The Start of FCC Action to Implement NG911

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has officially declared an end to talk about Next Generation 911 (NG911) and the start of action, asking for the first input on how to implement text-to-911 service, both short and long-term, taking into account political, regulatory, funding and technical issues. They also asked for feedback on the necessity of prioritizing 911 telephone calls during serious emergencies, and how it might technically be accomplished. The FCC also asked for input on deadlines for public safety answering points (PSAP) to accept text message 911 “calls,” public education, and how the commission’s work on improved communications for people with disabilities can be accommodated with NG911. In its Report and Order, the FCC makes a distinction between voice, text messages and TTY calls, calling them “primary media types,” and photos and videos, calling them “secondary media types.” The FCC further breaks down text messages into three types: SIP-based pager mode, MSRP messages, and other IP-based protocols, and provides a chart of their capabilities. Download (pdf) the entire Report and Order here.

This FCC chart shows the types of text messaging that might be used in a Next Generation 911 network. The red check marks have been added to show the cons of SMS for 911 emergency messaging.