▶ 0:14:41Subcommittee will come to order. Chair recognizes himself for an opening statement. Good morning. Welcome to today's legislative hearing on public safety communications in the united states. I'm glad we were able to convene this hearing in a bipartisan manner. And we have several bipartisan bills in front of us today.
▶ 0:14:59I'm looking forward to hearing from our witnesses about how these bills will improve communications for public safety, and give first responders additional tools to do their jobs so they can best serve our communities and come home safe. This hearing will be the next step in advancing the important legislation before us. In september, we held a hearing examining the broad state of public safety communications. Now we're looking at legislative improvements to that space.
▶ 0:15:25Important things like upgrading our 911 call centers, improvements to our wireless emergency alerting, and improvements to our outage reporting are crucial improvements that we now can look at through a legislative lens. Alongside my friend representative carter from louisiana, I recently introduced the next generation 911 act.
▶ 0:15:46This legislation would establish a grant program at the national telecommunications and information administration, or ntia, for next generation 911 technology. It would also establish a nationwide next generation 911 cyber security center and a next generation 911 advisory board, upgrading our nation's call centers to 911 technology is crucial for public safety.
▶ 0:16:10This internet protocol based system will open the door for advanced tools for both the public and our first responders to use. Further, this legislation will enable deployment nationwide a patchwork of call centers that still have aging, outdated legacy systems risks a communication landscape that is uneven and non-interoperable. I've long been a supporter of 911 deployment nationwide, and I am proud to lead this legislation, along with my friend from louisiana.
▶ 0:16:39We have a few bills before us that look to improve our wireless emergency alerts, or we wireless alerts to mobile phones can be powerful tools to quickly and directly, uh, disseminate warnings of dangerous weather, threats to public safety, national emergencies, and even even missing children. However, these alerts can only be received if a phone is in range of traditional cell service.
▶ 0:17:04As we see mobile carriers moving towards innovative technologies like satellite directed device connections. It's worth exploring how this technology can be used as another tool for public safety communications when outside of terrestrial cell service network. Our public safety and law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to help us in our times of need, and we must make sure that they have the best tools at their disposal to do their jobs.
▶ 0:17:31Today, we will hear from our witnesses about the legislative improvements to public safety communications before us, and how these bills can make our country a safer place. I look forward to hearing from the witnesses today about these issues, and how congress can stand ready as a partner. I now recognize the ranking member, the gentlelady from california, for her opening statement. >> thank you very much, Mr. chairman. I'm really glad that we're having this hearing today to consider bipartisan solutions to strengthen our public safety communications. Emergencies can happen anywhere, at any time.
▶ 0:18:01And in their moments, every second counts. When a parent is trying to get help for their child, when an older adult has fallen, or when a wildfire is moving fast. America should never have to wonder whether 911 will connect in the tragic camp fire in northern california, near my district in 2018, the deadliest wildfire in the state's history. Our emergency communication systems face significant challenges.
▶ 0:18:27More than half of initial calls to 911 never got through an emergency alert system. Warnings weren't consistently sent out since the campfire. Communities in my district, like elk grove, have made real progress modernizing emergency communications, moving to cloud based systems that connect 911 dispatch with real time information.
▶ 0:18:48Elk grove is leading the nation by integrating drone first response operations into its real time information center to strengthen situational awareness, community trust and officer safety. The local leadership can only go so far without strong federal follow through, and it's frustrating that earlier this year, house republicans walked away from bipartisan bill to fund next generation 911 through spectrum auction proceeds.
▶ 0:19:15Instead of steering those dollars to corporate tax breaks and leaving first responders in limbo, our communities shouldn't have to face that uncertainty in a crisis, and our first responders shouldn't be left without the information they need to fight the fire and save lives. We know that we still have work to do to improve our emergency communications system.
▶ 0:19:37That's why I'm proud to work with my colleague, congressman bilirakis, on two bipartisan bills to improve the accessibility and reliability of these networks the emergency reporting act and carries law reporting act. These bills make straightforward improvements to our existing emergency systems, ensuring the protection we've already have in place are actually working.
▶ 0:20:00The emergency reporting act is about learning from failures quickly, transparently and with accountability. So the next disaster doesn't become a repeat of the last. If people can't reach 911 during a major event, we should know why and we should have a clear way to fix it before the next crisis exists.
▶ 0:20:20The caries reporting act makes sure that basic protections congress already enacted are working in the real world by checking whether companies are actually complying with the original law. Kari's law was born out of a heartbreaking tragedy, when a child tried again and again to call 911 and couldn't because the system required dialing nine before any call. That should never happen in america. Our job is to make sure call 911 means exactly that.
▶ 0:20:50No 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. >> thank you. I now recognize the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from kentucky, for five minutes for his opening statement. >> thank you, chairman hudson.
▶ 0:21:20Thank you for bringing us together for this important hearing. And thank you to our witnesses for being with us today. Uh, 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 state of public safety communications in the united states.
▶ 0:21:50We 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.
▶ 0:22:19Similarly to my 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 we 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.
▶ 0:22:43These bills will make important improvements to next gen nine over 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 Mr. chairman, I yield back. >> thank you. I now recognize the gentleman from new jersey, the ranking member, for five minutes for his opening statement. >> thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:23:06I'm pleased the subcommittee is holding this hearing today to discuss legislation to 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 communications centers across the nation, and too many of them still rely on legacy communications infrastructure that was first installed about 60 years ago.
▶ 0:23:32And while I'm glad to see the 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.
▶ 0:23:54As 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. 911 telecommunications assess the nature and location of an emergency quickly with better information. This information, in turn, helps police, fire and emergency medical services respond to a situation more safely and effectively.
▶ 0:24:19And equally as important, the benefits of next generation 911 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.
▶ 0:24:38Now the public is able to send pictures and video to 911 and with some applications, create a live video feed from their location with dispatchers can use to inform the work, and first responders can use to scout the scene before they arrive. Well, 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 911, so that all communities have modern equipment in place to better protect the people they serve.
▶ 0:25:09And 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.
▶ 0:25:27A lot has changed for the better since sandy, but 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.
▶ 0:25:51It'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 mind to the gentleman from louisiana, Mr. carter. >> thank you. >> ranking member pallone. And thank you to all the witnesses for being here.
▶ 0:26:13I'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, louisiana, I want to extend a special welcome to captain jack varnado, someone that's no stranger to me. We worked well together. When during my days as a state senator in louisiana.
▶ 0:26:32Jack serves as president of the association of public safety communications officers, apco international, and as the 911 director of livingston parish sheriff's office. In my home state of louisiana. Calvin varnado, 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 necessary improvements to this critical infrastructure in louisiana.
▶ 0:27:02We know all 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 emergency strike.
▶ 0:27:28That 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.
▶ 0:27:58During 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, Mr. chairman, I yield back. >> the gentleman's time has expired. We've now concluded with member opening statements.
▶ 0:28:25The 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 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.
▶ 0:28:53Miss jennifer manor, senior vice president of regulatory affairs and international strategy at ast spacemobile. Mr. matthew gertz, partner at wilkinson barker knauer and doctor jeanette sutton, associate professor of the college of emergency preparedness and homeland security and cyber security at the university of albany. Thank you all for being here. Captain varnado, you are recognized for five minutes for your opening statement.
