On March 28, 2025, the FCC released a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) seeking to enhance the reliability and interoperability of Next Generation 911 (NG911) networks as they replace legacy 911 technology. The FNPRM was adopted at the March Open Meeting.
The following notable changes were made from the draft item:
- Throughout the item, the FCC amended “NG911 networks” to “NG911 ecosystems.”
- ¶ 34 – The FCC added questions about whether it was necessary to clarify that covered 911 service providers (CSPs) should be required to transmit all 911 calls they receive from Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs).
- ¶ 35 – The FCC clarified that it is seeking comment on how to include “NG911 ecosystem facilities” in the outage reporting rules and whether it should modify outage reporting requirements for NG911 ecosystem facilities.
- ¶ 53, fn.112 – In response to arguments made by Bandwidth, Inc., the FCC stated that the broader Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) to IP technology transition is outside the scope of the proceeding.
- ¶¶ 85-87 – The FCC added additional information and questions about whether Next Generation Core Services (NGCS) systems should support three-way video for video relay services (VRS) and direct video calling (DVC).
- ¶ 89 – The FCC added language asking whether it should create a consumer portal for 911-related outage complaints.
Comment are due 45 days after publication in the Federal Register, and reply comments are due 75 days after publication.
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