NENA Urges ‘Stimulus’ For Public Safety Tech

The chief executive officer of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) has written a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to consider funding 911 technology projects as part of the economic stimulus legislation now being considered. “There can be no more critical infrastructure than the 9-1-1 systems relied on by the public and the emergency communications systems used by those responding to emergencies,” Brian Fontes wrote. He urged them to, “place a clear priority in the economic stimulus legislation on the need for investment in infrastructure and access” to a wide range of services and networks, including an IP backbone that would be used for a Next Generation 911 (NG911) network. NENA’s request for funding is among scores being funneled to Congress from a wide range of industries, including a remarkable $5 billion request from Penthouse publisher Larry Flynt on behalf of the porn industry. Download (pdf) Fontes’ letter here.