▶ 0:29:24>> good morning, chairman hudson, ranking member matsui, and distinguished members of the subcommittee. My name is captain jack varnado, and I have worked in emergency communications for over 30 years. I'm the president of apco international. I'm also the nine one director. As you've heard of the livingston parish sheriff's office in louisiana, where I am the I am leading the transition to next generation 911. I am honored to represent livingston parish sheriff's office and apco international.
▶ 0:29:49Apco is the world's oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals, with over 45,000 members. Our members 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.
▶ 0:30:19On any given day, these telecommunications professionals might guide callers through. Cpr or childbirth, or coach callers on how to stay safe during an active 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 omb standard occupational classification.
▶ 0:30:44We 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 21st century.
▶ 0:31:13901 isn't just an upgrade, it's a reimagining of how emergency services operate. Ng9 one one 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.
▶ 0:31:38Federal legislation is essential to establishing ng9 one one nationwide. This includes establishing a baseline definition of what ng9 one one means. It's a comprehensive end to end transformation of emergency communications. Interoperability is a core component of 901. Interoperability is straightforward.
▶ 0:32:01The ability to exchange all forms of 911 traffic, regardless of jurisdiction, vendors and equipment used with 901 agencies can support one another during periods of high call volume, natural disasters or system outages. 901 also requires robust cybersecurity standards, which are essential for protecting both 911 infrastructure and the sensitive data that it handles. 911 also requires funding.
▶ 0:32:28A 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, which will make a real difference in saving lives. In all cases, we must be able to count on public safety communications to work.
▶ 0:32:51I'm from louisiana's 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 same emergencies that knock out communications. We must consider alternatives to ensure public safety communications are resilient, leveraging new technologies and services like satellite connectivity.
▶ 0:33:20They can help. Satellite service often remains operational during disasters or immediately following, and providing a layer of resiliency for 911 satellite service can also support wireless emergency alerts, and we can't forget our analog technologies to our amateur radio. Broadcasters have been long standing public safety partners.
▶ 0:33:41We 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 bilirakis for introducing legislation on these matters.
▶ 0:34:07We appreciate their leadership in introducing legislation to ensure that the critical protections congress enacted under kari'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, apco 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.
▶ 0:34:37>> thank you, miss manor. You are recognized for five minutes for an opening statement. >> chairman hudson, ranking member. Matsui, chairman, guthrie and ranking member. Pallone. Thank you for the opportunity to speak about improving public safety communications. Such improvements coupled with american. >> I'm sorry, you might need to pull the mic a little closer. >> sorry, I'm from new york, so I'm sorry.
▶ 0:34:59Um, 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 manor, 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.
▶ 0:35:28Our 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 year end of 2026, which will enable continuous coverage of the united states.
▶ 0:35:50Because of our space based 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.
▶ 0:36:09The 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&t, verizon and firstnet, where coverage is inadequate to ensure an always connected experience. In addition to advances in industry, thoughtful governmental policy is needed to ensure reliable emergency communications.
▶ 0:36:35Asd 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.
▶ 0:37:01As a texas based company, we take need of 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 asd, space mobile's coverage and capabilities were well positioned to partner with first responders and governmental stakeholders to advance public safety for americans across the country.
▶ 0:37:27Therefore, we fully support the intent and purpose of the alerting act to provide consumers with information to ensure their satellite based connectivity to their mobile devices. Always on. We never want to see a day again in texas or anywhere in america like we did on july 4th, 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 911 a reality. But we don't want action to end there.
▶ 0:37:56We're working with our partners, at&t and verizon, to ensure that they can meet their public safety requirements to 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 want to address the important role of our network for first responders, including firstnet.
▶ 0:38:23I 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 directed 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.
▶ 0:38:45Now because of us innovation ast space mobile, working with firstnet and 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 in collaboration with ntia and other us government agencies to ensure public safety, has access to space based mobile broadband connectivity.
▶ 0:39:12It is my honor to be included in today's 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. >> thank you, Mr. gerst. You're recognized for five minutes for your opening statement. >> chairman. Hudson. Ranking member. Matsui, chairman.
▶ 0:39:38Guthrie, ranking member, pallone, and members of the subcommittee on behalf of ctia and the us wireless industry, thank you for holding this important hearing. Your long standing 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, we know that americans rely on wireless in the moments that matter most when we're calling or texting 911 or 9 eight eight for help
▶ 0:40:10In a moment of crisis, or when our phones are buzzing with warnings to help save us from a disaster. Wireless services and 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.
▶ 0:40:30Last year, wireless providers invested nearly $30 billion 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.
▶ 0:40:56Since 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.
▶ 0:41:18Of 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 matsui and representative bilirakis that tasking the fcc with developing a comprehensive view of disaster responses in the emergency reporting act can help us better prepare and respond for the next event.
▶ 0:41:41Our investments in resiliency ensure that wireless is there for every american who needs to reach 911 or receive wireless emergency alerts. In fact, wireless is the primary on ramp to 911 for us consumers, with four out of five every 911 call originating on a wireless device.
▶ 0:42:01Wireless providers have spent much of the last decade investing and deploying the most innovative solutions to ensure that emergency responders have actionable information that they need to help. Today, more than 80% of all wireless 911 calls to 901 can produce a location 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.
▶ 0:42:26The 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 ng9 one is well underway. Under a new framework adopted by the fcc, wireless providers are actively partnering with nine one authorities to deliver wireless nine one traffic in the ng9 formats that they request.
▶ 0:42:52Chairman hudson and representative carter's next generation 911 act, as well as representative 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 ng9 one. Wireless emergency alerts are we, as are, another public safety solution produced by this committee's leadership.
▶ 0:43:16These 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. Weather. These alerts are telling us to take shelter from severe weather, evacuate from a fast moving wildfire, or help to locate a missing child.
▶ 0:43:45Wireless 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 we as 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 pfluger and the alert act and representative palmer's lulu's law.
▶ 0:44:10These recognize the importance of alert originators, effectively using ways 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.
▶ 0:44:25The 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 emergency resources when help is most urgently needed. Thank you again for the opportunity to appear today. I look forward to your questions. >> thank you, doctor sutton.
▶ 0:44:55You're recognized for five minutes for an opening statement. >> good morning and thank you. Chairman hudson, chairman. Guthrie, ranking member pallone, and ranking member matsui 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 cyber security at the university at albany. I've spent my entire academic career focused on effective warning messages.
▶ 0:45:23I have been funded by the national science foundation, noaa, usgs, and most recently, fema's integrated public alert and warning system. I pause 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.
▶ 0:45:45I'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 to 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
▶ 0:46:15Affected 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.
▶ 0:46:41One 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.
▶ 0:47:11Examples 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, ipods does not restrict organizations from sending any type of message through the wia system. Why are evidence based messages and practices not followed? I have suggested three reasons.
▶ 0:47:41First, 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.
▶ 0:48:08Alert origination software companies do not provide prompts for effective messaging as a routine service to their customers, nor has ipods 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 the alerting authorities.
▶ 0:48:31Technological changes have been made to improve the messages delivered, but no requirements are directed to alerting 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, ipods, the national disaster emergency management university, and hawaii center for disaster preparedness. However, none focus on effective message design.
▶ 0:49:01In 2022, with funding from fema ipods, my team at the university of albany developed the message design dashboard and trained more than 500 emergency managers across the us. We found this led to a significant improvement in their knowledge, skills and abilities. That training concluded in may of 2025, and I continue to provide independent training and consultation through my small business called the warren room. There are clear consequences of poor messaging.
