Tech issues continue to haunt 911 systems
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By
Chris Teale
Many still operate using outdated technology and are prone to cyberattacks, leading advocates and lawmakers to call for more funding to make up the shortfall.
A recent report by the Idaho Legislature’s Joint Legislative Oversight Committee called for the creation of a statewide 911 program amid rising costs and aging technology.
The report warned that the state’s call centers and call-handling systems are expected to reach their end of life within the next two years, while its radio systems are not far behind. And while many states are transitioning to Next Generation 911, an internet-based system known as NG911 that allows for text, photo and video messaging, as well as better location detection, among other upgrades, the system is not ready for that change and not funded appropriately. Idaho relies on a $1 monthly phone line fee to fund its local 911 systems.
“Legacy routing systems were not designed for widespread wireless phone use, even though most 911 calls now originate from wireless phones, resulting in misrouted calls,” the report says. “NG911 improves routing accuracy but also introduces new and ongoing costs, including network infrastructure, cybersecurity, updated mapping, and vendor core services. Many of these costs did not exist when the 911 fee was established.”
Fragile tech systems have emerged as one of the biggest issues in 911 emergency calling and dispatching, and they have shown few signs of going away. A report last year from emergency communications and response platform Carbyne, and NENA: The 9-1-1 Association, a trade group for 911 professionals, found that 88% of emergency call centers had experienced a tech outage in the last year, up from 75% the year before. Nine percent reported being subject to a cyberattack.
“There’s no question: the fragility of current emergency communications infrastructure is putting lives at risk,” Carbyne CEO Amir Elichai said in a statement at the time. “What’s clear from this year’s report is that 911 professionals are doing everything they can — but they need modern, resilient systems to back them up.”
Those involved in public safety said a lot of states and emergency centers have taken steps to upgrade their systems, but even just being in a transition period from the old systems to new is a challenge. Further transitioning must be handled carefully, they said.
“We have taken lots of tremendous strides in bolstering our 911 system, and I think we're at a turning point here with 911 because the 911 system is also, when you think about it, an outdated system, and it's also subject to vulnerabilities, and you're also in transition,” Zenji Nakazawa, the Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security bureau chief, said during a panel discussion at the National League of Cities’ Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C. earlier this month. “It's like a crab that's sort of molting; it's in that halfway period between what we have currently today, the legacy systems, versus the future NG911, and that is a really sensitive time period for us.”
Upgrading 911 technology is a daunting prospect, however. In a 2018 report to Congress, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated it would cost between $9.5 and $12.7 billion over 10 years to expand NG911 capabilities to every call center nationwide.
Lawmakers have tried to tackle the issue, but they face a long road ahead. Bipartisan, bicameral legislation introduced this month would provide grant funding to state and local governments to upgrade and modernize their 911 systems. And another bill would instruct the Department of Interior to study the costs of deploying NG911 on land controlled by the National Park Service at existing communications centers.
“We have waited too long for this deployment, and we need Congress to act now to ensure that every American, no matter where they are, has access to life-saving emergency response during their time of need,” NENA Board President Lee Ann Magoski said in written testimony before a House subcommittee this month.
Technology is changing so rapidly, however, that some worry about obsolescence almost as soon as they have upgraded their systems. And with cyberattacks sure to multiply, especially from nation-state actors determined to cripple critical infrastructure, it is a troubling time.
“It’s happening so fast I’m afraid we’re going to miss something,” Renee Gordon, Alexandria, Virginia’s director of emergency and customer communications, said during the NLC panel discussion.