Legislative Improvements to Public Safety Communications in the United States
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House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology U.S. House of Representatives
Follow its sittingsSpeaker 2
No extra steps, no confusion, no barriers. Today, I'm looking forward to hearing from our witnesses about what's working, where the gaps remain, and what Congress should do next to strengthen resiliency, improve coordination, and make sure 911 is easily reachable when it matters the most. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
Speaker 1
Thank you. And I'll recognize the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Kentucky, for five minutes for his opening statement.
Speaker 3
Thank you, Chairman Hudson. Thank you for bringing us together for this important hearing, and thank you to our witnesses for being with us today. We thank you for participating. And today, we're considering several critical pieces of legislation to improve public safety, communications in the United States. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses about how these bills will improve public safety and help our nation's first responders better serve those in crisis.
In September, this committee held a hearing to examine the broad state of public safety communications in The United States. We heard directly from first responders, emergency management officials, and public safety industry leaders about the technologies they utilize, their effectiveness, and where improvements are needed. The message was clear. Reliability is non-negotiable. Regardless of the technology or service provider, first responders need certainty that their equipment will perform in the heat of a crisis.
As I've mentioned before, my home state of Kentucky has faced significant flooding and tornadoes this year. Similarly to what my district experienced just a few years ago, I have seen firsthand how reliable access to communications infrastructure is critical for our first responders and communities during emergencies. Before us, we have several bipartisan legislative solutions to strengthen our public policy, public safety, and ensure our first responders have the tools they need to do their jobs. These bills will make important improvements in next gen 9/11 technology, deployment, wireless, emergency alerting, outage reporting, and more. Thank you again to our witnesses for your participation.
I look forward to hearing from you today. And, mister chairman, I yield back.
Speaker 1
Thank you. I now recognize the gentleman from New Jersey, the ranking member, for five minutes for his opening statement.
Speaker 4
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm pleased the subcommittee is holding this hearing today to discuss legislation that make emergency communications more accessible and reliable for all Americans. For years, I've consistently advocated for passing and fully funding the Next Generation 911 Act. There are thousands of emergency communication centers across the nation, and too many of them still rely on legacy communications infrastructure that was first installed about 60 years ago. And while I'm glad to see this subcommittee consider the bill here today, I must reiterate my disappointment with Republicans' decision to use spectrum auction proceeds to pay for tax breaks for billionaires and their big ugly bill, instead of investing in modern public safety communications infrastructure.
These funds are hard to come by, and the task of funding this effort is now that much more difficult as a result. Every one of our nation's 911 centers should have the best technology we have at our disposal. By equipping them with modern infrastructure and state-of-the-art equipment, we can help nine one one telecommunications assess the nature and location of an emergency more quickly, with better information. This information, in turn, helps police, fire, and emergency medical services respond to a situation more safely and effectively. And, equally as important, the benefits of next generation nine one one to first responders is the increased access it grants to the public to reach emergency assistance.
These upgrades allow Americans to communicate with 911 the same way we communicate regularly with our friends and family, beyond traditional phone calls. Now the public is able to send pictures and video to 911, and with some applications, create a live video feed from their location, which dispatchers can use to inform their work, and first responders can use to scout the scene before they arrive. While I'm glad that some jurisdictions have begun to prioritize these investments already, I look forward to continuing our work to fully fund the nationwide deployment of next-generation nine one one so that all communities have modern equipment in place to better protect the people they serve. And as we look at modernizing this equipment, we have to also make our communication networks more resilient, so that our constituents always have access to emergency information and services when it matters most. When superstorm Sandy hit my district in 2012, my constituents were left without communications capabilities in some places for weeks.
A lot has changed for the better since Sandy. There's more work to do to ensure our communications networks are constructed with resiliency and redundancy in mind so that no one is left in the dark during a major disaster. So, finally, we have work to do in this committee to address the impending sunset of the First Responder Network Authority or FirstNet, which is set to expire a little over a year from now. It's important that we reauthorize FirstNet, and I look forward to working together in a bipartisan manner to ensure first responders do not lose access to this important service as well. So with that, I'd like to yield the remainder of my time to the gentleman from Louisiana, Mister Carrier.
Speaker 5
Thank you, ranking member Palon, and thank you to all the witnesses for being here. I'm very honored to advance this bill along with Chairman Hudson to make sure that state-of-the-art resources are in fact available. As a member representative of Louisiana, I want to extend a special welcome to Captain Jack Varnado, someone that's no stranger to me. We worked well together during my days as a state senator in Louisiana. Jack serves as president of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officers, APCO International, and as the 911 director of Livingston Parish's sheriff's office in my home state of Louisiana.
Cabo Varnadel, I want to thank you. Thank you for sharing your expertise as we discuss the importance of public safety communications and the legislation needed to make the necessary improvements to this critical infrastructure. In Louisiana, we know too well how devastating natural disasters like hurricanes and flooding can be to our communities. That's why having reliable public safety communications and resilient infrastructure is essential to protecting lives and ensuring effective emergency responses. Our communities must be prepared and well-equipped to respond when disasters or emergencies strike.
That is why I'm proud to introduce the Next Generation 911 act with chairman Hudson, which will modernize our 911 system infrastructure, save lives by reducing response time, and equip first responders with the best digital tools available. I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance this next generation 911 act and discussing the importance of modernizing our outdated emergency systems during this hearing, and to continue to demonstrate to the rest of the world, to America, to Louisiana, to Washington DC, that we can work together. This is a bipartisan effort demonstrating that when members come together and put aside our differences, we can advance causes that save lives. This is a perfect example of that. Mister chairman, I yield.
Speaker 1
Thank you, gentlemen. This time has expired. We've now concluded with members' opening statements. The chair reminds members that pursuant to the committee rules, all members' opening statements will be made part of the record. We'd like to thank our witnesses for being here today to testify before the subcommittee.
Our witnesses will have five minutes to provide opening statements, which will be followed by a round of questions from the members. The witnesses here before us today are Captain Jack Varnado, the president of APCO International, and 911 director of Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office. Miss Jennifer Manner, senior vice president of regulatory affairs and international strategy at AST SpaceMobile. Mister Matthew Gertz, partner at Wilkinson Barker Knower. And doctor Jeanette Sutton, associate professor of the college of emergency preparedness and homeland security and cybersecurity at the University of Albany.
Thank you all for being here. Captain Varnado, you are recognized for five minutes for your opening statement.
Speaker 6
Good morning, Chairman Hudson, Ranking Member Matsui, and distinguished members of the subcommittee. My name is Captain Jack Vonnedo, and I have worked in emergency communications for over 30 years. I'm the president of ABCO International. I'm also the nine one one director, as you've heard, of the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana, where I am leading the transition to next generation nine one one. I'm honored to represent the Livingston Parish sheriff's office and ABCO International.
ABCO is the world's oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals, with over 45,000 members. Our members are on the front lines of every type of emergency and handle the full spectrum of public safety telecommunications. I welcome the opportunity to share with you their expertise. To start, I want to talk about 911 because 911 is the most critical of our nation's critical infrastructure. This is largely due to our public safety telecommunicators.
On any given day, these telecommunications professionals might guide callers through CPR or childbirth or coach callers on how to stay safe during an active shooter event while ensuring help is on the way. Their work is indispensable to every emergency response, and that is why we are committed to their reclassification as a protective service occupation in the OMB standard occupational classification. We deeply appreciate efforts to address this issue, including the 911 SAVES Act. Our public safety telecommunicators deserve the best resources, but the reality is that for many, today's 911 calls are answered using yesterday's 911 technology. Modern cell phones can pinpoint locations and instantly transmit videos to friends and family, and yet they can't share this information with many 911 centers.
With your support, we can bring 911 into the twenty-first century. NG nine one one isn't just an upgrade. It's a reimagining of how emergency services operate. NG911 envisions a fully integrated ecosystem. 911 professionals, law enforcement, fire services, and emergency medical services can access and share critical data in real time, enhancing coordination, reducing response times, and improving public safety outcomes.
Federal legislation is essential to establishing NG 911 nationwide. This includes establishing a baseline definition of what NG 911 means. It's a comprehensive end-to-end transformation of emergency communications. Interoperability is a core component of NG911. Interoperability is straightforward.
The ability to exchange all forms of 911 traffic regardless of jurisdiction, vendors, and equipment used. With NG911, agencies can support one another during periods of high call volume, natural disasters, or system outages. N911 also requires robust cybersecurity standards, which are essential for protecting both 911 infrastructure and the sensitive data that it handles. NG nine one one also requires funding. A federal grant program will help all emergency communication centers regardless of their size or location.
We are grateful to representative Hudson and Carter for introducing the Next Generation 911 Act, will make a real difference in saving lives. In all cases, we must be able to count on public safety communications to work. I'm from Louisiana, as Representative Carter said, and we have endured some of our nation's most devastating natural disasters, including hurricanes. Unfortunately, I know from experience that the same emergencies that result in widespread calls to 911 are the emergencies that knock out communications. We must consider alternatives to ensure public safety communications are resilient.
Leveraging new technologies and services like satellite connectivity, they can help. Satellite service often remains operational during disasters or immediately following, providing a layer of resiliency for 911. Satellite service can also support wireless emergency alerts, and we can't forget our analog technologies, too. Our amateur radio broadcasters have been long-standing public safety partners. We recognize that despite best efforts and intentions, there will be network outages.
And when they occur, we need actionable information about their nature, scope, and duration to mitigate the impact. Clear visual representations of the outage would be a significant improvement over the text-based notifications that we've received today. We thank Congresswoman Matsui and Congressman Bill Rakes for introducing legislation on these matters. We appreciate their leadership in introducing legislation to ensure that the critical protections Congress enacted under Kerry's law are fully implemented. When people call for help from buildings or organizations like during an emergency on a college campus, they should be able to reach 911 directly without needing to dial a prefix.
In closing, Abco remains committed to working together with each of you to advance public safety communications. I appreciate the opportunity to testify today, and I welcome your questions.