▶ 0:49:31It results in concerns about over alerting, warning fatigue and its impacts on. We use. One national study conducted in 2023 found that we 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.
▶ 0:49:58We need set 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. >> thank you. We'll now begin questioning and I recognize myself for five minutes. Um, as I mentioned in my opening statement, next gen 911 technology is a top priority for me.
▶ 0:50:27Uh, I'm very proud of my home state of north carolina. And, uh, the way we've deployed 911 statewide. Uh, captain varnado, I understand your you said you were overseeing the transition, that your your parish to 9 to 911 technology. Um, and you've talked in your testimony about why it's so important.
▶ 0:50:48I want to give you a little more time to talk about why it's so important that that all call centers across the country upgrade to this technology and maybe how our call centers that are running on this legacy technology at a disadvantage. >> thank you so much.
▶ 0:51:02Uh, chairman hudson, uh, the the issue that we're having in, in the industry is that we're, there's a we're building a system of haves and have nots, and we can't do that because 911 is needs to be for every single person local, tribal, state and federal.
▶ 0:51:25>> so what's the talk a little bit more about sort of the how the experience works with the new technology versus the legacy technology and, and why that's such a disadvantage for folks that aren't upgraded. >> there are there are several disadvantages there. Number one, we can't share data in an interoperable manner. Uh, 911 calls now are rich with data including voice, video, text, all all all of that in the legacy system.
▶ 0:51:54There's no opportunity for that. Location data is very, very limited in the legacy systems where in the next gen 911 system, we can utilize many different sources of location to compare and accurately find those those individuals. >> that's great.
▶ 0:52:11Um, 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. >> that location is key. That's the very first piece of information we need. And and by getting that location, we can serve that that person, that caller better.
▶ 0:52:40Whatever the situation is, it may be someone lost in the woods. It may be somebody having a heart attack or or, god forbid, an active shooter. We can find the location that is key in these instances, uh, all of the data can is great, but that location data is key. And in next generation 911 we can leverage that. So much different. >> absolutely.
▶ 0:53:04So 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? Um, you know, a lot of folks like in my state have already upgraded. Your parish is in the process of upgrading. The last cost estimates we had are are pretty outdated. What do you think the appropriate amount of funds is for this program? Do you have an updated number in mind? >> I don't have an updated number, to be honest with you.
▶ 0:53:33I think that we're we're still looking at that that that number. We've been talking about a 15 billion. But we need to and forgive me, I don't I speak pretty plain. Okay. Uh, we, we we don't need to kick the can down the road anymore. We need to start this process. We need to get this, this going in a much more organized manner. Because what we're doing is we are leaving the smaller, more rural, less funded centers behind.
▶ 0:54:02And those people are the ones that need to be brought into this. Larger jurisdictions, well-funded jurisdictions, they have some of the 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, the the ability to, uh, to have the technical expertise that's needed in this. We need we need to start moving on this. >> I agree with you.
▶ 0:54:29Um, and, you know, but the challenge for us is as policymakers is we have finite resources, and we want to make sure we're deploying them efficiently. And, uh, if if apco can help us in this, we're trying to figure out what is the cost so that we can meet that need. Um, 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.
▶ 0:54:56We 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. >> we will be glad to work with you on that. Appreciate that. >> thank you. Um, I am about out of time, so if I run over, then I can't call down my colleagues if they run over. So, uh uh, with that, I will. I will recognize the ranking member on the committee, the gentlelady from california, miss matsui, for five minutes for her questions. >> thank you very much, Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:55:25Um, 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 next gen 911 for faster and more accurate emergency responses. Mr. a majority of calls to 911 originate on wireless phones, and most wireless phones today include substantially more capabilities than traditional landlines.
▶ 0:55:51How can the capabilities of today's smartphones be leveraged to enhance calls to 911? >> thank you. Member. Thank you so much for the question. You're absolutely right about how critical, uh, 911 is, um, for our emergency communications ecosystem and for consumers, because nine one is the most important call you're probably going to make at any point in your lifetime. And we know that 80% of calls to 911 originate on wireless.
▶ 0:56:20So 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 want to be able to get that information to 911. And that's what ng9 one one can help us with. With respect to location, about ten years ago, we were asked the question, hey, why can uber locate me? But 911 can't, right?
▶ 0:56:47And that's because we had built purposely nine one 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.
▶ 0:57:08We're locating people within a one city block and within a few floors of their of 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. >> okay. Thank you very much. Um, the carries law reporting act directs the fcc to report on companies on compliance with carries law.
▶ 0:57:33Congress passed carries 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 who should be compliant with this law are not carries. Law was enacted after tragic circumstances led to a young child being unable to reach 911 from hotel phone.
▶ 0:58:01This 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. Uh, 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? >> well, I think your first question. Thank you for the question.
▶ 0:58:30I think your first question is the the most poignant is people will lose lives if we do not. We do not force these carriers and and vendors to actually comply with the law. Um, we we hear reports regularly that that people delayed by not knowing that they needed to dial a, a specific digit to get out of a specific phone line to call 911. >> right. Um.
▶ 0:58:58The report also asks for recommendations to congress on whether additional legislation is needed. In your view, what gaps or enforcement challenges might require additional congressional action? >> to be honest, I don't know. I would have to get back with you on that. >> oh, certainly. That's fine. Um, you know, the emergency reporting act aims to improve the information. 911 centers received during a service outage, which can affect the public's ability to reach 911.
▶ 0:59:27Captain varnado, 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? >> first of all, we get very generic data that could encompass many states. Um, and it doesn't apply to the jurisdiction that is being affected.
▶ 0:59:49Or it's it's very broad data, uh, a representation of a visual representation of a map that shows us the specific location of the outage. Then we can 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. >> right? Absolutely. And we're talking about better technology and enhancing this. So that's great.
▶ 1:00:15Uh, I'm going to I can't ask a question a short time, so I will yield back. Mr. chairman, thank you. >> thank you. I now recognize the chairman of the full committee, Mr. guthrie, for five minutes for your questions. >> thank you, chairman hudson. I appreciate the recognition and thank our witnesses for being here again. And 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, and particularly all of our jurisdiction.
▶ 1:00:43We are famously say, in energy and commerce. If it moves, it's energy. If it's not moving, it's commerce. We have jurisdiction over about everything. And 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? >> uh, currently? Uh, thank you for the question. And thank you for for being here.
▶ 1:01:08Uh, first of all, we are not currently using ai in our in our ic, but we are planning to and one of the the most important ways is translation of foreign languages. Um, that is a big topic for us, uh, in our, in our area, uh, to be able to, to translate quickly, it takes us 2 to 4 minutes to get a translator on a phone during 911 call. And that's that's just not acceptable. So we're we're looking for that to, to be an advantage for us.
▶ 1:01:39>> okay. Thank you. And then, uh, Mr. gertz, uh, as I mentioned in my opening statement, kentucky has had floods and tornadoes in 2021. Actually, in my neighborhood, my neighbor is right behind me, uh, lost their homes. Uh, we were blessed. But they 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 and from. Well, you did see it coming for a while, but before you knew it was going to come your area, it's just a few few minutes and sometimes they just develop, particularly if you're west of where I was.
