Why It Matters

Nearly 90% of U.S. emergency communication centers experienced system outages in the past year, with recent statewide failures in Pennsylvania, Nebraska, and Nevada exposing systemic vulnerabilities. That will be the focus of today’s House Communications and Technology Subcommittee Markup

The Core Problem: While over 85 percent of Americans own smartphones capable of sending text, images, and video during emergencies, only 13% of the country has access to Next Generation 911 (NG911) systems that can receive this data. The nation’s 9-1-1 infrastructure relies largely on decades-old analog technology.

Who’s Affected:

  • Emergency responders managing outdated systems that fail during disasters
  • The public unable to transmit critical information during life-threatening situations
  • Local governments struggling to fund infrastructure upgrades without federal support

What’s at Stake:

  • Establishing federal funding through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to accelerate NG911 deployment
  • Improving system resilience against cyberattacks and natural disasters
  • Strengthening compliance with existing direct 9-1-1 dialing requirements
  • Creating federal reporting standards for 9-1-1 outages

The six bills under markup—including the Next Generation 9-1-1 Act, the Emergency Reporting Act, and the Kari’s Law Reporting Act—represent a bipartisan effort to eliminate infrastructure vulnerabilities.

Broader Context

Most 9-1-1 call centers rely on analog systems that cannot process texts, images, video, or precise location data—capabilities that save lives.

Recent congressional hearings documented the crisis. Public safety officials testified in September 2025 that aging equipment and inadequate federal funding prevent widespread upgrades. A December 16 legislative hearing previewed solutions under consideration.

Federal regulators are moving simultaneously. The FCC proposed comprehensive modernization of national alerting systems in August 2025, creating regulatory pressure for change.

The Agenda

The subcommittee will consider six bills modernizing emergency communications infrastructure.

Key witnesses:

Between The Lines

Chair Richard Hudson (R-NC) is driving bipartisan modernization efforts. He leads the Next Generation 9-1-1 Act, establishing federal infrastructure funding through NTIA.

Ranking Member Doris Matsui (D-CA) co-authored two bills with Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL):

Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) introduced the Public Safety Communications Act, creating an Office of Public Safety Communications within NTIA.

Bilirakis called both bills "zero-cost" measures with strong stakeholder support.

The Bottom Line

No organized opposition has surfaced. The effort attracted bipartisan support from Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA).

Key bills target funding gaps, system resilience failures, and compliance issues with existing laws.

Expected legislation includes:

  • The Next Generation 9-1-1 Act (Hudson)
  • The Emergency Reporting Act (Matsui-Bilirakis)
  • The Kari’s Law Reporting Act (Matsui-Bilirakis)
  • The Public Safety Communications Act (Cammack)

A broad coalition supports the effort, including NENA, APCO, and technology providers like Intrado.

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