Major Initiatives > Next Generation 9-1-1 > Current Activities

Summary of Responses to Next Generation 9-1-1 Request for Information

Synopsis

On February 17, 2005, the USDOT published a request for information (RFI) to solicit comments on 8 questions about the Department’s Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) Initiative. USDOT received 32 response submissions. All responders supported the concept of NG9-1-1 and most explicitly endorsed federal initiatives to develop and implement NG9-1-1 in cooperation with other public and private stakeholders. Most expressed a willingness to participate as partners in federally-sponsored NG9-1-1 activities.

Responders by Category

USDOT received 32 responses to the RFI from 9-1-1 organizations and related industries, communications technology and service providers, information technology research and implementation organizations, and other professional associations. The responses are categorized in Table 1 below; each response is categorized only once, although some responders could appropriately be listed under multiple categories. Moreover, some responses comprised the views of multiple entities; these are also treated as a single response. The full listing of responders and other signatories are provided in Appendix A.

Table 1. RFI Responses by Category

The perspectives of the 9-1-1 service providers and related equipment and service providers were well represented in the RFI responses. The views of other technology providers and systems integrators were also adequately represented. There was a notable lack of responses by communications service providers. There were no responses from local exchange carriers or VoIP providers and only one response from a wireless carrier.

Responses to RFI Questions

Overall, there was a great deal of commonality in the answers provided by the responders to the questions posed in the RFI and many responders reëmphasized the NG9-1-1 Initiative concept, approach and relevant on-going activities identified by USDOT in the RFI. Answers to the questions are summarized below along with relevant context information.

Question 1: What are the critical issues that need to be addressed to enable the deployment of advanced 9-1-1 capabilities?

Number of responses: 29. Funding, governance, and open standards were common themes among many responders. A few responders noted that the nature and capabilities of new technologies raise the issue of a “new paradigm” for 9-1-1 – number of PSAPs needed, combining emergency call-taking and alerting responsibilities, and ultimately, the need for a new definition of “9-1-1.” Critical issues identified by the responders are summarized in Table 2 below.

Table 2. Critical Issues for Advanced 9-1-1 Capabilities

Question 2: What data are currently available to quantify the expected benefits, user acceptance, and costs of providing NG9-1-1 services?

Many responders did not respond to this question, provided commentary without citing data sources or findings, or stated that such data do not currently exist. Potential sources of data identified by a few responders include NENA’s PSAP readiness database and the results of its Strategic Wireless Action Team in 2003; FCC’s NRIC VII, and on-going prototype demonstration projects and field tests.

Question 3: What new areas of research, development or analysis would be required to support the NG9-1-1 Initiative?

Number of responses: 18. Many of the answers to Question 3 are correlated with those for Question 1 or were restatements of the Question 1 responses and are organized similarly in Table 3 below. A common theme was the need for field demonstrations to address institutional, operational, and technical needs in a comprehensive manner.

Table 3. Research, Development and Analysis Needs

Question 4: What activities should be initiated to hasten the development and deployment of advanced 9-1-1 systems?

Number of responses: 20. Once again, many of the response were restatements of the answers to Questions 1 and 3. These are presented in Table 4 below.

Table 4. Activities to Accelerated Advanced 9-1-1 Development and Deployment

Question 5: What other significant initiatives, programs, or deployments related to NG9-1-1 warrant USDOT attention

Number of responses: 20. Many of the responders reëmphasized the on-going 9-1-1 activities identified in the RFI, including FCC’s Seventh Network Reliability and Interoperability Council (NRIC VII), NENA’s Future Path Plan and Next Generation E9-1-1 activities, and Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) Emergency Services Interconnection Forum (ESIF) standards work. Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) working groups (geopriv and ecrit) were cited by many responders.

Other initiatives or projects cited at least once were: 511; Highway Watch; EAS; EDXL;3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP); SAFECOM; eGov Disaster Management; National Emergency and Alerting Response System (NEARS); DHS National Incident Management System; ATIS "Next Generation Network" (NGN) Focus Group; National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee; Mayday/911 Field Operational Test in Minnesota; Harris County ACN project; Alabama ACN project; Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s SensorNet; APCO Project 36; and Open Geospatial Consortium Interoperability Program.

Question 6: What specific agencies/organizations/entities are essential to the development of a comprehensive transition and implementation plan to NG9-1-1

Number of responses: 23. Responders answered with a mix of general categories, specific types of organizations, and specific, named entities. These are categorized and listed in Table 5 below. When viewed comprehensively in Table 5, this distribution of organizations is comparable to that of FCC’s NRIC VII and DOT’s Wireless E9-1-1 Initiative Steering Group.

Table 5. Organizations Essential to Development of NG9-1-1 Transition and Implementation Plan

Question 7: What is the proper forum for carrying out the necessary engagement of the various stakeholders and how might the USDOT establish that forum?

Number of responses: 23. In general, the responders believe that the stakeholders are now engaged in IP-related 9-1-1 forums. As indicated in the replies to earlier questions, responders indicated that a number of existing forums are essential to NG9-1-1 process including NENA’s Future Path Plan and NGE9-1-1 Initiative, FCC’s VII, and ATIS/ESIF and IETF standards activities. The need for federal leadership was identified by many; similarly, many noted that any federal initiative should not duplicate the on-going efforts noted earlier. The identified functions that federal forums could support include: national coordination, especially among State-level organizations; information clearinghouse; continuing framework for stakeholder advice into federal policy; accelerated development and implementation of open standards; and operational demonstrations.

Question 8: Would you be interested in participating in some sort of public-private partnership for the NG9-1-1 Initiative?

Most responders expressed explicit willingness in participating in a federally-sponsored initiative; all implied positive interest. Serving on advisory groups, system development teams, or pilot deployment sites were the most common responses to this question

1. What are the critical issues that need to be addressed to enable the deployment of advanced 9-1-1 capabilities?
2. What data are currently available to quantify the expected benefits, user acceptance, and costs of providing NG9-1-1 services?
3. What new areas of research, development or analysis would be required to support the NG9-1-1 Initiative?
4. What activities should be initiated to hasten the development and deployment of advanced 9-1-1 systems?
5. What other significant initiatives, programs, or deployments related to NG9-1-1 warrant USDOT attention?
6. What specific agencies/organizations/entities are essential to the development of a comprehensive transition and implementation plan to NG9-1-1?
7. What is the proper forum for carrying out the necessary engagement of the various stakeholders and how might the USDOT establish that forum?
8. Would you be interested in participating in some sort of public-private partnership for the NG9-1-1 Initiative? If yes, in what way? If not, what would encourage you to participate?

Updated August 15, 2008 11:03 AM