Speaker 1
Thank you. Miss Manner, you are recognized for five minutes for an opening statement.
Speaker 7
Chairman Hudson, ranking member Mitsui, chairman Guthrie, and ranking member Poliquin, thank you for the opportunity to speak about improving public safety communications. Such improvements, coupled with American
Speaker 7
Sorry. I'm from New York, so I'm quiet. Such improvements, coupled with American innovation, such as the space-based mobile broadband connectivity my company is providing, will improve the daily lives of all Americans, including during emergencies. My name is Jennifer Manner, and I'm the senior vice president of regulatory affairs and international strategy at AST Space Mobile, a Texas-based company. We're proud to be the first and only provider of space-based mobile broadband services directly to unmodified mobile user devices like our smartphones.
Our system is the only purpose-built system for direct-to-device services to provide a superior mobile broadband experience, voice, video, streaming apps, even when the terrestrial network is not available. We plan to have 45 to 60 satellites in space by the year 2026, which will enable continuous coverage of The United States. Because of our space wide area coverage, our network will have a vast impact on Americans' day to day lives and in times of emergencies. Our mission is to eliminate connectivity dead zones in the United States and worldwide, and expand broadband access globally to the billions of people that are currently left unconnected. The AST space mobile network will not only provide service where the terrestrial network does not exist, but also supplement the wireless networks of our US partners, AT and T, Verizon, and FirstNet, where coverage is inadequate to ensure an OE's best connected experience.
In addition to advances in industry, thoughtful governmental policy is needed to ensure reliable emergency communications. AST Space Mobile is pleased to be supportive of several pieces of legislation that are being considered today. We support the goals proposed by the Emergency Reporting Act. However, I'm hopeful that as our services become available across the United States, network outages will become a thing of the past as mobile phones automatically switch over to space-based mobile broadband connectivity when the terrestrial network is not available. As a Texas based company, we take the need for improved emergency services very seriously.
The recent flooding in Texas is a tragic reminder of how critical it is to have constant access to communications. Because of AST Space Mobile's coverage and capabilities, we're well positioned to partner with first responders and governmental stakeholders to advance public safety for Americans across the country. Therefore, we fully support the intent and purpose of the Mystic Alerting Act to provide consumers with information to ensure their satellite-based connectivity to their mobile device is always on. We never wanna see a day like again in Texas or anywhere in America like we did on 07/04/2025. We are pleased to see Congress considering the Next Generation 911 Act to provide the public safety community with the resources it needs to make the NG 911 a reality.
But we don't want action to end there. We're working with our partners, AT and T and Verizon, to ensure that they can meet their public safety requirements for subscribers of our space based services. We're working together to integrate our technologies as our network is deployed, to enable these critical emergency services. This will take time and funding, but we're committed. Finally, I wanna address the important role of our network for first responders, including FirstNet.
I was deputy chief of the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau when FirstNet was created by Congress. During that time, we knew access to mobile broadband satellite connectivity was necessary, but there wasn't a direct-to-device solution. Therefore, we plan for regional supplies of transportable satellite broadband equipment to be available, an important step, but it wasn't ideal as it required pre-planning. Now, because of US innovation, ASC Space Mobile, working with FirstNet and the public safety community, will ensure every first responder has broadband capability in their mobile device. Therefore, we look forward to the passage of the Public Safety Communications Act and working closer in collaboration with the NTIA and other US government agencies to ensure public safety has access to space-based mobile broadband connectivity.
It is my honor to be included in today's hearing and to collaborate on how we can work together to make a truly generational impact on public safety communications for all Americans. I look forward to answering any questions you may have. Thank you.
Speaker 1
Thank you. Mister Gerst, you're recognized for five minutes for your opening statement.
Speaker 8
Chairman Hudson, ranking member Matsui, chairman Guthrie, ranking member Polonge, and members of the subcommittee. On behalf of CTIA and the US wireless industry, thank you for holding this important hearing. Your longstanding bipartisan leadership continues to strengthen our nation's emergency communications, alerting, and resiliency capabilities. As outside counsel on public safety matters to CTIA and a former vice president for the association, I know that Americans rely on wireless in the moments that matter most. When we're calling or texting 911 or 988 for help in a moment of crisis, or when our phones are buzzing with warnings to help save us from a disaster, wireless services devices are the first and sometimes the only connection between Americans and the emergency response heroes that keep us safe every day.
The US wireless industry is committed to building and delivering the most robust wireless networks in the world. Last year, wireless providers invested nearly $30,000,000,000 to expand capacity and coverage, strengthen infrastructure, and deploy innovative technologies that can maintain wireless service under extraordinary and challenging conditions. For example, we've deployed nearly 450,000 cell sites that provide overlapping coverage to maintain connectivity even when some cell sites go out of service during a disaster. Since I last appeared before this committee in 2020, we have also followed through on our commitment to build new relationships with electric power companies that enhance our ability to maintain wireless service and speed restoration efforts during disasters. These investments continue to deliver results.
It's typical for the vast majority of cell sites to remain operational during a disaster. Of course, those efforts do not diminish the real challenges faced in the hardest-hit areas of a disaster, like those faced by those in the path of Hurricane Helene. We agree with ranking member Matt Sui and representative Bilaraukas that tasking the FCC with developing a comprehensive view of disaster responses in the Emergency Reporting Act can help us better prepare and respond to the next event. Our investments in resiliency ensure that wireless is there for every American who needs to reach 911 or to receive wireless emergency alerts. In fact, wireless is the primary on ramp to 911 for US consumers, with four out of five 911 calls originating on a wireless device.
Wireless providers have spent much of the last decade investing in and deploying the most innovative solutions to ensure that emergency responders have the actionable information that they need to help. Today, more than 80% of all wireless 911 calls can produce a location ask estimate that's within one city block and within a few floors in multi-story buildings. This information improves response times and situational awareness for first responders. The transition to a modern, interoperable, and resilient next generation 911 system, it's the next step. After more than a decade of planning, technology development, and testing, the transition to NG911 is well underway.
Under a new framework adopted by the FCC, wireless providers are actively partnering with 911 authorities to deliver wireless 911 traffic in the NG911 formats that they request. Chairman Hudson and represent Carter's Next Generation 911 Act as well as represent CAMEC's Public Safety Communications Act. These bills demonstrate the leadership this committee can bring to ensure that the federal government can help to expedite the nationwide adoption of NG nine one one. Wireless emergency alerts or WEAs are another public safety solution produced by this committee's leadership. These short emergency alerts delivered in real time to your wireless device are now among the most powerful tools in our nation's alert system.
And since they launched in 2012, alert originators, that's the federal, state, local government officials authorized by FEMA to send these messages, they've issued more than 96,000 wireless emergency alerts. Whether these alerts are telling us to take shelter from severe weather, evacuate from a fast-moving wildfire, or help to locate a missing child, wireless emergency alerts save lives. Alert originators, they decide whether to send a WIA, where it goes, and what it says. For our part, the wireless industry delivers WEA with geographic precision, and we enable flexibility for the alert originators to convey the relevant and timely information that meets the needs of their communities. Representative Fluger in the Mystic Alert Act and represent Palmer's Lulu Law.
These recognize the importance of alert originators effectively using WIAs to keep Americans safe from a wide array of emergency events, particularly in rural and remote areas. In closing, wireless is central to our nation's emergency communications ecosystem. The work that the US wireless industry undertakes to invest in network resiliency, enhance the capabilities of 911, and support timely and effective use of WIA reflects our shared commitment with this committee and public safety officials across the US to ensure that all Americans can access our nation's emergency resources when help is most urgently needed. Thank you again for the opportunity to appear today. I look forward to your questions.
Speaker 1
Thank you. Doctor Sutton, you're recognized for five minutes for an opening statement.
Speaker 9
Good morning, and thank you, Chairman Hudson, Chairman Gruffray, Ranking Member Pologne, and Ranking Member Metsui for having me here today. My name is Jeanette Sutton. I have a PhD in sociology, and I'm an associate professor in the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity at the University at Albany. I have spent my entire academic career focused on effective warning messages. I have been funded by the National Science Foundation, NOAA, USGS, and most recently FEMA's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, IPAWS.
My comments today focus on three things. First, what makes an alert and warning message effective? Second, why evidence-based practices are not followed. And third, the impacts of poor messaging. I'd like to begin by saying, merely deploying a message does not guarantee that it will be effective.
With more than 70 years of social and behavioral science research, we know how to motivate people in emergencies, and it centers on the message. Every warning, regardless of hazard type, should include five primary elements. The source, who the message is from, the hazard and its impacts, the location affected by the threat, the time of the threat, and guidance and instructions on how to protect oneself. A review of the first decade of wireless emergency alerts from 2012 to 2022 found that only 8.5% of messages issued by local jurisdictions included all five of these elements. Warnings should also use plain language descriptions of hazards and the actions people should take to protect themselves.
One study on public understanding of the use of the technical language evacuation warning and evacuation order found that a significant portion of respondents were unable to determine the relevant associated actions, to prepare to evacuate, or to evacuate now. There has also been a dramatic increase in the use of jargon for missing and endangered persons. Across the country, different state legislators have created more than 40 additional types of named alerts. Examples of state-specific alerts include the Athena alert, Levi's call, and the purple alert. Our research has found that named alerts are unfamiliar and result in confusion.
Furthermore, IPAWS does not restrict organizations from sending any type of message through the WEA system. Why are evidence-based messages and practices not followed? I have suggested three reasons. First, there are deficient requirements. The IPODS program within FEMA is the only resource that provides the technological capability for jurisdictions to broadcast wireless emergency alerts.
However, there are no requirements for an organization to have an internal policy or procedures on how to use the system to show a minimal capability of effective messages, or to establish a training plan. Alert origination software companies do not provide prompts for effective messaging as a routine service to their customers, nor has IPAWS made this a requirement. Second, there is an absence of national standards. The Federal Communications Commission creates rules for broadcasters and cellular companies. It does not create rules that directly apply to alerting authorities.
