News
Nation’s 9-1-1 Leaders Welcome FCC Action to Accelerate Next Generation 9-1-1
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Posted by: Chris Nussman
The following is a statement by Jonathan Gilad, Director of Government Affairs at NENA: The 9-1-1 Association, regarding the FCC’s approval today of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would advance the implementation of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) services across the United States:
On behalf of the hard-working people of America’s 9-1-1 emergency call centers, NENA applauds the FCC’s approval of this NPRM, which would lead to clearer NG911 service requirements for all telecom service providers. We have long advocated for a fair and workable regulatory framework that would require all entities involved in a 9-1-1 call to provide end-to-end NG9-1-1 capabilities by a date certain. This rulemaking ultimately will accelerate the provision of faster, more accurate emergency response services and help eliminate the costly maintenance of legacy 9-1-1 systems. We look forward to working with the Commission and all parties in developing such a framework under the proposed rulemaking.
NENA Statement on Recent Increase in Accidental 9-1-1 Calls
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Posted by: Chris Nussman
NENA is aware of an increase in accidental 9-1-1 calls recently, receiving reports from agencies across North America that call volume has increased this week by as much as 30% in some places. We have received similar reports from agencies in Europe.
NENA understands that a major factor in this spike is related to recent interface updates to certain Android phones. We have been informed that by mid-June major Android handset vendors will have completed rolling out updates to address this issue.
The public is reminded to help 9-1-1 services by:
Not abandoning accidental calls; and
Not hanging up if your phone accidentally dials 9-1-1 and informing the 9-1-1 professional that you do not have an emergency.
If your phone accidentally dials 9-1-1 and you do hang up, local 9-1-1 services will likely attempt to contact you to confirm if there is an emergency. If they call, answer the phone and inform the 9-1-1 professional that you do not have an emergency.
If you abandon a 9-1-1 call and do not respond to a callback, 9-1-1 has to assume that there is an emergency. Then, they may be required to send field responders to your location for a welfare check. This consumes essential responder resources, so, please don't abandon a 9-1-1 call, even if it is placed accidentally.