President Signs 911 Law, Funding Missing

President Bush has signed the New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008, a move applauded by NENA in a press release as “a significant event.” The law requires VoIP providers to provide full and direct 911 service, provides VoIP providers with certain liability protections for their 911 service, and allows state’s to collect 911 surcharges on the service. The law also sets up planning for a national IP-based 911 network. However, as NENA points out in its press release, the law doesn’t provide funding for any services. “Without adequate funding, our nation’s 9-1-1 systems will continue to fall behind in meeting the increasing challenges presented to them every day,” NENA states.