Technological changes have been made to improve the messages delivered, but no requirements are directed to alerting the authorities as they make use of new capabilities. Third, there are insufficient training opportunities. There are general training opportunities for alerts and warnings provided by FEMA IPAWS, the National Disaster Emergency Management University, and the Hawaii Center for Disaster Preparedness. However, none focus on effective message design. In 2022, with funding from FEMA IPAWS, my team at the University of Albany developed the Message Design Dashboard and trained more than 500 emergency managers across the U.
S. We found this led to a significant improvement in their knowledge, skills, and abilities. That training concluded in May 2024, and I continue to provide independent training and consultation through my small business called The Warn Room. There are clear consequences of poor messaging. It results in concerns about over-alerting, warning fatigue, and its impacts on WIA use.
One national study conducted in 2023 found that WIA opt-out rates are correlated with states that issue AMBER alerts and messages that are sent statewide. The state with the highest opt-out rates is Texas. In conclusion, I have three recommendations. We need additional funding for research to support the design of effective warning systems, including messages. We need national standards for evidence-based messaging to be adopted and implemented into training programs.
And we can require third-party emergency notifications to include message prompts within their software to ensure complete and actionable messages. Thank you again for inviting me to speak, and I welcome your questions.
Speaker 1
Thank you. We'll now begin questioning, and I recognize myself for 5 minutes. As I mentioned in my opening statement, NextGen 911 technology is a top priority for me. I'm very proud of my home state of North Carolina and the way we've deployed NG nine one one statewide. Captain Varnado, I understand, you said you were overseeing the transition at your parish to NG nine one one technology.
And you've talked in your testimony about why it's so important. I wanna give you a little more time to talk about why it's so important that all call centers across the country upgrade to this technology, and maybe how our call centers that are running on this legacy technology are at a disadvantage.
Speaker 6
Thank you so much, Chairman Hudson. The issue that we're having in the industry is that we're there's a we've we're building a system of haves and have nots. And we can't do that because nine one one needs to be for every single person, local, tribal, state, and federal.
Speaker 1
So what's the talk a little bit more about sort of how the experience works with the new technology versus the legacy technology, and why that's such a disadvantage for folks that aren't upgraded.
Speaker 6
There are several disadvantages there. Number one, we can't share data in an interoperable manner. 911 calls now are rich with data, including voice, video, text, all of that. In the legacy system, there's no opportunity for that. Location data is very limited in the legacy systems where in the NextGen nine one one system, we can utilize many different sources of location to compare and accurately find those individuals.
Speaker 1
That's great. And so, obviously, when someone is in trouble, the ability to locate them with real time location data, the ability for them to share video technology, that sort of thing, it speeds up the time for emergency responders to get to them, enables them to find that person faster.
Speaker 6
That location is key. That's the very first piece of information we need. And by getting that location, we can serve that person, that caller better, whatever the situation is. It may be someone lost in the woods. It may be somebody having a heart attack or, god forbid, an active shooter.
We can find the location. That is key in these instances. All of the data can is great, but that location data is key. And in next generation nine one one, we can leverage that so much differently.
Speaker 1
Absolutely. So after so many states and localities have deployed this technology, what factors need to be considered when determining the amount of funds appropriate for this program? You know, a lot of folks in my state have already upgraded. Your parish is in the process of upgrading. The last cost estimates we had are pretty outdated.
What do you think the appropriate amount of funds is for this program? Do you have an updated number in mind?
Speaker 6
I don't have an updated number, to be honest, with you. I think that we're still looking at that number we've been talking about of 15,000,000,000, but we need to, and forgive me. I don't speak pretty plain. Okay? We don't need to kick the can down the road anymore.
We need to start this process. We need to get this going in a much more organized manner because what we're doing is we are leaving these smaller, more rural, less funded centers behind. And those people are the ones that need to be brought into this. Larger jurisdictions, well funded jurisdictions, they have some of the resources to begin this. But in many cases, it's the smaller ones that don't have those resources.
They don't have the personnel and the ability to have the technical expertise that's needed in this. We need to start moving on this.
Speaker 1
I agree with you. And, you know, but the challenge for us as policymakers is we have finite resources, and we wanna make sure we're deploying them efficiently. And, if Apco can help us in this, we're trying to figure out what is the cost so that we can meet that need. You know, it may be less than 15 because a lot of other folks have upgraded. It might be more than 15 because the technology is more expensive than it was a few years ago.
We, you know, so as much as Apco can help us drill down and figure out what exactly that need is, the better we can define it. I think the more successful we'll be in garnering those resources.
Speaker 1
I am about out of time. So if I run over, then I can't call on my colleagues if they run over. So, with that, I will recognize the ranking member on the committee of general aid from California, Ms. Matsui, for five minutes, for her questions.
Speaker 2
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Our nation's 911 infrastructure has remained largely unchanged since its inception in 1968. More than ever, we need to expand access to life-saving technologies such as NextGen 911 for faster and more accurate emergency responses. Mister Gers, a majority of calls to 911 originate on wireless phones, and most wireless phones today include substantially more capabilities than traditional landlines. How can the capabilities of today's smartphones be leveraged to enhance calls to 911?
Speaker 8
Ranking member, thank you so much for the question. You're absolutely right about how critical NG911 is for our emergency communications ecosystem and for consumers, because 911 is the most important call you're probably gonna make at any point in your lifetime. And we know that 80% of calls to 911 originate on wireless. For that reason, we've been investing for well over the last decade in new solutions that can better locate people and bring the advances the way that consumers expect to be using wireless services. They call, they text, they use it, they send pictures.
Right? They wanna be able to get that information to 911, and that's what NG 911 can help us with. With respect to location, about ten years ago, we were asked the question, hey. Why can Uber locate me but nine one one can't? Right?
And that's because we had built purposely 911 location proprietary solutions to meet certain regulatory obligations. And we were missing the commercial solutions that everybody was using. We are actually able to leverage those solutions. And today, 80% of all calls to 911 are using the same type of mapping technologies that we use in our phones. We're locating people within one city block and within a few floors of their if they're in a high rise building.
This is information that's improving response times for public safety, situational awareness for them, making them safer when they're responding to help.
Speaker 2
Okay. Thank you very much. The Cary's Law Reporting Act directs the FCC to report on companies' compliance with Cary's Law. Congress passed Cary's Law in 2018 to ensure the public can directly access 911 for multi-line telephone systems such as those used in schools, hotels, and offices. Unfortunately, according to market research, nearly 40% of organizations that should be compliant with this law are not.
Kerry's law was enacted after tragic circumstances led to a young child being unable to reach 911 from a hotel phone. This legislation would ensure that the critical protections Congress enacted are working as intended, and that no American is ever prevented from reaching 911 in their time of need. Captain Bernardo, what are the risks today if manufacturers or vendors fail to comply? And how would this new reporting requirement for the FCC help ensure that the public can reliably reach emergency services?
Speaker 6
Well, I think your first question, and thank you for the question. I think your first question is the most poignant: people will lose lives. Yeah. If we do not force these carriers and vendors to actually comply with the law, we hear reports regularly that people are delayed by not knowing that they needed to dial a specific digit to get out of a specific phone line to call 911.
Speaker 2
Right. The report also asked for recommendations to Congress on whether additional legislation is needed. In your view, what gaps or enforcement challenges might require additional congressional action?
Speaker 2
Oh, certainly. That's fine. You know, the emergency reporting act aims to improve the information 911 centers receive during a service outage, which can affect the public's ability to reach 911. Captain Varnando, what types of information do 911 centers currently receive during an outage? And how can we improve this information to improve the response to service disruptions?
Speaker 6
First of all, we get very generic data that could encompass many states, and it doesn't apply to the jurisdiction that it's being affected or it's very broad data. A representation of a visual representation of a map that shows us the specific location of the outage, then we can target notifications to those areas that there is a communications challenge in that area. Those are the challenges that we have on the ground.
Speaker 2
Right. Absolutely. And we're talking about better technology and enhancing this, so that's great. I'm just gonna, I can't ask a question in a short time, so I will yield back, mister chairman. Thank you.
Speaker 1
Thank you. I now recognize the chairman of the full committee, Mister Guthrie, for five minutes for your questions.
Speaker 3
Thank you, Chairman Hudson. I appreciate the recognition, and thank our witnesses for being here again. And this committee, we spent a lot of time this past year discussing artificial intelligence and how much artificial intelligence is emerging and how it touches everywhere, not particularly all of our jurisdiction. We are famously saying energy and commerce, if it moves its energy, if it's not moving its commerce. We have jurisdiction over about everything, and the one consistent across all of them is artificial intelligence.
So to start with Captain Fernando, are you currently or do you plan to use AI in your 911 call center? And if so, how does it benefit public safety? And if you're not, how do you think you could use it?
Speaker 6
Currently, thank you for the question, and thank you for being here. First of all, we are not currently using AI in our ECC, but we are planning to. And one of the most important ways is translation of foreign languages. That is a big topic for us, in our area to be able to translate quickly. It takes us two to four minutes to get a translator on a phone during a 911 call, and that's just not acceptable.
So we're looking for that to be an advantage for us.
Speaker 3
Okay. Thank you. And then, mister Gurt, as I mentioned in my opening statement, Kentucky had floods and tornadoes in 2021, actually in my neighborhood. My neighbors right behind me lost their homes. We were blessed, but they were it was right behind them.
And it comes with, I can tell you, it came with little warnings. Like, we saw it coming in from well, you did see it coming for a while, but before you knew it gonna come your area, it's just a few minutes. And sometimes they just develop, particularly if you're west of where I was. And so, my question is how do wireless emergency alerts help officials deliver life-saving information more quickly than traditional communications channels?
Speaker 8
Mister chairman, thank you so much for the question. And, you know, as you just mentioned, when you get a wireless emergency alert, you know it. Right? Your phone's gonna light up. Somebody else's phone who you're with, they're lighting up too, and they're conveying in there, hopefully, critical information that you need to be able to react very in a timely fashion.
