Program to Help States Upgrade 9-1-1 Services

The Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced a proposal to make available more than $40 million in grants to help states and territories improve their 9-1-1 call centers. The grants were authorized by the ENHANCE 9-1-1 Act. All states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories are eligible for the grants. Among other things, the funds will be used to implement technologies to deliver wireless 9-1-1 calls with automatic location information. The joint proposal, published in the Federal Register, spells out details of the proposed grant program, including the application and administrative requirements of the proposed rule. The funds will be awarded in fiscal year 2009. Interested parties will have 60 days to comment on the proposal.