Remarks of FCC Public Safety Bureau Chief Rear Adm. David Simpson at NARUC Panel on E911 Governance

The topic of our panel is 911 governance, which raises many complicated questions about preserving effective oversight at the local, state, and federal levels as technologies and business models for 911 service evolve. I will start, however, with a simple message that guides the Federal Communications Commission's efforts: Americans must have confidence that every call to 911 will go through, and for that to happen, every link in the chain of 911 call completion must be dependable, and responsible parties need to be held accountable for their parts in ensuring reliable and resilient service.

The IP transition holds potential to vastly improve 911 service by providing call-takers and first responders with new and more complete information to assist in emergency response. But we cannot allow the transition to result in a breakdown of governance structures that have served the 911 community well, or in gaps in oversight and accountability that put public safety at risk. Together, I am optimistic that we can solve the problems identified in the NPRM through consensus measures that promote cooperative governance of the nation's 911 networks and preserve accountability for reliable service. But we won't let the perfect become the enemy of the good...I challenge our partners in industry, state and local government, and the public safety community to play a constructive role in the process [towards the NPRM goals].