We this committee helped us usher in this service that we're now broadcasting these messages to any device that can receive them. It doesn't matter what service you're on. You can receive these WIAM messages if alert originators send them out with the information that they need. And over the years, we've invested in new capabilities that they wanted. They wanted better geo-targeting.
They want the ability to embed links so they can go to a website to get more information. And, actually, next year, we're gonna be introducing new location-aware mapping technologies. So when you get that alert, it's gonna pop up and show you a map of where the alert is targeted, so you know how relevant it really is for you and how much action you need to take. So these alerts are critical. We know that when they're sent, they save lives.
Speaker 3
And it is the geography. You know, Kentucky has small counties, but sometimes my county gets a tornado warning. And if you see it on television, you can see where it's going south of Bolingarin, where I live in the town called Bolingarin or city. If it already goes north, and even though our whole county's on alert, you can know where it's going if you're alerted to the specific geo level. So, doctor Sun, I know your work focuses on what should be included in the content of wireless emergency alert messages.
I think mister Gertz kind of pointed at you when he was making his comment on the alert messages. So what components of an alert message make it effective?
Speaker 9
Warren, a wireless emergency alert should include five components. It should say who the message is from, the source, information about the hazard itself, what the hazard is and what it is doing, the location of the threat and where it's occurring, the time that the threat is occurring, and most importantly, what people should do to protect themselves. We frequently find that there are contents missing from these messages, and hope to see some significant improvement.
Speaker 3
K. Thank you. And it's good that you do your research and work because it's helpful. When I first got on this committee, one of these hearings on this similar topic, we had a 911 hearing, and a child had been in a home. I mean, in her mother, the child's mother, I think it was a boy.
His mother had escaped abuse. I know if it's a husband or a male, and he found her in a hotel, was came in and was abusive. And the kid dialed 911, and they knew it was in the hotel, but they had no idea which room. And so they show up to the, I guess it was a motel, but by the time they got to the actual room, it was too late. So the more we can target and we can nail it down, the better.
I think then we added something where even if there's an extension, you have to kind of identify where the extension is coming from. So, unfortunately, tragic incidents is sometimes that's where we learn lessons that we can hopefully apply to help other people in their lives. So thank you for your testimony today. This is important. You'll bet.
Speaker 1
Thank you. I now recognize the ranking member of the full committee, Mister Plong, for five minutes for your questions.
Speaker 4
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Next generation nine one one capabilities allow public safety telecommunicators, first responders, and the public to share and exchange important data such as GPS location and patient health information in the course of responding to an emergency. And the use cases for these kinds of capabilities were seen to be endless. I have four questions, two of Captain Varnado and two of Doctor Sun. So if you could quickly respond.
So Captain Varnado, can you describe some real world examples of what is possible in an end-to-end next generation 911 environment? How might these capabilities help a firefighter or an emergency room doctor in the course of an emergency response? One minute to respond.
Speaker 6
Thank you, sir. I'll tell you this. I was on a motor vehicle accident a couple of years ago, and an emergency room physician, we were in the process of cutting this victim out of the car. During the process, an emergency room physician from the local trauma center in New Orleans showed up on his way to work. He took pictures of that, and we're sending it via text message to his counterpart working to know what the patient was going to be coming in with and so forth.
I sat there, and I looked at that. And I said, that's next generation 911. That's what the 911 should be doing here. We can take that picture, put it into the system, send it through to the firefighters, the medics, the emergency room physicians, the trauma surgeons. That's just one small case, but those are the types of data.
But it's able to be interoperable and shared across jurisdictions.
Speaker 4
That's important. I know you made me think of NCIS New Orleans, which I watch in repeats almost every night. But let me ask you a second question. Do you think we need another course of study for next generation nine one one?
Speaker 6
No, sir. I think we're ready to move forward. Even if we take small steps, we can move forward.
Speaker 4
Alright. Well, thank you. Now when disaster strikes, the ability to disseminate information and communicate clearly with the impact on community can be a matter of life and death as you just, you know, suggested. So let me ask doctor Sutton two questions. First, your testimony highlights the five key elements of an effective alert message.
Who sent the alert, the hazard, its impacts, location, time, and instructions on how to stay safe? And these sound simple and reasonable, yet your testimony also notes that only about 8.5% of all wireless emergency alert messages sent from 2012 to 2022 included all five elements. So, doctor Sutton, what information is most often missing from alert messages? And now how do incomplete messages hinder efforts to maintain public trust in a crisis environment, if you would?
Speaker 9
Thank you for the question. We know that most often, most frequently missing content from a wireless emergency alert is the time and the source of the message. But I think what's very important here is to notice that the contents that people most need is the guidance and the name of the hazard itself. Without those two things, people do not know why they should be taking action, and the specific actions they should be taking to protect themselves.
Speaker 4
Okay. And then last question, I believe that access to emergency alerts is critical for all Americans. But I do worry that access means nothing if our alert infrastructure is used frivolously for events that are not relevant to the recipient. So, doctor Sutton, what is this concept of alert fatigue? How do some alerting practices, like those requiring statewide dissemination across large states, contribute to widespread opt-outs from the wireless emergency alerts and erode trust when it matters most?
I am concerned about this.
Speaker 9
Many emergency managers across the United States are also concerned about this, which is one of the reasons they are hesitant to push the button when they need to. Overalerting is one of their primary concerns, that if they issue too many alerts too frequently for things that are frivolous or not considered to be severe and certain, they will be penalized by their community. Certainly, questioned very strongly about why they chose to send something. However, when you do not use the alert system, it also erodes trust. Because when a message is not sent, that is when people are in the greatest danger.
The overalerting issues that we are currently seeing are related to warning fatigue, and also concerns about opting out of messages. In the state of Texas, what we found in the study following the 2023 national test of the wireless emergency alert system is that the state of Texas has the most number of opt outs. And that is related to the geographical scope of the message that they send, and also the type of hazards they send messages for. So we've seen that in Texas, they send the most statewide alerts and the most Amber alerts. And perhaps the most famous alert that they sent at four in the morning was for a blue alert, which the FCC received more than 6,000 phone calls following that alert from people who were very frustrated by being woken in the morning for something they could not do anything about.
Speaker 4
Those are tough decisions that have to be made. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.
Speaker 10
I thank the ranking member for yielding. Now I would recognize myself for five minutes of questioning. More than a year ago, Hurricane Helene, with over 100 milepower winds, ran through the entire stretch of my district and caused widespread damage and loss. We suffered multiple deaths and a loss of power for weeks in some areas. I remember the first press conference that we held in the district.
You know, there was no, nobody had power. Nobody had communication. And people ask, where do we get, you know, shelter? Where do we get the water? Where can we get food?
And our disaster director said, just go to our website, and it'll tell you everything. We had no communications. And I realized then that something we need desperately to do something about this. I do want to thank several groups that came together. Obviously, the generosity of Starlink pretty quickly got, at least, our disaster centers up.
Georgia Power with Southern Link, at least so we could communicate and start the cleanup, and get power back on. And, but their communications with Southern Link was critical. And then the efforts of our cell services putting in temporary facilities and generators to at least give some limited cell service. But we all learned the importance of resilient communication networks when commercial networks were severely disrupted. It was next to impossible for constituents to access information and resources during approximately 10 to 12 days.
I wanna thank chairman Hudson for holding this important hearing today, and to our expert witnesses, and I wanna thank you for joining us. Mister Garrus, from a cost-benefit perspective, how does investment in wireless emergency alerts compare to other public safety communication tools?
Speaker 8
Mister vice chairman, thank you for the question, and thank you for your experience. And hurricane Helene was, I'm sure, challenging. But I can say that our networks are stronger than they were before because we've spent billions of dollars deploying cell sites with overlapping coverage and capabilities. Every communication in a disaster situation is important, whether it's a 911 communication or a wireless emergency alert, we wanna make sure that service is there. And so, you know, we invest in both equal efforts, making sure that our networks are available to get the emergency alerts out so people can know what to do in an emergency.
And we make investments in solutions to make sure that the 911 capabilities are what consumers would expect. They can text, they can call, and they take advantage of the commercial solutions that we use every day.
Speaker 10
To follow-up, if we wanna have wireless emergency alerts delivered everywhere, we need coverage everywhere. Isn't that a good reason why Congress should improve the permitting process so that providers can more easily extend their coverage?
Speaker 8
Mister vice chairman, absolutely. We appreciate this committee's leadership on that issue of making sure that we can deploy wireless services, wireless infrastructure, in more places. Right? We've deployed 450,000 cell sites with overlapping coverage, so that if some cell sites go out, we still try to maintain services. You noted that we also have temporary capabilities.
We call it the barnyard, the cows, the coats, the golts, the flying cows we can bring in. But, overall, if we can reduce red tape and be able to get more infrastructure out to more places, we're gonna have more resilient networks.
Speaker 10
Thank you. Captain, do first responders have the communication tools necessary to do their jobs effectively?
Speaker 6
In some instances, yes, we do. In many, we do not. We need a new reimagining of next generation 911 and the communications possibilities that they can bring to us.
Speaker 10
It is as far as, and this is for any of the witnesses, I got about forty two seconds. What improvements can be made to the public safety communications ecosystem? Would anybody like to offer a suggestion? Yes, Miss Matt.
Speaker 7
Thank you very much, and thank you for the question. I think that's where space comes in, in satellite. And you saw it yourself when you were talking about the recent example with Starlink. Like, Starlink AST Space Mobile actually provides broadband, and that will give first responders the ability, when the networks are down, to communicate, but also for users across the country to reach emergency services like 911.
Speaker 10
Thank you. Thank you very much. Again, thank you to the witnesses. And, with that, I'm out of time. I will yield back and call on Representative So for his five minutes of question.
Speaker 11
Thank you, chairman. 911 is a lifeline for every American. Hurricanes, medical emergencies, violent crimes, accidents. At one point or another, every Central Floridian will experience one of these emergencies, unfortunately. Cops and firefighters, EMTs, our heroes, are ready to come to the rescue, but only if that call comes through.
