Congressional Research Service

In times of crisis, people call 911 to receive emergency assistance. For decades, the 911 system has operated using legacy infrastructure (i.e., telephone calls through the public switched telephone network). In the 2000s, local governments and public safety officials identified the need to keep pace with emerging communications technologies and communication formats that consumers use in daily life (e.g., texts, videos, photos). As such, some public safety answering points (PSAPS, also known as 911 centers) are upgrading their infrastructure to Internet Protocol (IP)-based systems—referred to as Next Generation 911 (NG911). When fully transitioned, NG911 is anticipated to enhance emergency response service, making it easier for the public to report emergency needs and for first responders to receive rich information. This includes multimedia transmissions—such as text messages, streaming video, and photos—directly from the public to PSAPs, which can enhance situational awareness for 911 telecommunicators in dispatching emergency response. Additionally, NG911 allows for interoperability with other PSAPs so that calls can be transferred to other centers for response—for example, in the event of call overload during a disaster—and also for interconnection with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) to seamlessly transfer data directly from PSAPs to first responders in the field.

Congressional Research Service. https://crsreports.congress.gov R48015. 2024. 19p.