▶ 1:02:08And so, uh, so my question is, how do wireless emergency alerts help officials deliver life saving information more quickly than traditional communications channels? >> Mr. 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 going to light up somebody else's phone who you're with. They're lighting up too, and they're conveying in their hopefully critical information that you need to be able to react very in a timely fashion.
▶ 1:02:36Um, 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 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 geotargeting. They wanted the ability to embed links so they can go to a website to get more information. And actually, next year we're going to be introducing new location aware mapping technologies.
▶ 1:03:05So when you get that alert, it's going to pop up and show you a map of where the alert is targeted at. 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. >> and it is the geography. You know, kentucky has small counties, but sometimes my county will get a tornado warning. And if you see it on television, you can see where it's going. South of bowling green, where I live in the town of bowling green, or city, if it goes north.
▶ 1:03:35And even though our whole county is on alert, you can know where it's going if you're alerted to the specific geo level. So, doctor, I know your work focuses on what should be included in in the content of wireless emergency alert messages. I think Mr. gertz kind of pointed you when he was making his comment on the alert messages. So what components of an alert message, uh, makes it effective.
▶ 1:03:57>> when 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 at, and most importantly, what people should do to protect themselves. We frequently find that there are contents missing from these messages, um, and hope to see some significant improvement in that. >> okay. Thank you.
▶ 1:04:24And it's that's good that you do your research and work because it's helpful. We when I first got on this committee, one of these hearings on this similar topic, we had a 911, 911 hearing. And, uh, a child had been in a home in a, in a her mother, the child's mother, I think it was a boy. His mother had escaped an abusive I don't know if his a husband or a male. And, uh, he found her in a hotel, was came in and was abusive.
▶ 1:04:50And 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 they by the time they got to the actual room, it was too late. So the more we can, 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, so unfortunately tragic incidences.
▶ 1:05:17Sometimes 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 and I yield back. >> thank you. Now recognize the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. pallone, for five minutes for your questions. >> thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 1:05:32Next generation 911 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 was seen to be endless. I have four questions. Two of captain varnado and two of doctor sutton. So if you could quickly respond.
▶ 1:05:57So, 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. >> thank you. Sir. Uh, I'll tell you this. I was on a on a motor vehicle accident a couple of years ago, and a a emergency room physician. We were in the process of cutting this victim out of the car.
▶ 1:06:25During 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 were 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, uh, should be doing here.
▶ 1:06:50We 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. >> 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.
▶ 1:07:18Do you think we need another course study for next generation 911? >> no, sir. I think we're ready to to move forward. Uh, even if we take small steps, we can move forward. >> all right, well. Thank you. Now, when disaster strikes, the ability to disseminate information and communicate clearly with the impacted community can be a matter of life and death, as you just, you know, suggested. Uh, so let me ask doctor sutton two questions. First, your testimony highlights the five key elements of an effective alert message.
▶ 1:07:47Who sent the alert, the hazard and its impacts, location, time and instructions, and 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?
▶ 1:08:12And now how do we how do incomplete messages hinder efforts to maintain public trust in a crisis environment? If you would. >> thank you for the question. Um, we know that the most often, most frequently missing content from a wireless emergency alert is the time and the source of the message. But I think that's 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.
▶ 1:08:39Without those two things, people do not know why they should be taking action and the specific actions they should be taking to protect themselves. >> okay. And my 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 what is this concept of alert fatigue?
▶ 1:09:05How does 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 those. >> 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.
▶ 1:09:27Um, over alerting is one of their primary concerns that if they issue too many alerts, um, too frequently for things that are frivolous or not considered to be severe and certain, um, that they will be penalized by their community. Um, certainly. Um, questioned very strongly about why they chose to send something. Um, however, when you do not use the alert system, it does also erode trust.
▶ 1:09:51Um, because when a message is not sent, that is when people are in the gravest danger, the alerting issues that we are currently seeing are related to warning fatigue and also concerns about opting out of messages in the state of texas.
▶ 1:10:07What we've found in the study following the 2023 national test of the wireless emergency alert system, um, that the state of texas has the most number of opt outs, and that is related to the the geographical scope of the message that they send, and also the type of hazards they send messages for.
▶ 1:10:27So 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 6000 phone calls. Following that alert, um, from people who were very frustrated by being woken in the morning for something they could not do anything about. >> as a tough decisions that have to be made. Thank you, Mr. chairman. Thank you. >> uh, thank the ranking member for yielding.
▶ 1:10:57Uh, now, I would recognize myself for five minutes of questioning. Uh, more than a year ago, uh, hurricane helene, uh, with over 100 mile per hour winds, ran through the entire stretch of my district and caused widespread damage and loss. Uh, we suffered multiple deaths and a loss of power for weeks in some areas.
▶ 1:11:18Um, I remember the first press conference that we held, uh, in the district, uh, you know, uh, there was no, you know, nobody had power, nobody had communications. And, uh, people asked, where do we get, you know, shelter, where do we get water, where can we get food?
▶ 1:11:42And our, uh, disaster director said, just go to our website and it'll tell you everything. We had. No, we had no communications. And I realized then that something we need desperately do something about this. I do want to thank several groups that came together.
▶ 1:12:06Uh, obviously, the generosity of starlink, uh, that pretty quickly got, uh, at least our disaster centers up, uh, georgia power with southern link, uh, at least so we could communicate and start the cleanup and get power back on. And, uh, but their communications with southern link was critical.
▶ 1:12:28And then the efforts of our, uh, sale services putting in temporary, uh, 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 accept us access information and resources. Uh, during, uh, approximately 10 to 12 days.
▶ 1:12:56I want to thank chairman hudson for holding this important hearing today and to our expert witnesses. And I want to thank you for joining us. Mr. from a cost benefit perspective, how does investment in wireless emergency alerts compare to other public, uh, safety communication tools? >> Mr.
▶ 1:13:17Vice chairman, thank you for the question, and thank you for your experience in 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 and disaster situation is important, whether it's a 911 communication or wireless emergency alert. We want to make sure that service is there.
▶ 1:13:42Um, and so, you know, we invest in both equally, you know, at, at equal efforts, um, 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 invest 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.
▶ 1:14:07>> uh, to follow up, if we want to have wireless emergency alerts delivered every, 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. >> Mr. vice chairman, absolutely. Um, we appreciate this committee's leadership on that issue of making sure that we can deploy wireless services, wireless infrastructure, um, in more places. Right.
▶ 1:14:33We'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, um, we also have temporary capabilities. We call it the barnyard, the cows, the coats, the goats, the the flying cows we can bring in. But overall, if we can reduce red tape and be able to get more infrastructure out into more places, we're going to have more resilient networks. >> thank you. Uh, captain, uh, the first responders have the communication tools necessary to do their jobs effectively.
▶ 1:15:04>> 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. >> uh, in it as far as, uh, and this is for any of the witnesses, I got about 42 seconds. So what improvements can be made to the public safety communications ecosystem? Uh, would anybody like to offer a suggestion? Yes, miss. Madam. >> thank you very much.
▶ 1:15:34And thank you for the question. Um, I think that's where space comes in. And satellite. And you saw it yourself when you were talking about the recent example with starlink, like starlink ast spacemobile, um, actually provides will be providing broadband and that will give first responders the ability when the networks are down to communicate, but also for for users across the country to reach emergency services like 911. >> great. Thank you, thank you, thank you very much. Again, thank you to the witnesses. And with that, I'm out of time.