Unfortunately, we've seen Republicans took away a key funding source for nine one one with the Spectrum sale, using proceeds to help fund their big ugly law that was helping billionaire tax breaks. But here we are trying to get this done, finally. And next generation 911 will be critical. A grant program to upgrade legacy communications infrastructure for local 911 systems. The key is redundancy.
Cellular, broadband, satellite. When one fails, another picks up the call. We've seen this over and over again in Florida. We launch a lot of those satellites from The Cape, the district right next to mine. When everything else fails, that has been a helpful part of it, although we need to continue to increase the speeds.
Miss Manner, how do you think we're doing on it fills the gap. Speeds are starting to improve. How do you think low Earth orbit satellites can help with disaster recovery during those first couple hours to days where we may struggle, and how is the speed improving?
Speaker 7
So thank you for the question. Yes. We're launching many of our satellites from Florida. And one of the things I think that would help is there is a great constraint on launch capability today. So I think you would see more satellites being launched as launch capabilities increase.
Our system is somewhat different than what's up today, which is we're able, we're starting to launch and we'll have deployed in the next year. We'll be able to provide broadband speeds. We've already tested it at 120 megabits, which is comparable to what you get with your cellular system. So with that, you're going to be able to have the ability for first responders to communicate using broadband. So our partner FirstNet, for instance, or other first responders are using our partners' networks.
AT&T and Verizon. We'll be able to have broadband communication, so downloading plans of a house if you're fighting a fire, knowing where things are. We're also working with our partners. Our system is capable for the public safety requirements, 911, and emergency alerting. So as that gets integrated into our partners' networks, this will take a little bit of time.
It's a brand new technology. You'll have those services available, and I think that will make everything much easier for users as well to get the help they need.
Speaker 11
Thank you, Miss Manner. And we've had a record number of launches, over 100 this year at Cape Canaveral. We see it twice a week from our backyard, so we know we'll be getting there. Miss Sutton, you know, in Central Florida, we have a very diverse community. We have folks who speak Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole.
You add in 1 million tourists at any given time to Central Florida who could come from around the world. How can we make emergency alerts more accessible to constituents and tourists in Central Florida, especially during a hurricane, who may not speak English as a first language?
Speaker 9
Thank you for the question. And you're raising one that's very important and very difficult for local emergency managers to address. We do not have good strategies for translation into other languages. While AI solutions have been proposed, a more reliable strategy is to have in-office personnel who have the ability to do that translation activity. However, it's very limited across the States.
I appreciate that Florida has a more robust activity in that area and has supported the efforts within the hurricane area of helping to do translation using AI. But it is a problem that we need more research and more resources to address.
Speaker 11
Thank you, Miss Sutton. And you mentioned if we have translators, professionals to be able to help, that's ideal. But as a captain Vernado, you mentioned, if we don't have those, AI may be the best that we can do. What has been your experience in any tests that you may have seen with attempts to use AI to improve different languages for 911?
Speaker 6
What we have seen, and I've only seen it in beta tests so far, we're going to be beta testing it here in the near future in our center, in Livingston. But there are many ways to leverage AI, to leverage new technologies that are out there, to improve the notifications, language translations, also transcriptions of calls that we can actually see the transcription coming across and, even translated at that point.
Speaker 1
Thank you, chair. And I'll recognize the gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Griffith, for five minutes for your questions.
Speaker 12
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate you calling this important hearing, and I appreciate all of our witnesses for being here today. Miss Manner, your company, AST Space Mobile, recently seems to really have a great use case in rural and mountainous areas like the area I represent, Southwest Virginia. Can you speak to the reasons why a mobile service provider currently may not allow satellite alert capabilities? Does that make sense to you?
Speaker 7
Let me try. So thank you for the question. So I think, off, it takes a little while to get networks integrated. So one of the things we're doing, our partners here in the United States are AT and T and Verizon. So we're working on them.
This is a first time that you're ever integrating satellite into the emergency alert system. So we're working with testing with AT&T and Verizon. So you will see it. It's just gonna take a little bit of time for it to get to a place we don't wanna deploy before it's reliable, and people can depend on the service.
Speaker 12
And I do appreciate that. I will tell you that this is of great concern to me because when hurricane Helene hit, I'm just over the border from North Carolina. Two one county in particular and part of one county were hit not quite as hard as the worst of North Carolina, but pretty darn close. Most of my district was hit in some heavy fashion and for various reasons. And I checked into it afterwards, and it was different stuff in different parts and different carriers.
In at least five of my counties, we lost cell service completely. We lost landlines because of the disruptions, the flooding, and the wind, and then we lost cell service. And if it wasn't for space-based technologies being brought in, we would have been really literally up the creek without a paddle. And, so I'm really excited about this because, you know, in those emergencies where everything is lost, you gotta have something. I can remember being in Grayson County at the command center where they did, for some reason, have Wi Fi working there.
And one of the guys had to leave to go check on his mother. He told her to stay home, but she wanted to go out and see what was going on. As it turned out, she was fine. But he had no way of getting in touch with her, he didn't know where she was. He lost track of where his mother was, so he had to go look for her. I was driving separately from my district director.
He went into a hole, literally, a small opening happened in the road, and his car went into it. Now the back end of his car went in. Let's tell you about my district. Farmers saw him go in, got a tractor out there, and they pulled him out. But for over two hours, nearly three hours, I had no idea why he didn't show up at the rendezvous point, because we had no way to communicate.
So having, you know, all the technologies working together seamlessly is important. And then that raises the question, what prevents the seamless transfer between terrestrial and satellite coverage for first responders?
Speaker 7
So I think for us, we're just putting up our satellites. So, well, as I said, we'll have full continuous coverage. So we have to get our FCC approvals, still pending. We have to get the satellites up. But once we have that and once we get through the testing process and the integration, I don't think there's really much of anything that will prevent it.
But it does take a little bit of time. I agree how urgently I've been working on this issue for 30 years of my career. So I'm happy to say that I do think we're there, and we'll start to become more pervasive across The United States very quickly.
Speaker 12
And I think that's great. I just have to tell you that I know there are a lot of people who want fiber run to every house. In my district, in some areas to get to that house at the end of the last mile or the last mile and a half or the last 2 and a half miles, you're talking about more than a $100,000, maybe a couple $100,000 to get to one, two, or three houses. Those folks would be thrilled to have space based of any type, available to them. I know that's not what we're here about today, but it's extremely important, and competition always lowers prices, which is important to my district as well.
Captain, let me ask you a question, and I appreciate you being here today. So, you know, I'm a little biased towards the space stuff, but what type of mobile network outage information would be helpful to first responders during a natural disaster?
Speaker 6
Knowing what a visual knowing of what is out. Right now, I can look at my power companies, and I can tell what power lines are out, where power is not being provided. But I can't tell where my telecommunications infrastructure is not working.
Speaker 12
And I've run out of time, and the chairman's gonna beat me down. So I appreciate that answer. But that's extremely important, because I didn't know why my district director wasn't responding. And if we'd had some way when I was at the command center in Independence, Virginia for Grayson County, if we'd had some way of knowing that we were out. The only reason I know that there were five or six counties out is I was traveling in those counties, didn't have service.
That's the only way I knew. I yield back.
Speaker 1
Thank you, chair. And I recognize the gentleman from California, Mister Ruiz, for five minutes for your question.
Speaker 13
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As emergency medicine physician and previous command physician for the city of Pittsburgh during my residency at the University of Pittsburgh affiliated residency in emergency medicine. I understand that, when someone dials 911, they are often experiencing the worst moment of their life. They expect their call to go through, that the dispatcher can locate them, understand the situation, and send help immediately. Unfortunately, in too many communities across this country, including parts in my district in the Coachella Valley and Imperial Valley that I represent, that expectation is not always met.
In my district, first responders cover vast rural areas, agricultural communities, tribal lands, and desert terrain. During extreme heat events, wildfires, flash floods, or medical emergencies, reliable communications can mean the difference between life and death. You all know that speed is a factor during emergencies. And yet many 911 centers still operate on legacy systems that cannot handle modern data, are vulnerable during disasters, and struggle to interoperate across jurisdictions. Copper wire theft has compounded these challenges, leaving some communities without reliable landline service and further jeopardizing access to emergency help.
That is why next generation 911 is so critical. NG nine one one allows text, images, video, and precise location data to reach dispatchers' capabilities, increasingly necessary when a caller cannot speak, does not know their exact location, or is calling from a mobile device. But technology alone is not enough. Congress must ensure that policy, funding, and governance structures allow these systems to function when they are needed most. Captain Bernardo, what are the main barriers?
Financial, regulatory, technical, or all of the above preventing rural and underserved communities like the Coachella and Imperial Valleys from fully adopting next generation 911?
Speaker 6
I think the largest is funding, especially in the rural areas because they don't have the infrastructure to have the resilient and redundant features of next generation nine one one.
Speaker 13
Thank you. And at the end of the day, this is about fair allocation of resources and safety. A family in rural Imperial or Coachella Valleys deserve the same reliable access to emergency services as someone in a major metropolitan area. Satellite-enabled connectivity has the potential to fill gaps where traditional networks fail, especially in desert and agricultural communities. Mister Gerst, first you, and then Miss Manner.
How can satellite technology support wireless customers' access to public safety communications and improve reliability during outages and disasters?
Speaker 8
Congressman, thank you for that question. I think it's safe to say that wireless has reset consumers' expectations on public safety. They expect to be able to reach 911 and get those emergency alerts everywhere they are, at all times. We've been working for years to build out our networks as far as they can go. But, you know, there have been areas that we just can't reach, particularly in rural and remote areas.
We're very excited about the new partnerships that the wireless industry is entering into with satellite companies to be able to extend those services, to extend the reach of 911 communications and emergency alerts out to those areas.
Speaker 7
So, thank you. I think it's an important thing to know. It's not just when the terrestrial network isn't available. It's when the terrestrial network isn't adequate, isn't of a high enough quality. And satellite can complement the terrestrial wireless operations to provide that additional connectivity, especially in areas where maybe you don't have the best service.
