The underlying systems for 911 calls today operate almost exclusively on analog technology, using an architecture of circuits and switches developed when the American Telephone & Telegraph Company was a regulated monopoly providing most of the nation's telephone service. Modern communications innovations such as digitization, packet switching, and Internet Protocol (IP) standards are alien concepts in an outdated system design that, critics maintain, "literally chokes off the use of all but the most rudimentary features of modern end-user devices and stifles the development of more specialized equipment and services." Systems for 911, unable to accommodate the latest advances in telecommunications technology, are increasingly out-dated, costly to maintain, and in danger of failure. Consumer expectations for accurate and timely response to 911 calls are based on the advanced features available on most communications devices, not on the reality of a faltering legacy system. The analog system cannot carry text messages, for example. Calls are delayed or dropped when analog and digital systems do not mesh. Information on the location of the call is lost because the digital details cannot be transmitted by the underlying telecommunications infrastructure or understood by the computers at Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). As summarized in a National Emergency Number Association (NENA) report, "Simply put, the 9-1-1 system has not kept up with technology and is badly in need of modernization." There is a general consensus that present and future digital communications for 911 services would be best supported by Next Generation 911 technology (NG9-1-1). The term NG9-1-1 is widely used to refer to the modernization of all parts of the 911 system, including hardware, software, data, and operational policies and procedures, all supported by multi-purpose emergency service networks. These IP-enabled networks rely on the same type of network connections as business and consumer access to the Internet and can share capacity with other users. A broadband connection built to a school, library, or hospital, can also reach a 911 call center. Deploying NG9-1-1 is seen as an integral part of national broadband policy. Network facilities dedicated to 911, or even exclusively to public safety, are not considered cost-effective. Future decisions about the technology, deployment, and funding of NG9-1-1 must therefore take into consideration the opportunities for sharing resources with other broadband initiatives. Implementing NG9-1-1 will require not only the development of an IP-enabled network and systems but will also entail changes in operational procedures, training, funding models, and state—and possibly federal—regulations and laws. The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) began planning for the future of 911 under the banner of NG9-1-1 in 2000. NENA started work on standards development for NG9-1-1 in 2003 and since then has taken the lead in defining, designing, and developing NG9-1-1 systems and solutions in partnership with other associations, as well as representatives from industry, government, and the public safety community. Support for NG9-1-1 now comes from a relatively broad base, including State and local managers for emergency communications and 911. Associations such as NENA, COMCARE, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International, Inc. (APCO), and the National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA). Many other international, national, and state and local associations are also actively involved in supporting NG9-1-1. Alliances such as the 911 Alliance, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and the E9-1-1 Institute, which provides support to the Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus. Corporations and other commercial organizations serving public safety and emergency communications. The Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Public Safety Program and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Notably, NENA and DOT have partnered to encourage the deployment of NG9-1-1. Among DOT's contributions in support of NG9-1-1 was the funding and supervision of five proof-of-concept pilots to test key components of NG9-1-1 in PSAPs. In addition to the pilots established by DOT, at least six states and the District of Columbia are reported to have IP-based networks for emergency communications that will support NG9-1-1 systems. The emergency communications network being tested is envisioned as IP-based, using standardized protocols, and providing a nationwide overlay of system links that can operate at the national, regional, tribal, state, or local level to best meet the needs of specific circumstances. A network overlay for 911 systems can, for example, facilitate interoperability and system resilience by bringing extra resources to devastated areas where 911 call centers are damaged or overwhelmed with calls. On a daily basis, it can provide foreign language assistance at any time, anywhere. Other benefits include better connections between 911 call centers, emergency responders, and alert and warning systems; more robust capacity; and the flexibility to receive calls for help in any format. This section summarizes how past federal 911 legislative and policy actions have established a base for the transition to IP-enabled systems. Three major laws supporting improvements in the handling of 911 emergency calls have been enacted since 1999. These and other laws support policy objectives and strategies that provide the base upon which future policy might be built. Analyzing the legislation as a continuum, these key goals emerge: equality of service and access to 911; mechanisms to improve funding for PSAPs and monitor collections and disbursements; federal leadership in developing better 911 capabilities; and transition to IP-enabled 911 systems. The major bills enacted into law are The Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 ( P.L. 106-81 ), often referred to as the 911 Act. The Ensuring Needed Help Arrives Near Callers Employing 911 Act of 2004 ( P.L. 108-494 ), also titled the ENHANCE 911 Act of 2004. The New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008 ( P.L. 110-283 ), also titled the NET 911 Improvement Act of 2008. Provisions in other recently enacted laws have also contributed to the growing base of legislation in support of 911. The 21 st Century Emergency Communications Act, Title VI, Subtitle D, in the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 ( P.L. 109-295 ) required that PSAPs be included as members of Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working Groups established by the act. The Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 ( P.L. 109-295 ) required the FCC to prepare a report on state, local, and tribal plans for backup service for 911 and E-911 when PSAPS are disabled. The Deficit Reduction Act ( P.L. 109-171 ), as amended by the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 ( P.L. 110-53 ) and the NET 911 Improvement Act of 2008, provided up to $43.5 million for grants for 911. The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 ( P.L. 110-53 ) included financial support of PSAPs as eligible uses for Urban Area Security Initiative and State Homeland Security Grant programs. The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 ( P.L. 110-234 ) included language that authorized loans to improve 911 and other emergency communications capabilities in rural areas. To assist the effort to provide comprehensive 911 services nationwide, Congress in 1999 passed the Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act ( P.L. 106-81 ), often referred to as the 911 Act. This act mandated 911 as the national emergency number and provided for parity of wireless 9-1-1 services with the protections and authorizations already extended to wireline services. Among its provisions, the law required the FCC to work with the states and the many other affected parties to deploy comprehensive wireless enhanced 911 (W-E911) service. Enhanced 911 service provides 911 call centers with Automatic Number Identification (ANI) and Automatic Location Identification (ALI). Most wireline phone services provide ANI/ALI information. The 911 Act set the broad goal of facilitating "the prompt deployment throughout the United States of a seamless, ubiquitous, and reliable end-to-end infrastructure for communications, including wireless communications, to meet the Nation's public safety and other communications needs." The FCC had taken a first step toward adopting rules for wireless enhanced 911 in 1996, citing provisions of the Communications Act as the basis for its action. After Congress passed the 911 Act, the FCC plotted a course for reaching wireless in two phases. For Phase I, the wireless carriers were given a year to prepare for PSAP requests for Automatic Number Identification (ANI) and location-finder capabilities using technology existing at the time. By 2001, for Phase II, the carriers were to have identified and implemented new location-finder technologies (ALI). A 1999 FCC ruling established October 1, 2001, as the deadline for wireless carriers to meet guidelines for connecting 911 calls to PSAPs. Delays and complications in implementing rules for 911 prompted the FCC to commission a study to examine deployment of 911 services in general and the cause of problems with wireless 911 calls in particular. The report—known as the Hatfield Report, from its author, Dale N. Hatfield—was submitted to the FCC on October 15, 2002. Observations in the report that later became the basis for Congressional initiatives included The critical nature of location information in enhanced 911 in supporting first responders in emergencies. The "seriously antiquated" condition of the infrastructure that underlies 911 for both wireline and wireless emergency calls. The need for a national 911 office to act as a "champion" at the federal level.