NTIA, NHTSA Reveal $110M in NG911 Upgrade Grants

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The U.S. Commerce and Transportation Departments unveiled an up to $110 million grant program to help states, territories and tribal organizations and the District of Columbia upgrade to next generation 911 technologies. The program is jointly administered by the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Today, 70 to 80 percent of all 911 calls are placed from wireless phones, but most 911 call centers rely on decades-old networks capable of carrying only voice calls and limited amounts of data, according to NTIA and NHTSA. The call centers have not kept pace with advances in consumer technology, and as a result cannot support callers who want to send text messages, images, video, and other communications that use large amounts of data. The funds will help localities upgrade their 911 services for IP-based, broadband-enabled backbone to coordinate emergency responses.

Read the final rules here. Information on how to apply for grants will be released in a further notice.

August 7, 2018

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