So I would add that that's an important consideration. And I really do. I worked on the creation of FirstNet. And I was quite serious when I talked about how we were looking for a way. We I know I did the funding analysis for FirstNet for how it was funded, and we knew there was only enough money to provide service to a certain percentage of population coverage across The US.
To get handheld service, directed device, broadband service out to the first responders in areas like your district, I think is critical, and you're never gonna get there with terrestrial alone.
Speaker 13
Thank you. You know, this is a continuum of emergency care that we need all the way from recognizing the emergency, calling, having the first responders respond quickly, having an emergency department, potentially an ICU, and saving a person's life, keeping them alive, seeing them walk out the hospital. This is one component of the continuum of emergency care. Thank you.
Speaker 1
Thank you, Hunt. I like that phrase, doctor. Continuum of emergency care. I like the application here. Very good.
The chair now recognizes the gentleman from Texas, Mister Goldman, for five minutes for your questions.
Speaker 14
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, very much. Miss Manner, since you are Texas-based, I'm gonna focus on that. Tell us more about your company and what y'all goals are for the future. I mean, it's very interesting what you're doing, but how big do you plan to get? And is it only to fill in a gap that's not there or to expand even further?
Speaker 7
So thank you, and we're very proud to be located in the great state of Texas.
Speaker 7
So, and we have our yep. We have our manufacturing facilities there. And just to give you an idea, I joined in May, and the company has already grown exponentially. We're now manufacturing 6 satellites a day in our facility.
Speaker 7
About 1,800 across the company, and we continue to grow. I actually have a number of openings, if you know anyone.
Speaker 7
So, I think, you know, our vision of, our CEO of Bell Avalon who founded the company was to really solve the digital divide. When I went to meet with him when I was first joining, he really recognized the only way you're gonna solve the digital divide is to get broadband into people's devices. And so I think our goal is to make sure that anyone who needs to be connected is connected. We find being headquartered here and working in Texas that we have the skills and the staff that we need to help meet that goal. And working with our partners here, we're also deploying globally.
So it's a global service. We have over 50 partners around the world today, as well as our strategic investors. So we're well on the path to getting there.
Speaker 14
So you mentioned that you're trying to get those who are connected, not connected. Is the future, though, to compete in the open market with those who are connected?
Speaker 7
We are partnering with the MNOs. I think that was one of the important visions of our founder of Abel Avalon was to work with the wireless partners to bring the service to subscribers across the globe. So for instance, we're unique. If you think about it, we brought together AT and T and Verizon to work together with us in a partnership.
Speaker 14
And is there any discussions or any 911 or any emergency services? Tell us about that.
Speaker 7
It's a tremendous focus of our company is making sure that we have the capabilities which we will in our network to provide all the required public safety, meet all the required public safety requirements of our partners like AT and T and Verizon. So whether that's 911, emergency alerts, we'll we're working with them to bring that to their subscribers.
Speaker 14
Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you. Mister chairman, thank you for the time. Let me brag on a great Texas company.
I yield back the rest of my time.
Speaker 1
Thank you. Chair, now I recognize the gentleman from California, Mister Peters, for five minutes for your questions.
Speaker 15
Thank you, mister chairman, for holding this important hearing. Congress has a responsibility to empower our first responders locally with the tools they need to make informed decisions and keep our communities safe. Federal investments in public safety communications will provide police officers and firefighters in San Diego and across the country with the most up-to-date information, and this ensures that they're prepared to aid the community in times of trouble. One thing I'd say too about our police department is it's very large, and it's difficult to make big changes all at once. And so the federal participation in terms of funding is really a smart strategy for communities like ours, and I applaud the chairman for his legislation.
One of the ways Congress can help public safety authorities be even more responsive is through generation next generation 911. So I'm glad I could see we're considering this HR 6505. We did have an opportunity to fund this from spectrum auctions. The majority went a different way, and we'll have to find the money for that. But I do appreciate the opportunity to discuss this.
I had an opportunity recently to participate in a ride along with my local police department, and one of the things that was most striking about it was how antiquated the technology was in the car and to respond to. And so I wanted to ask Captain Fernando, and then Mister Gerst, what sort of technological improvements have been made? What sort of upgrades would next generation nine one one enable? What can we expect to see in the next 5 or 10 years as a result of this innovation?
Speaker 6
As communications technology advances, we're going to see major changes. But right now, we're seeing very small steps. We need to have major change in our networks specifically so that it can run the types of technology that is needed in our systems.
Speaker 8
Thank you, Congressman. You know, for our part, the wireless industry, the connection to deliver the communications to the public safety community, we wanna deliver services the way that consumers expect to be able to reach nine one one. That's true voice. That's true text. That's through using all of the great commercial applications we use on our devices almost every day.
So, and for the better part of the last decade, we've invested in these solutions. We can do multiple new things now that we didn't use to be able to do. We have text to 911 available nationwide by the providers and for the public safety community, PSAPs that receive it. We have location-based services that allow us to pinpoint within a city block, within a few floors of a building. And we also are able now to route calls based on that information.
Previously, we were doing that based on the cell site. That was resulting in some of the calls going to the wrong PSAP, and now we're using location-based information to make sure that all those calls are getting to the right PSAP. So all these technologies that are in our phones, use every day, we're using them for public safety services too.
Speaker 15
Right. I guess the hardware follows the network. Right? So once the network is available, you expect people to respond with hardware that can go in each police car, for instance. Right?
Speaker 8
Yeah. Absolutely. I mean, the availability of the innovation that we've seen on wireless networks, the investments in 5G technology, investments, the, you know, innovation in the devices that we get, you know, almost on an annual basis, a new device that's got all these new features. We integrate all those capabilities for public safety purposes, too. Right.
Speaker 15
I'm proud to represent Qualcomm in my district. They're developing advanced public safety solutions, leveraging 5G technology, and, also, Qualcomm is a central part of developing the 6G technology. That's direct voice, video, text communications, even when cellular networks are unavailable, as with regions that are devastated by hurricanes or by wildfires. Captain Vernon, are you hearing about technology that's out there that will be helpful for our first responders already for deployment? And how will next gen 09/11 expedite the ability of first responders to adopt emerging technologies?
Speaker 6
I think the biggest is that we are currently using yesterday's technology. Right. We're utilizing technology from the sixties and seventies to run the 911 systems currently today. So there is innovation, but we've gotta have that improvement in the networks so that that information can be shared. It can be interoperable.
And interoperable is really the keyword there. We've gotta be able to share that data from beginning to end. As, congressman Ruiz said, that continuum of care. Right. That's what we really need.
Speaker 15
What's sort of the timeline? If everything went great for you, how long do you see it the network being, in such a condition that we're really gonna see different hardware and police cars?
Speaker 6
I would find a hard time giving you a specific timeline. I would say in the next two to five years, we would see a total transformation of that. We're already seeing it with AI coming. ABCO and ICEART are working together on AI innovation and things. So I think it's.
Speaker 1
Thank you. Thank you, chair. And I recognize the gentleman from Texas, Mister Fluger, for five minutes to ask your questions.
Speaker 16
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. At the most recent hearing on public safety, we heard about the critical role that wireless emergency alerts play in public safety and how low earth orbit satellites with direct device capabilities from mobile carriers can enhance that. During natural disasters, when communication infrastructure is damaged or in rural areas where it doesn't exist at all, like in my district, mobile service can be inconsistent. Not having access to emergency alerts can also mean the difference between life and death. And every member of this committee has learned this all too well.
Whether it was during wildfires that we've talked about today, or the flooding in Central Texas at Camp Mystic, for which the bill I'm gonna talk about is named after. And on July 4, the devastating floods swept through my hometown and throughout much of Central Texas where two of my daughters were attending camp. Gosh. It's even hard to talk about it now. But these alerts can be lifesaving.
And, you know, you see the damage that was done at that time there. And I think this is why it's really important what y'all are talking about today. So we've decided to name my bill, the Mystic Alert Act, which would incorporate satellite into the wireless emergency alert process to close the divide to deliver timely alerts via satellite. And I appreciate both sides of the aisle coming together to discuss this. And we know that lower low earth orbit satellite, partnering with commercial services to provide that direct to device capabilities, will help to not only close that digital ride, also provide the emergency services when you're in a situation where it's needed.
And it's neat to have a home district company, AST, that offers this exact service. So, Miss Manner, I'll get to you in just a second. But, mister Gerst, in your written testimony, you described WAAs as among the most powerful alert and warning tools available to protect the public when emergencies unfold. Can you discuss how incorporating the space-based, mobile broadband into the WEA system would improve this, especially in areas where that infrastructure is damaged or in rural areas?
Speaker 8
Congressman, thank you so much for your question. I know this is a personal issue for you. It's personal for me too. The dad of kids who go to the summer camp. We as work, when you go, when they're sent, they save lives.
And so our goal is to get those messages out as quickly as possible, with the capabilities that our wireless networks can reach. We know that they don't reach all areas right now despite all of our efforts and investment, and deployment. So we're very excited about the opportunity to partner with satellite companies. We're in very early stages of that right now, but there are some advancements we're seeing already. Your bill shows real leadership to help us move that forward.
So thank you for that.
Speaker 16
Well, thank you. And, miss Manner, we're very proud of AST, and have been following the progress for many years, since my very first visit in Midland, Texas to watch what y'all are doing with satellites. But can you talk about the work that you're doing, the AST is doing to support the emergency alerting system and how incorporating space based mobile broadband into the WIAs would help first responders in the preparedness?
Speaker 7
So thank you very much, Congressman. And we're very proud to be a Midland-based company. So I think going back to basics is our network ensures that we have space, that we have emergency alert capability. That is part of our DNA, part of our recipe. So right now, we're working with our partners here in the US, AT and T, Verizon, to make those services available.
But I do wanna say to pro it's gonna take a little bit of time and a little bit of money because we have to make sure we have sufficient satellites up and operational. And as you know, congressmen, we're on our way there, planning to launch 45 to 60 satellites this year. So we'll have full coverage of the US, and we must complete network integration with our partners. But when it's deployed, that's where we get exciting, is that US subscribers will be able to receive emergency alerts even on the most tragic days in the US when the terrestrial network's not available. And that's why we do support the purpose and intent of the MYSTIC Act.