▶ 1:16:03I will yield back and call on representative soto. Uh, for his five minutes of questioning. >> 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.
▶ 1:16:26Unfortunately, cops and firefighters, emts are 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 911 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, uh, and next generation 911 will be critical.
▶ 1:16:54A 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. Uh, we launch a lot of those satellites from the cape, the district right next to mine. Uh, when everything else fails, that has been a helpful part of it. Uh, although we need to continue to increase speeds.
▶ 1:17:25Miss manor, 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 a disaster recovery? During those first couple hours to days where it may struggle? And how is the speed improving? >> so I thank you for the question. Yes. Um, we're launching many of our satellites from florida.
▶ 1:17:48Um, and one of the things I think that would help is, um, there is a great constraint on, on launch capability today. So I think you would see more satellites being launched as, as launch capabilities increased. Um, our system is somewhat different than what's up today, which is we're we're 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 at 120 megabits, which is comparable to what you get with your cellular system.
▶ 1:18:16So 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, network networks. At&t and verizon will be able to have broadband communications. So downloading plans of a house, if you're fighting a fire, knowing where things are. We're also working with our partners. Um, our system is capable for for the public safety requirements 911 and emergency alerting.
▶ 1:18:46So as that gets integrated into our partners networks, this will take a little bit of time. It's a brand new 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. >> thank you, miss manor. 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 very diverse community. Um, we have folks who speak spanish, portuguese, haitian creole.
▶ 1:19:15You add in a million tourists at any given time to central florida who could come from around the world. Uh, how can we make emergency alerts more accessible to constituents and tourists in central florida, especially during a hurricane? Uh, who may not speak english as a first language? >> thank you for the question. And you're raising one that's very important and very difficult for local emergency managers to address.
▶ 1:19:41Um, we do not have good strategies for translation to other languages while ai solutions have been proposed. Um, 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.
▶ 1:20:00I 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. Um, but it is a problem that we need more research and more resources to address. >> thank you, miss sutton. And you mentioned if we have translators professionals be able to help. That's ideal.
▶ 1:20:25But as a captain bernardo, you mentioned, if we don't have those, ai may be the the best that we can do. What has been your experience in any test that you may have seen with, uh, attempts to use ai to, uh, improve different languages for 911? >> what we have seen, and I've only seen it in beta tests so far. Uh, we're going to be beta testing it, uh, here in the near future in our, in our center in livingston.
▶ 1:20:50But there are there are many ways to, to leverage ai, uh, to leverage new technologies that are, that are out there to improve the, the notifications, language translations, uh, also transcriptions of calls that that we can actually see the transcription coming across and, and, um, even translated at that point. >> thank you. My time is expired. >> thank you, chair. And I recognize the gentleman from virginia, Mr.
▶ 1:21:19Griffith, for five minutes for your questions. >> thank you very much, Mr. chairman. I appreciate you calling this important hearing. And, uh, I appreciate all of our witnesses for being here today. Um, miss manor, your company, ast spacemobile recently seems to have really seems to have a great use case in rural and mountainous areas, like the area I represent in southwest virginia.
▶ 1:21:43Um, can you speak to the reasons why mobile service provider currently may not allow for satellite alert capabilities? Does that make sense to you? >> um, let me try. Um, so thank you for the question. So I think first off, um, it takes a little while to get, uh, networks integrated. So one of the things we're doing, our partners here in this here in the united states are at&t and verizon. So we're working them.
▶ 1:22:11This 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 going to take a little bit of time for it to to get to a place we don't want to deploy before it's reliable. And people can depend on the service. >> and and I do appreciate that.
▶ 1:22:31I will tell you that, uh, this is of great concern to me because when hurricane helene hit, I'm just over the border from north carolina to 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.
▶ 1:22:49Most of my district was hit in some in some heavy fashion, and for various reasons, and I checked into it afterwards and it was different stuff and different parts and different carriers and at least five of my counties. We lost cell service completely. We lost land lines because of the disruptions that flooding and the wind. And then we lost cell service.
▶ 1:23:17And if it wasn't for space based, uh, technologies being brought in, uh, we would have been really, literally up the creek without a battle. And, uh, so I'm, 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, they did have, uh, wi-fi working there.
▶ 1:23:44And 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. And she was fine, but he had no way of getting in touch with her and he didn't know where she was. He lost track of where his his mother was, so he had to go look for her. Uh, I was driving separately from my district director. He went into a hole, uh, literally, uh, a.
▶ 1:24:14Small opening happened in the road, and his car went into it. The back end of his car went in. It'll tell you about my district. The farmer 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. Uh, because we had no way to communicate. So having, you know, all the technologies working together seamlessly, uh, is important.
▶ 1:24:41And then that raises the question, what prevents the seamless transfer between terrestrial and satellite coverage for first responders? >> so I think for us, we're just putting up our satellite. So, um, we'll as I said, we'll have full continuous coverage. So we have to get our fcc approval 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.
▶ 1:25:07But 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. Um, 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. >> and 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. Uh, in my district in some areas to get to that house.
▶ 1:25:35And at the end of the last mile or the last mile and a half or the last two and a half miles, you're talking about more than $100,000, maybe a couple hundred thousand dollars to get to one, 2 or 3 houses. Those folks would be thrilled to have space based of any type, uh, 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. Uh, captain, let me ask you a question, and I appreciate you being here today.
▶ 1:26:06So, you know, I'm a little biased towards the space stuff, but, uh, what type of mobile network outage information would be helpful to first responders during a natural disaster? >> knowing what a visual knowing of what is out right now, I can look in my power companies and I can tell what power lines are out where where power is not being provided. But I can't tell where my telecommunications infrastructure is not working. >> and I've run out of time.
▶ 1:26:34The chairman's going to 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, uh, 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 5 or 6 counties out is I was traveling in those counties, didn't have service. That's the only way I knew that I yield back. >> thank you. Chair. And I recognize the gentleman from california, Mr. ruiz, for five minutes for your question. >> thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 1:27:03Uh, as an emergency medicine physician and previous command physician for the city of pittsburgh, during my residency, uh, the university of pittsburgh affiliated residency in emergency medicine. I understand that, um, when someone dials 911, there are often experiencing the worst moment of their life. Uh, they expect their call to go through, uh, that the dispatcher can locate them, understand the situation, and send help immediately.
▶ 1:27:32Unfortunately, in too many communities across this country, including parts of 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.
▶ 1:28:01Reliable 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.
▶ 1:28:21Copper, while theft is, 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.
▶ 1:28:37Ng9 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.
▶ 1:29:05Uh, 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?
▶ 1:29:25>> I think the the largest is funding, especially in the in the rural areas, because they don't have the infrastructure to to have the resilient and redundant, uh, features of next generation. 911. >> thank you. And at the end of the day, this is about fair allocation of resources and safety.
▶ 1:29:48Uh, 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 the desert and agricultural communities. Mr. gerst, uh, first you and then miss manor.
▶ 1:30:14How can satellite technology support wireless customers access to public safety communications and improve reliability during outages and disasters? >> 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. Um, we've been working for years to build out our networks in as far as they can go.
▶ 1:30:40Um, 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 nine one communications and emergency alerts out to those areas. >> thank you, miss manor. >> so thank you. I think it's one important thing to know.
▶ 1:31:03It's not just when 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, uh, to provide that additional connectivity. Um, especially in areas where maybe you don't have the best of service. So I would add that that's an important consideration, and I really do.
