Recently, the Next Generation 9-1-1 Act of 2023, which provides critical Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) funding, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC 9) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA 16).
The Next Generation 9-1-1 Act of 2023 (H.R. 1784) reflects a bipartisan and bicameral agreement reached in the last session of Congress that would have allocated $15 billion from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) spectrum-auction revenues to fund NG9-1-1 deployments nationwide. Leading 9-1-1 industry voices, including NENA, the National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators (NASNA), the Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies (iCert), and others strongly supported this agreement, and they continue to do so. Despite widespread support from the 9-1-1 community, industry, and Congress, this bill was not completed in the 117th Congress.
Unlike the previous bill, the Next Generation 9-1-1 Act of 2023 does not include the spectrum-revenue funding mechanism. However, the widely supported legislative strategy is to have this bill incorporated into a larger spectrum-auction package that Congress needs to complete.
It is imperative that we recruit as many cosponsors of these bills as possible, from both political parties! This will show congressional leadership the depth and breadth of support for this critical legislation, and help convince them that they must incorporate it into the final spectrum agreement.
We need you to write to your Members of the House to cosponsor and support this legislation. A growing body of support will increase its chances of ultimate enactment.
Click here to take action and help ensure passage of the Next Generation 9-1-1 Act of 2023!