So thank you very much.
Speaker 16
Well, thank you. Thank you for the work that you do. Captain Vernado, I'm gonna have to submit a question for the record on my amateur radio emergency preparedness act. But I just wanna say that this, you know, this event, I think, was it's tragic. You know, there's the loss of life along the Guadalupe River, where, you know, I've grown up as a kid, and now, you know, having kids that are attending that camp was just so tragic.
And this is something, technologically speaking, that y'all have a solution for, that I am very hopeful that our congress can come together to utilize this and to prevent that from happening, not just there, but in any area, in any circumstance, that we can have that information at our fingertips. And, mister chairman, thank you for holding this hearing. I yield back. Thank you.
Speaker 1
Chairman, I'll recognize the gentlelady from California, Miss Baragon, for five minutes for your questions.
Speaker 17
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think this is an important hearing, but I have to say I'm extremely disappointed that it would be held in conflict with a classified briefing in which they're talking about possible military strikes and a war that we would get into. So, it's just shocking to me that would be done. The wireless emergency alerts are one of the fastest ways to get lifesaving information to the public. And so I'm so grateful for the work that everybody on this panel has done.
They give families the critical seconds they need to stay alive during fires, earthquakes, and other emergencies. I know, when I see an alert, I immediately look at it, and then ask myself, did my family get it? Do people I know get it? This is so important. Recently, there are recent events in my district, like a container ship fire at the Port of Los Angeles that happened where a shelter in place alert was not put in place for nearly six hours.
It demonstrates how human error puts lives at risk. So, doctor Sutton, I wanna ask you, Los Angeles communities have seen repeated emergency alerting failures over the past year, including alerts accidentally sent hours too late or missing critical details about where and when the emergency is taking place. Where do you see the largest gaps in training for the public safety officials who send emergency alerts, and what can Congress do to address them?
Speaker 9
Thank you for that question. The gaps in training are linked to standards, that there are no specific standards for training emergency alert providers beyond being trained to utilize the system itself. Monthly tests are simply issued as test messages within a closed system, not requiring individuals to practice writing messages or sending them to live locations. Training would significantly improve, but the standards need to be set requiring authorized alerting providers to take additional training on how to write complete and actionable messages. And currently, those things do not exist.
Training also is not complete in that area. Most of the time, public information officers are trained on crisis communications and not on alerts and warnings.
Speaker 17
Great. Thank you. Mister Gurs, I found your testimony to be pretty powerful and very important. I wanna thank you and the wireless industry for the important and often lifesaving role they play in delivering emergency alerts to the public. Now when I was reading your testimony, I think what really struck me is when you talk about, you know, during these life-threatening situations, you say wireless communications are often the first, and sometimes the only connection between Americans and the emergency response heroes that keep everybody safe.
And so, I think that just highlights the critical role that the wireless industry plays. You also write in your testimony about how the wireless industry works to ensure that all Americans can get access to critical information when help is needed the most. And I think the critical word there is all Americans. I think about people like my mom. I think about people like neighbors that I know who may not have English as a first language, and making sure that people in my district that speak Korean and Tagalog and Vietnamese also can get those emergency alerts.
You would agree they too should be able to receive these wireless emergency alerts in a language they can understand. Yes?
Speaker 17
Well, thank you. The FCC recently published a rule on 12/10/2025. It's called the wireless emergency alerts in the emergency alert system. The summary talks about the implementation of parameters for multilingual wireless emergency alerts. It states in here, it's requiring commercial mobile service providers who participate in WIA to support multilingual templates for the most commonly issued and most time sensitive types of alerts in English, the next 13 most commonly spoken languages in the United States, and American sign language.
Mister Cruz, I think this is progress. I think this is real progress. It's why I worked with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. I worked with the Congressional Black Caucus and the Asian Pacific American Caucuses to support moving forward with something like this immediately. Because we know that once the wireless industry implements this plan, alerts sent by public safety officials in English will automatically show up in your phone's default language.
The innovation will save lives. Mister Gross, will you commit on behalf of CTIA that a wireless industry representative will meet with me in my office to discuss how the industry will implement the FCC's 30-month plan to ensure that wireless emergency alerts reach all Americans, as you say, including my constituents who don't speak English?
Speaker 8
Congresswoman, we're happy to meet with FEMA. We work with the FCC. We work with FEMA and all agencies to enhance wireless emergency alerts. We are working to implement multilingual alerting as well. In fact, today, alert originators can use an embedded link in a device to get multilingual information out.
So, in the meantime, we encourage alert originators to do that so they can get the information they need to the communities they serve. But we were happy to meet with government officials on this issue.
Speaker 17
Great. I look forward to hearing about your wireless plan, done in thirty months. Thank you.
Speaker 1
Thank you. The chair now recognizes General Afe, vouching for five minutes for your questions.
Speaker 18
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to the ranking member and the witnesses for being here today for your testimony. I'm glad to see this committee is taking up a slight slate of bipartisan bills. Public safety communications is one of those rare areas where the technology is moving fast, the stakes are high, and Congress has a real opportunity to make systems work better in the moments that matter most. When I've met with first responders in my district in Southeast Indiana, I consistently hear that clear, coordinated systems allow them to share information quickly, direct resources effectively, and keep both first responders and the public safe in very, very critical moments.
We've heard today how much the landscape has changed. Wireless networks now carry more than 80% of 911 calls, and providers are investing heavily in resiliency and backup power. But at the same time, our 9/11 professionals are still operating on infrastructure that traces back to the 1970s. Without federal standards or directed funding, adoption of Next Generation 911 remains an uneven and fragmented process across multiple states and localities. Against that backdrop, the bills before us today, ranging from the NG911 Act to the Mystic Alert Act, the Emergency Reporting Act, and others, represent a chance to build a modern, interoperable, and resilient public safety ecosystem.
Mister Varnado and Mister Gerst, several bills today aim to strengthen interoperability across public safety ecosystems. What should Congress prioritize to ensure that 911 systems, alerting platforms, wireless networks, and emerging satellite services function as a unified network across state and local boundaries?
Speaker 6
I think Congress should adopt a comprehensive framework for our next generation 911 to ensure all communities have access to modern, reliable, and interoperable emergency communications.
Speaker 8
Aristotle man, thank you for the question. We are working every day right now to work with 911 authorities to implement next generation 911 for our part. Our part is delivering the calls to the call centers. We completely agree that the federal government should marshal its forces, its resources to help state and local governments move to the next generation 911 services as quickly as possible, given the interoperability, the redundancy, all the capabilities that consumers who place calls on our networks expect our public safety services to have.
Speaker 18
It's really honestly unbelievable to me that we're here at this point when we're 20, 20 post nine eleven when we've had we saw those interoperability problems exacerbated to tragic levels. And we're still yet talking about next generation 911. So I do hope that this hearing will move our work forward to completion. Mister Gerst, as NG911 systems come online, AI tools are already being tested for call triage, translation, and identifying high-risk situations. What opportunities and risks do you see in applying AI inside nine-one-one call centers, and what safeguards should we consider if those capabilities become standard elements?
Speaker 8
We're very excited about AI overall, whether it's network optimization and better speeds and services for the consumers we serve. And we're also seeing how AI can be helpful, as you mentioned, in the triage processes. I believe NTIA put out a report just a couple weeks ago that their analysis, or analysis that was provided to them, showed that AI using, triaging nonemergency calls, reduced, you know, those calls by 40%, enables that helps our telecommunicators, the folks who actually take the calls, have the ability to respond to the calls that they actually need help. Defer to Captain Jack and Renato on the specifics of the operations. But, overall, we're very excited about what AI can do in that space.
Speaker 18
Thank you. And as a member of congress, I have visited some of my dispatch centers, fielded a call or two for the dispatch system, and really am grateful for the work that they do. And this support that we can give them is critical. I would encourage lots of members of Congress to go take the time to visit the dispatch center to see what they deal with on a daily basis, and the difficulties engaged in that. Thank you again to the witnesses.
Today's hearing makes one thing unmistakably clear. First responders cannot do their jobs without communication systems that are trustworthy, interoperable, and resilient. This bipartisan work in front of us is an opportunity to close those gaps. I look forward to continuing these efforts with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Thank you, mister chairman, and I yield back.
Speaker 1
Thank you, chairman. I recognize the gentleman from Louisiana, my partner in NG911, Mister Carter, for five minutes for your questions.
Speaker 5
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for your leadership. Thank you to our witnesses for being here today. Across the United States, hundreds of millions of calls are made to 911 every year. However, there are 911 call centers in Louisiana and across the country that still lack modern twenty-first century communication infrastructure. This can significantly delay emergency response times and put lives at risk.
This is why I'm proud to co-lead this bipartisan legislation with Chairman Hudson to modernize our 911 systems infrastructure. This legislation will ensure dispatchers and first responders have the best digital tools at their disposal and are well prepared and equipped to respond when disasters or emergencies strike our communities. Captain Varnado, as you know, Louisiana has faced some of the nation's most devastating natural disasters, including hurricanes that stress our 911 system. How can improving our interoperability between emergency communications centers across parishes help ensure that first responders can coordinate effectively during these events and maintain reliable access to 911 for all Louisianians?
Speaker 6
Congressman, thank you so much for that, and thank you for the work that we've done in the past in the state legislature. But I can tell you, you know, during hurricanes, especially the large hurricanes that we've had come ashore, in the last 25 years, we have seen evacuations needing to occur, call volumes increasing on call centers in Upper, Inland Louisiana. And we, right now, we don't have the ability to transfer our 911 operations to a different center in the legacy network. We need that ability to be able to transfer that and get them out of harm's way for being able to be the resource during times of emergency. So a resilient, robust, and secure network is what we need to be able to function for our citizens.
We don't take everybody out of the cone of damage. We're staying.