▶ 1:31:24I worked on, um, the creation of firstnet, and I was quite serious when I talked about we were looking for a way we I, 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. So to get hand-held service, direct to device, broadband service out to the first responders in areas like your district, I think is critical, and you're never going to get there with terrestrial alone. >> thank you.
▶ 1:31:52You 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 and seeing them walk out the hospital. This is one component of that continuum of emergency care. Thank you. >> thank you. I like that phrase, doctor continuum of emergency care.
▶ 1:32:22I like the application here. Very good. Uh, the chair now recognizes the gentleman from texas. Mr. goldman for five minutes for your questions. >> thank you, Mr. chairman, very much. Um, miss manor, um, since you are texas based, I'm going to focus on that. Tell us more about your company and what your goals are in the future. I mean, it's 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 what's not there or to expand even further?
▶ 1:32:53>> so so thank you. And we're very proud to be located in the great state of texas. >> where are you based, by the. >> way, in midland. >> okay. >> so, um, and we have our manufacturing. We have our manufacturing facilities there. And and just to give you an idea, um, I joined in may of this year and the company is already grown exponentially. We're now manufacturing six satellites a day in our facility. >> and how many employees? >> about 1800, um, across across the company. And we continue to grow.
▶ 1:33:23I actually have a number of openings, if you know of anyone. >> okay, good. Everyone now knows. >> so, um. >> I hope my staff's not listening. >> um, so, um, I think, you know, our vision of, um, our ceo of avalon, who founded the company was to really solve the digital divide. Um, when I went to meet with him, when I was first joining, um, he really recognized the only way you're going to 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.
▶ 1:33:52Um, we find being headquartered here and working in texas that we have the, the skills and the, 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. >> so you mentioned that you're trying to get those who are connected, connected not connected.
▶ 1:34:19Connected um, is the future, though, to compete in the open market with those who are connected? >> we are we are partnering with them. And I think that was one of the important visions of our founder of of 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&t and verizon to work together with us as a in a partnership.
▶ 1:34:46>> and is there any discussions or any nine, one, one or any emergency services? Talk to us about that. >> it's a tremendous focus of our company is making sure that our part 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 of our partners like at&t and verizon.
▶ 1:35:10So whether that's 911 emergency alerts, we're working with them to bring that to to their subscribers. >> okay. Thank you very much, Mr. chairman. Thank you for the time. Let me brag on a great texas company. I yield back the rest of my time. >> thank you. Uh, chair. Now, recognize the gentleman from california, Mr. peters, for five minutes for your questions. Thank you. >> Mr. chairman. >> and 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.
▶ 1:35:41Federal 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 to you about our police department is it's very large, and it's difficult to make big changes all at once. And so federal participation in terms of funding is really a smart strategy for, uh, for communities like ours. And I applaud the chairman for his, uh, for his legislation.
▶ 1:36:10One of the ways congress can help public safety authorities be even more responsive is through generation next generation 911. So I'm glad to see we're considering h.r. 6505. Uh, we did have an opportunity to to fund this from spectrum auctions. The majority went a different way. Um, and we'll have to find money for that. But I do appreciate the opportunity to discuss this. Um, I had an opportunity recently to participate in a ride along with my local police department.
▶ 1:36:39And 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 Mr. gerst, what sort of technological improvements have been made, what sort of upgrades would next generation 911 enable? What can we expect to see in the next 5 or 10 years as a result of this innovation? >> as a communications technology advances, we're going to see major changes. But right now we're we're seeing very small steps.
▶ 1:37:09We need we need to have major change in our networks specifically so that it can run the types of of technology that is needed in our systems. >> yeah. Mr. gerst. >> thank you, congressman. You know, um, for our part, the wireless industry, the connection to deliver the communications to the public safety community, we want to deliver services the way that consumers expect to be able to reach 901. That's through voice.
▶ 1:37:38That's through text, that's through using all the great commercial applications we use on our devices almost every day. And so 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 used to be able to do, we have text to 911, um, available nationwide by the providers and for the public safety community piece apps that receive it. We have location based services that allow us to pinpoint, based on within a city block, within a few floors of a building.
▶ 1:38:05And 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 piece app, and now we're using location based information to make sure that all those calls are getting to the right app. So all these technologies that are in our phones use every day, we're using them for public safety services too, right? >> I guess the the hardware follows the network. Right. So once the network is available, you expect people to respond with hardware.
▶ 1:38:35They can go in each police car, for instance, right? >> yeah, absolutely. I mean, the availability of the innovation that we've seen on wireless networks, um, the investments in 5g technology, the investments, uh, the, um, you know, innovation and 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 of those capabilities for public safety purposes, too. >> right? I'm proud to represent qualcomm in my district.
▶ 1:39:01Um, they're developing advanced public safety solutions, leveraging 5g technology. And also qualcomm is a central part of developing the 66g 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. Um, captain bernardo, are you hearing about technology that's out there that would be helpful for our first responders already for deployment?
▶ 1:39:28Um, and how will our next gen 911 expedite the ability of first responders to adopt emerging technologies? >> I think the biggest is that we are currently using yesterday's technology, right? We're we're utilizing technology from the 60s and 70s to run the 911 systems currently today.
▶ 1:39:48So there is innovation, but we've got to have that that improvement in the networks so that that information can be shared. It can be interoperable. And interoperable is really the key word there. We've got to be able to to share that data from beginning to end. As, as congressman ruiz said, that continuum of care, uh, that's what we really need.
▶ 1:40:15>> what's sort of the timeline of if everything went great for you, how how long do you see it, the network being in such a condition that we're really going to see different hardware in police cars? I would. >> I would find a hard time giving you a specific timeline. I would say in the next 2 to 5 years we would see a a total transformation of that. We're already seeing it with ai coming.
▶ 1:40:41Uh abco and eisert are working together on ai innovation and things. So I think it's it's coming. >> my time. My time is expired. Mr. chairman, I yield back. >> thank you, thank you. Chair. Now, recognize the gentleman from texas, Mr. pfluger, for five minutes to ask your questions. Thank you, Mr. chairman. Uh, the most recent hearing on public safety, we heard about the critical role that wyler's wireless emergency alerts play in public safety and how low earth orbit and satellites with direct device capabilities from mobile carriers can enhance that.
▶ 1:41:10Uh, during natural disasters, when communication infrastructure is damaged, or in rural areas where it doesn't exist at all, like in my district, uh, mobile service can be inconsistent. Not having access to emergency alerts can also mean the difference between life and death.
▶ 1:41:27Um, and every member of this committee has learned this all too well, whether it was during wildfires that we've talked about today, um, or, uh, the flooding in central texas at camp mystic, for which the bill I'm going to talk about is named after, um, and on july 4th, the devastating floods swept through my hometown. Um, uh, and throughout much of central texas, where two of my daughters were, uh, camp.
▶ 1:41:52Um, gosh, it's even hard to talk about it now, but these alerts, um, can can be life saving. Um, and, you know, you see the the damage that was done at that time there. Um, and I think this is why it's really important what you all are talking about today.
▶ 1:42:14Uh, so we've decided to name my bill the mystic alert act, which would incorporate satellite into wireless emergency alert process to close the divide to deliver timely alerts via satellite. Uh, and I appreciate both sides of the aisle coming together to, uh, to discuss this.
