursday's report include disrupting IoT-enabled critical infrastructure and devices; “developing autonomous capabilities that could recognize faces, understand gestures, and match voices of U.S. personnel, which could compromise U.S. operations”; and launching cyberattacks against critical and military infrastructure. Threat categories are: Adversaries’ Political and Military Advancements, Dual-Use Technologies, and Weapons, Events and Demographic Changes. DOD, the State and Homeland Security departments and Office of the Director of National Intelligence identified risks, and GAO reviewed national security documents and interviewed officials, it said. DOD told GAO the study provides “an accurate although sobering macro picture of how the US stands in the world against emerging threats.” The report is a public version of a classified one issued Sept. 28.
GAO found 26 long-range national security threats as identified by federal agencies, including the possibility adversaries could apply commercially available artificial intelligence to weapons. Other threats in Thursday's report include disrupting IoT-enabled critical infrastructure and devices; “developing autonomous capabilities that could recognize faces, understand gestures, and match voices of U.S. personnel, which could compromise U.S. operations”; and launching cyberattacks against critical and military infrastructure. Threat categories are: Adversaries’ Political and Military Advancements, Dual-Use Technologies, and Weapons, Events and Demographic Changes. DOD, the State and Homeland Security departments and Office of the Director of National Intelligence identified risks, and GAO reviewed national security documents and interviewed officials, it said. DOD told GAO the study provides “an accurate although sobering macro picture of how the US stands in the world against emerging threats.” The report is a public version of a classified one issued Sept. 28.