**Examples of E-911 Initiatives and Related Activities**

In the [Department of Transportation (DOT)]{.underline}, the
Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's
(NHTSA) experience in, and commitment to, E-911 deployment and its
credibility with emergency services provider organizations will be
critical to expediting the nationwide implementation of E-911. DOT's
current Wireless E-911 initiatives include:

Convening the DOT Wireless 911 Steering Council, which began in May
2002. This Council is the only ongoing effort to organize and coordinate
nationwide E-911 activities, and is composed of the major national
organizations including the National Emergency Number Association
(NENA), the National Association of Nine-One-One Administrators (NASNA),
and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO),
the wireless telephone industry, public safety and health leaders and
governmental groups. DOT will pursue additional collaboration with other
Federal agencies.

Production of the national *Wireless E-911 Priority Action Plan* by the
Steering Council that addresses six urgent priorities and outlines
responsibilities and timetables for each organization and agency.

Provision of funding support to NENA who, in partnership with APCO and
NASNA, developed the NENA/DOT E-911 Clearinghouse, a national database
of

WE-911 planning, implementation and operations resources, informational
videos and a WE-911 Deployment Profile and Map.

Sponsoring a project at the State University of New York, Upstate
Medical University to enlist the support of medical personnel in
promoting WE-911 deployments. Other efforts are underway to enlist the
support of the organized medical community.

Improving Automatic Crash Notification and its utility in improving
emergency medical care.

In addition, the Administration\'s Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and
Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA) reauthorization proposed a
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Emergency Medical
Services (EMS) State Grant Program authorized at \$10 million per year.
As there is a need to coordinate wireless E-911 deployments with the
operation, protocols and technical capacity of EMS and public safety
systems, these grants will initiate a new EMS Grant Program in each
State. The grants, designated on a formula basis to State Emergency
Medical Services Offices, will help develop comprehensive wireless
emergency access and response systems and will also address the needs of
regional, state or local EMS system capacity for responding to daily
emergency needs (with a focus on basic infrastructure requirements such
as emergency communications, equipment, recruitment, retention and
training).

In the Department of Commerce, the [National Telecommunications and
Information Administration]{.underline} (NTIA) has considerable
experience and expertise in telecommunications issues and is responsible
for promoting improved uses of communications technology. NTIA also has
close relationships with national telecommunications organizations. NTIA
is a relatively small agency, however, with limited resources and E-911
expertise. Current activities of NTIA include:

Promoting the benefits of technological development in the United States
for all users of telecommunications and information facilities.

Fostering national safety and security, economic prosperity, and the
delivery of critical social services through telecommunications.

Fostering full and efficient use of telecommunications resources
including effective use of the radio spectrum by the Federal Government,
in a manner that encourages the most beneficial uses.

Furthering scientific knowledge about telecommunications and
information.

In the [Department of Homeland Security]{.underline} (DHS), the Office
for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) administers two substantial grant
programs that may be used for the enhancement of state and local E-911
systems.

> The State Homeland Security Grant Program (FY 2004 est. funding \$1.3
> to \$1.9
>
> billion); and the Urban Areas Security Initiative (FY 2004 est.
> funding \$500 to \$700 million). Both programs support a wide range of
> homeland security and terrorism preparedness activities at the state
> and local level, primarily equipment training. Communications
> equipment has been a major focus (17%) of ODP grants in the past, and
> 911 upgrades would fall within that category. The total level of
> ODP\'s FY03 support for 911 investments is still unknown as states
> have considerable discretion in setting funding priorities and the
> FY03 funds are still being distributed. Nevertheless, creation of a
> new \$500 million program outside of DHS for this same purpose would
> be at odds with the Administration\'s efforts to eliminate duplicative
> grants and have DHS play the central role in emergency preparedness
> funding.

The [Department of Justice]{.underline} administers a few grant programs
that, although not specifically designed to fund an E-911 initiative,
are sufficiently broad in their

purposes that they could conceivably be used to help fund such an
initiative:

> **Local Law Enforcement Block Grants (LLEBG):** Funded at \$397M in
> 2003 (FY 2004 est. \$275M), this formula grant program provides
> funding to local governments for a variety of law enforcement
> purposes, including procuring equipment, technology, and other
> resources directly related to basic law enforcement functions**.**
>
> **Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance
> Program**: Funded at \$647M in 2003 (FY 2004 est. \$602M), this
> program\--which includes a combination of formula and discretionary
> grant funds\--the program has 29 purpose areas, one or more of which
> could potentially be used to fund enhanced communications systems
> designed to aid local law enforcement.
>
> **COPS Law Enforcement Technology Grants**: Funded at \$243M in 2003
>
> (FY 2004 est. \$92M), this program is designed to assist State and
> local law enforcement to upgrade and expand various technology
> infrastructure related to law enforcement**.**

[Non-Federal Support]{.underline}

> **Public Safety Foundation of America**: The Association of
> Public-Safety Communications Officials, International (APCO) decided
> to form a new charitable Foundation. The foundation accepts private,
> corporate and public donations on behalf of the public safety
> community and then distribute those funds to provide both financial
> grants and technical support to individual nonprofit PSAPs across the
> Nation. To date, the Foundation has awarded \$7.5 million to more than
> twenty states to help increase the rate at which E-911 services are
> deployed.