▶ 1:42:30Um, and we know that low earth orbit satellite partnering with commercial services to provide that direct to device capabilities will help to not only close that digital divide, but also provide the emergency services when when you're in a situation where it's needed. And it's neat to have, uh, a home district company, uh, ast um, that offers, uh, this, uh, this exact service. So, um, miss mayor, I'll get to you in just a second. But Mr.
▶ 1:42:59Gerst, in your written testimony you described was as among the most powerful alert and warning tools available to protect the public when emergencies unfold. Uh, can you discuss how incorporating the space based mobile broadband into the system would improve this? Um, and especially in areas where that infrastructure is damaged or in rural areas? >> congressman, thank you so much for your question. I know this is a personal issue for you. It's personal for me, too.
▶ 1:43:27Um, the dad of kids who go to summer camp, um, we as work when they go, when they're sent, they save lives. And so our goal is to get those messages out as quickly as possible. Um, with the capabilities that are networked, wireless networks can reach, we know that they don't reach all areas right now, despite all of our efforts and investment, um, and deployment. So we're very excited about the opportunity to partner with satellite companies. Our that we're in the very early stages of that right now.
▶ 1:43:56But there are some advancements we're seeing already. Your bill is real leadership to help us move that forward. So thank you for that. >> well, thank you and miss manor. We're very proud of ast, um, and have been following the progress for many years since my very first visit in midland, texas, to watch, uh, what y'all are doing with satellites.
▶ 1:44:17But can you talk about the work that, uh, that you're doing, the ast is doing to support the emergency alerting system and how incorporating space based mobile broadband into the we as, uh, would help first responders, um, in the preparedness. >> so thank you very much, congressman. We're very proud to be in midland based company. Um, so I think going back to basics is our network ensures that we have space, that we have emergency alert capability, that that's part of our dna, part of our recipe.
▶ 1:44:44So right now we're working with our partners here in the us, at&t and verizon, to make those services available. Um, but I do want to say to it's going to 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, congressman, we're on our way there. Um, 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.
▶ 1:45:11But when it's deployed, that's that's where we get exciting, um, is that us subscribers will be able to receive emergency alerts, even on the most tragic days in the us when the terrestrial networks not available. And that's why we do support the purpose and intent of the mystic act. So thank you very much. >> well, thank you. Thank you for the work that you do. Uh, um, captain bernardo, I'm going to have to submit a question for the record on my amateur radio emergency preparedness act.
▶ 1:45:37Um, but I just want to say that this, you know, this this event, I think, um, it was it's tragic. Um, you know, there's, um, the loss of life along the waterloo river, uh, where, you know, I've grown up as a kid, and and now, you know, having kids that are attending that camp was just so tragic.
▶ 1:45:56Um, and this is something, technologically speaking, that, uh, that you all have a solution for, um, that I, I'm very hopeful that our congress can come together to utilize this, uh, and to prevent that from happening, um, not just there, but in any area, in any circumstance, uh, that we can have that information at our fingertips. Um, and, Mr. chairman, thank you for for holding this hearing, I yield back. Thank you. Uh, chair.
▶ 1:46:23Now, recognize the gentlelady from california, miss barragan, for five minutes for your questions. >> 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, um, it's just shocking to me that that would be done. The wireless emergency alerts, um, are one of the fastest ways to get life saving information to the public.
▶ 1:46:52And so I'm so grateful for the work that everybody on this panel has done. Um, on that work, they give families the critical seconds they need to stay alive during fires and earthquakes and other emergencies. I know, um, 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.
▶ 1:47:14Um, recently, um, there are recent events in my district, like a container ship fire at the port of los angeles 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.
▶ 1:47:29So, doctor sutton, I want to ask you, um, 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? >> thank you for that question.
▶ 1:47:58The gaps in training are linked to standards that there are no specific standards for training for emergency alert providers. Um, 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, um to live locations.
▶ 1:48:25Training would significantly improve um, 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 times. Public information officers are trained on crisis communications and not on alerts and warnings. >> great. Thank you. >> um, Mr.
▶ 1:48:55Gersh, I found your testimony to be pretty powerful. Um, and very important. Um, I want to thank you and the wireless industry for the important and often the life saving role they play in delivering emergency alerts to the public.
▶ 1:49:09Now, when I was reading your testimony, I think what really struck me is when you talk about, um, 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, um, I think that just highlights the critical role that the wireless industry plays.
▶ 1:49:36You also write in your testimony about how, uh, 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.
▶ 1:49:53I 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, absolutely. Well thank you. The fcc recently published a rule on december 10th, 2025.
▶ 1:50:25It'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, um, 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.
▶ 1:50:49Um, the next 13 most commonly spoken languages in the united states and american sign language. I think this is progress. I think this is real progress. It's why I worked with the congressional hispanic caucus.
▶ 1:51:04I worked with the congressional black caucus and the asian pacific american caucus to support, um, 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. Mr.
▶ 1:51:26Gross, will you commit, on behalf of ctia, that 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, um, including my constituents who don't speak english. >> congresswoman, we're happy to meet with fema. We work with the fcc. We work with fema to and all agencies to enhance wireless emergency alerts.
▶ 1:51:52We are working to implement multilingual alerting as well. In fact, today, um, alert originators can use an embedded link in a in a device to get multilingual information out. So, um, in the meantime, we encourage readers to do that so they can get the information they need to the communities they serve. Um, but we were happy to, uh, meet with government officials on this issue. >> great. I look forward to hearing about your wireless. The wireless plan done in 30 months. Thank you. >> thank you.
▶ 1:52:21Chair now recognizes gentlelady from indiana. Miss out for five minutes for your questions. >> thank you, Mr. chairman. Uh, thank you to the ranking member for, uh, and the witnesses for being here today for your testimony. I'm glad to see this committee is taking up a slight a slate of bipartisan bills. Uh, public safety communications is one of those rare areas where the technology is moving fast.
▶ 1:52:46The 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. Uh, in in very, very critical moments. We've heard today how much the landscape has changed.
▶ 1:53:14Wireless 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 911 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.
▶ 1:53:42Against that backdrop, the bills before us today, ranging from the ng9 one one 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. Mr. varnado and Mr. gerst several bills today aim to strengthen interoperability across public safety ecosystems.
▶ 1:54:07What 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? >> I think congress should adopt a comprehensive framework for next generation 911 to ensure all communities have access to modern, reliable, and interoperable emergency communications.
▶ 1:54:37>> congresswoman, thank you for the question. Um, we are working every day right now to work with nine one 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, uh, its resources, to help state and local governments move to a next generation 901 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
▶ 1:55:07Services to have. >> it's really, honestly unbelievable to me that we're here in this at this point when we're 20, uh, 20 plus years, post 911, when we've had we've saw those interoperability problems exacerbated to, uh, tragic levels. Um, and we're still yet talking about next generation 911. So I do hope that this hearing will move our work forward to completion. Uh, Mr.
▶ 1:55:34Gerst, as ng9 one one 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 911 call centers, and what safeguards should we consider? Uh, if those capabilities become standard elements? >> we're very excited about, um, ai overall, whether it's network optimization and better speeds and and services for the consumers we serve.