Speaker 5
A lot of pieces of this puzzle that people never see. Yes. The challenges that you undertake are grave, and we greatly appreciate the heroic acts that you and your men and women perform. Cameron, as you know, my district includes both urban areas and smaller rural communities. Many of the rural and underserved areas in my district face unique challenges, including continued reliance on outdated 911 legacy systems.
How would funding from proposals like Next Generation 911 Act improve and enhance emergency response capabilities in rural and underserved communities that might lack adequate communication infrastructure?
Speaker 6
It's going to give them a level playing field to be able to access those high-speed Internet networks. They need the ability. In many of those rural areas, there's one Internet provider. There's one. There's no resiliency there.
That's why we're glad to see the satellite companies coming in, to be able to, here in the near future, be able to do that. But we need to have resilient and redundant communication networks.
Speaker 5
Any small gap in communication means precious minutes, seconds, which translates to, in many cases, a person's life or death. Yes.
Speaker 5
Person has a stroke, a heart attack, in need of instruction, those precious seconds that a lack of state-of-the-art technology provides could mean the difference between life and death.
Speaker 5
So can you describe the importance of cybersecurity in the transition of next-gen 911? And these upgrades alleviate some of the security vulnerabilities that might exist across the antiquated legacy systems.
Speaker 6
In your and, chairman Hudson's bill, it does that. It sets up a cybersecurity resource center that we can share data on threats. But in our current legacy systems, the operating systems on a lot of these are so old, they cannot even take some of the new cybersecurity measures into place. So, there is a huge vulnerability right there. But in your bills, they actually have that cyber resource center, that we need so badly because we're not the experts in cybersecurity.
Speaker 5
But you are the experts at saving lives. We are. And as we conclude my portion of this and pass on to my other colleagues, I want to say thank you. Thank you to you all for the incredible work that you do, the unsung heroes that often people don't see. They don't see the voice behind 911, the person that offers the help, the person that administers the resources.
So we've never said it before. Let us be very clear. We greatly appreciate you. Thank you. Are you back?
Speaker 1
Thank the gentleman. The chair now recognized the gentle lady from Virginia, Miss McClellan, for five minutes to ask your questions.
Speaker 19
Thank you, mister chair, mister chairman and ranking member Matsui for holding this very important topic, hearing on a topic that impacts all of our communities. As we've heard today, communities rely on nine one one systems not only in moments of crisis, but for the trust and confidence that comes from knowing that help is on the way. As we confront school shootings, hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, and other emergencies, we have to ensure that our first responders have reliable, operable, and modern communication tools. That is a necessity, not a luxury. It is critically important that no community gets left behind in the transition to NextGen 911.
Yet the latest data available shows, and as Captain Bernardo has so eloquently stated many times today, many communities, particularly our rural ones, are in fact being left behind. The most recently available data from 2021 shows that only 12 states have 100% of their population served by NextGen nine one one capable PSAPs. 11 states have 0% of their population served. Our September hearing on this issue made clear that funding is a primary challenge to PSAPs in making this transition. We've heard that here today.
It's important to note that, generally, it's our local governments that own and operate, and, therefore, have to pay for the establishment, operation, maintenance, and transition of these PSAPs, through their general funds. And in some cases, local and state imposed 911 surcharges. That's not enough. Our local governments face numerous fiscal challenges, and that's why I'm so pleased to see Chairman Hudson and Representative Carter's bipartisan leadership to establish a funding mechanism to help upgrade legacy 911 systems to NG 911. But as the conversation here today, particularly with Captain Bernardo, has illustrated, the rub will come in how much money gets appropriated for these grants.
Congress last estimated the cost to transition all 5,700 PSAPs, primary and secondary, to NextGen nine one one in 2018. But the costs have likely gone up in the past seven years due to inflation, through the cost of labor, increases in costs and fiber optic components, PVC, and other insulation materials used as a result of tariffs. So the total cost to upgrade all 5,700 primary and secondary PSAPs has likely gone up. So today's discussion and the associated bills are critical to ensuring that these benefits are realized nationwide, and no community is left behind. But whether these bills are successful in closing those gaps is going to depend on how much funding Congress makes available.
So far, we failed to mark. So let me ask all witnesses, how do these uneven levels of NG911 capability and deployment undermine emergency response when federal responders and law enforcement operate across multiple state and local jurisdictions, particularly during large-scale or cross-border emergencies? And I'll start with you, Captain.
Speaker 6
I think that we're talking about two different types of things. Locals and states usually handle 911 calls and emergencies, planned events at the federal level. So, they're a little bit different there, but the need to be able to coordinate those responses is very much so needed.
Speaker 19
And do you think that having different levels of capability to receive emergency calls in different jurisdictions that have to coordinate, in a multi-jurisdictional event, particularly with federal officials, makes that coordination more complicated?
Speaker 6
It does make it more complicated. We need to be a seamless, resilient network together that we can share data back and forth one to the other.
Speaker 19
Thank you. And I don't have much time left, but if anybody would like to add on to that. Alright. No. And then I had one question that I may need to have Miss Sutton answer on the record.
You talked about how one of the biggest hurdles we have to overcome is also the language we use to communicate. What is the top actionable change you would like to see in how emergency systems communicate with the public?
Speaker 9
I would like to thank you for that question. And I would like to see training required for every authorized alerting provider who touches the system. That means everyone who writes messages, who has the authority to push the button, needs to be trained and not have just a single person within the office have that required training. Instead, it should go through every single person who has the ability to push the button.
Speaker 1
Thank you. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Carter, for five minutes to ask your questions.
Speaker 20
Well, thank you, mister chairman, and thank all of you for being here. This is such an important hearing. Public safety debate is so very important. It's also very personal to me. I had two granddaughters at Camp Mystic, and, unfortunately, one of their cousins didn't make it, and Jamie Hunt is now in heaven.
So this is certainly something that's very important to me and to everyone who was involved at Camp Mystic. We come a long way with wireless take emergency alerts, and especially at critical times, but sometimes the system doesn't work like we want it to. And, unfortunately, that was one of those times. Mister Gertz, I'm curious, and this was kinda just alluded to by the doctor, but I'm curious as to how we can make sure alert originators are providing the right information in a way our constituents can digest it quickly. In other words, do we need more training programs?
Would you agree?
Speaker 20
You know, one of the things that I've done in my district is, and I represent South Georgia. I represent the Coast of Georgia and South Georgia. We have a lot of hurricanes. And one thing that we try to do every spring before the hurricane season starts is get all the emergency personnel together and start communicating and sharing ideas, making sure everybody knows everybody and that everybody is because a hurricane doesn't know county boundaries, and every county has got a different public service, personnel and group. So we try to make sure that we're communicating and, certainly, making sure that our training is very important.
How can we improve some of these alerts that we have, mister Gert?
Speaker 8
Congressman, again, on your personal experience, you know, I know this is an issue, a personal issue for you. It's also a personal issue for, I think, all of us who want to make sure that wireless emergency alerts get out to the people that need them when they need them. For our part, we deliver the message that alert originators send. They decide where it goes, when it goes, and what it says. We have new capabilities, new, we've included geotargeting.
We enable different features within the devices. We're gonna have location-aware mapping capabilities coming out next year. The FCC continues to encourage the industry and push the industry to add new features. Alert originators need to know how to use those features so that they can effectively serve their communities. The work doctor Sutton is doing in trying to help, train alert originators is critical to make sure that they can use those as effectively and maintain Wii as a powerful tool.
Speaker 20
What about sending emergency signals with satellite technology? I know in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene, that was something that was certainly something that would have been useful.
Speaker 8
Congressman, absolutely. We believe our networks are stronger than they've ever been, with billions of dollars we've invested, with redundancy, with all the capabilities to make sure that our network, our cell sites, are up and running when they need them. We have two challenges to that. That's the availability of power and the availability of fiber backhaul. And that's why we're really excited about satellite technology.
Because in those situations where it's hard to get the power back on, it's hard to get to those areas to deploy the fiber. If we can rely on satellite technologies to make sure that the public and consumers can reach 911 or they can get wireless emergency alerts, it's gonna make them ultimately safer. We're already seeing some examples of that. Today, you know, hikers in a rural area being able to reach 911, and, you know, challenges of the 911 community now having to serve those areas that they didn't have to serve before. So we're working through all these issues, but we're in the early stages.
It's a very exciting opportunity to serve the public.
Speaker 20
You know, I'm proud to be the cosponsor of the Mystic Alert Ag with congressman Pfluger who had daughters at Camp Mystic as well. And, it's in honor of Janie Hunt and the other victims of the Camp Mystic flood. This bill, it would direct the FCC to undertake a formal rulemaking to establish technical standards, to establish protocols and operational requirements that allow commercial mobile service providers to deliver emergency alerts via satellite connectivity. If this bill were signed into law, Mister Gertz, how should the FCC balance flexibility for innovation with the need for uniform national alerting standards?
Speaker 8
Congressman, thank you for that question because, you know, this committee helped to usher in wireless emergency alerts from the beginning and put in a flexible framework to be able to use the technology that we have available. And we settled on cell broadcast technology so that anybody, no matter what service they're subscribed to, can get access to wireless emergency alerts if they have a WEA capable device. So we think that that system works well. We wanna make sure that as we're integrating new capabilities, we are able to preserve those capabilities going forward. Happy to work with you and the congressman on your bill.
Speaker 20
Okay. Well, I am out of time, but I wanna ask you real quickly. What kind of timeline is realistic for the FCC to establish something like this?
Speaker 8
Congressman, it's a great question and something that I'm sure we're happy to work with you on.
Speaker 20
Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you all for everything you're doing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Speaker 1
Thank you, gentlemen. I ask unanimous consent to insert in the record the documents included on the staff hearing documents list. Without objection, so ordered. Seeing there are no further questions, I would like to thank our witnesses for being here today. This was a fantastic hearing.
We learned a lot of good information. Thank you for making the time to be here. I remind members they have 10 business days to submit questions for the record, and I ask the witnesses to respond to these questions promptly. Members should submit their questions by the close of business on Tuesday, December 3.0. Without objection, the subcommittee is adjourned.
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