WASHINGTON-The state of wireless enhanced 911 deployment is difficult to determine because different entities use different standards, said the NGA Center for Best Practices in a paper presented Wednesday to the FCC’s Third Wireless E911 Coordination Initiative.
“The lack of standardization in assessing progress makes it difficult to accurately evaluate where states are in implementation. The Department of Transportation and the National Emergency Number Association have a national database that receives information filed by the wireless carriers on a quarterly basis. However, the total number of public-safety answering points that need to be upgraded is unknown,” reads the paper.
Since E911 deployment is essentially a local activity, the Federal Communications Commission has been trying to work with the National Governors Association to get the governors involved.
The NGA paper represents suggestions for governors on how they can move forward with wireless E911 implementation, but it acknowledges that one of the biggest problems is getting a handle on the problem.
“The Transportation Department database does not differentiate between PSAPs that will require equipment upgrades and those that will not,” said NGA. “It would be difficult to aggregate this state-by-state data and have a true reflection of the current status of implementation. Without this critical assessment, it is [hard] for decision makers to determine where resources should be allocated.”
NGA suggests that governors appoint a statewide coordinator and gives various examples of those that have worked, but warns that the coordinator must have sufficient authority over implementation and budget issues to be effective.
“A state E911 coordinator with little or no authority is not effective. Some states that have statewide coordination have found that if leadership and oversight are lacking, the effort is unsuccessful. This lack of coordination creates other challenges as well, including less-effective use of funding resources and a less-organized approach to providing technical support to PSAPs,” said NGA.