▶ 1:56:02And we're also seeing how ai can be helpful, as you mentioned in triage processes, I believe ntia put out a report just a couple of weeks ago that their analysis or analysis that was provided to them showed that ai using, uh, triaging non-emergency calls, um, reduced, uh, you know, those calls by 40%, um, enabled that helps our telecommunicators the folks who actually take the calls have the ability to respond to the calls that they need, actually need help.
▶ 1:56:28Defer to captain jack and renato on on the specifics of the operations. But overall, we're very excited about what ai can do in that space. >> thank you. And as a member of congress, I have visited my some of my dispatch centers. Um, fielded a call um, or two for the dispatch system. Um, and, um, really am grateful for the work that they do. And the, the support that we can give them is critical.
▶ 1:56:57I 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 this efforts with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Thank you, Mr. chairman, and I yield back.
▶ 1:57:27>> thank you. Chair. Now, recognize the gentleman from louisiana, my partner and 911 Mr. carter, for five minutes for your questions. >> 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 21 first 21st century communication infrastructure.
▶ 1:57:56This 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 in a well prepared and equipped to respond when disasters or emergencies strike our communities.
▶ 1:58:26Captain varnado, as you know, louisiana has faced some of the most 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?
▶ 1:58:56>> louisiana congressman, thank you so much for that, and thank you for the work that we've done in the past at the state legislature. But I can tell you, uh, you know, during hurricanes, especially the large hurricanes that we've had come ashore, uh, in the last 25 years, uh, we have seen evacuations needing to occur, call volumes increasing on, on call centers in, in upper, uh, inland louisiana.
▶ 1:59:22And we right now, we don't have the ability to be able to transfer our 911 operations to a different center in the legacy network. We need that that ability to be able to transfer that and get them out of harm's way for for being able to be the resource during times of emergency. So, uh, a resilient, robust and secure network is what we need to be able to, to, uh, function for our for our citizens.
▶ 1:59:50Uh, we don't take everybody out of the, the, the, the cone of, of, uh, damage. We're we're staying. >> a lot of pieces of this puzzle that people never see. Yeah. The challenges that you undertake are grave. And we greatly appreciate the heroic acts that you and your men and women perform.
▶ 2:00:11As you know, my district includes both urban areas and smaller rural communities, many of the rural and underserved areas of 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 response capabilities in rural and underserved communities that might lack, uh, adequate communication infrastructure?
▶ 2:00:42>> it's going to give them a level playing field to be able to access those high speed internet, uh, networks. Um, they need the ability in many of those, 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, uh, companies coming in, uh, to be able to, to here in the near future, be able to do that. But we need to have resilient and redundant, uh, communication networks.
▶ 2:01:11>> any small gap in communication means precious minutes, seconds, which translates to, in many cases, a person's life or death. Yes. If a person has a stroke or 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. Is that correct? >> they they absolutely.
▶ 2:01:41>> so can you describe the importance of cybersecurity and the transition of next gen 911 in these upgrades? Alleviate some of some of the security vulnerabilities that might exist across the antiquated legacy systems. >> uh, in your yours and, uh, chairman hudson's bill. Uh, it does that. It sets up a cybersecurity resource center that we can share data about threats.
▶ 2:02:10But in our current legacy systems, the operating systems on a lot of these are so old, they cannot even take some of the new, uh, cybersecurity measures into place. So, uh, there is a huge vulnerability right there. But in your bills, they they actually have that cyber resource center, uh, that we need so badly because we're not the experts in cybersecurity. >> but you are the experts in saving lives. We are.
▶ 2:02:39And 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, uh, people don't see, they don't see the voice behind 911. The person that offers the help, the person that administers the resources. Uh, so we've never said it before. Let us be very clear. We greatly appreciate you. Thank you, I yield back. >> thank the gentleman. Chair now recognizes gentlelady from virginia.
▶ 2:03:08Miss mcclellan, for five minutes to ask your questions. >> thank you. Uh, mister chair, Mr. chairman and ranking member matsui, for holding this very important topic, uh, hearing on a topic that impacts all of our communities. Uh, as we've heard today, communities rely on 911 systems not only in moments of crisis, but for the trust and confidence that comes from knowing that help is on the way.
▶ 2:03:32As we confront school shootings, hurricanes, flooding, wildfires and other emergencies, we have to ensure that our first responders have reliable and operable and modern communication tools. That is a necessity, not a luxury. Um, it is critically important that no community gets left behind in the transition to next gen 911. Yet the latest data available shows.
▶ 2:03:59And 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 next gen 911 capable psaps or 11 states have 0% of their population. So served.
▶ 2:04:27Our september hearing on this issue made clear that funding is a primary challenge to psaps 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 apps, uh, through their general funds and in some cases, local and state imposed e911 surcharges.
▶ 2:04:57That's not enough. Our local governments face numerous fiscal challenges, and that's why I'm so pleased to see chairman hudson, representative carter's bipartisan leadership, to establish a funding mechanism to help upgrade legacy 911 systems to ng9 one one. But as the conversation here today, particularly with captain bernardo, has illustrated, the rub will come and how much money gets appropriated for these grants.
▶ 2:05:28Congress last estimated the cost to transition all 5700 psaps uh primary and secondary to next gen nine one 1 in 2018, but the cost of likely gone up in the past seven years through inflation, through the cost of labor, increases in costs and fiber optic components, pvc and other insulation materials used as a result of tariffs.
▶ 2:05:49So the total cost to upgrade all 5700 primary and secondary aps is likely 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.
▶ 2:06:17So far, we failed the mark. So let me ask all witnesses, uh, how do these uneven levels of ng9 one one 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.
▶ 2:06:45>> I think that that we're talking about two different types of of things. Locals and states usually handle 911 calls and emergencies, uh, planned events at the federal level. So, uh, they're a little bit different there. But the, the need to be able to coordinate those responses is very much so needed.
▶ 2:07:08>> and do you think that having different levels of capability to receive emergency calls in different jurisdictions that have to coordinate, uh, in a multi-jurisdictional event, particularly with federal officials, makes that coordination more complicated? >> it does make it more complicated. We need to be, uh, a seamless, resilient network together that we can share data back and forth one to the other. >> thank you. And I don't have much time left, but if anybody would like to add on to that.
▶ 2:07:41Alright. No. Um, and then I had, um, one question that I may need to have miss sutton answer on the record, uh, 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 and how emergency, uh, systems communicate with the public? >> I would like thank you for that question.
▶ 2:08:07And 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. They need to be trained and not have just a single person within the office have that required training and said it should go through every single person who has the ability to push the button. >> thank you and I yield back. >> thank you. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from georgia, Mr. carter, for five minutes to ask your question.
▶ 2:08:38>> thank you, Mr. chairman, and thank all of you for being here. Mr. chairman, this is such an important hearing. Public safety debate is is so very important. It's also very personal for me. Um, I had two granddaughters at camp mystic, and unfortunately, one of their cousins didn't make it. And janie hunt is now in heaven. So this is, um, this is certainly, certainly something that's very important to me and to everyone who is involved at camp mystic.
▶ 2:09:09We come a long way with wireless emergency alerts and, um, especially at critical times. But sometimes this this system doesn't work like we want it to. And unfortunately, that was one of those times. Mr. gertz, I'm curious.
▶ 2:09:22Um, and this was kind of just alluded to, um, 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, congressman? >> yes, absolutely. >> 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.
▶ 2:09:53We have a lot of hurricanes. And one thing that we have, we try to do every spring before the hurricane season starts is get all the emergency personnel together and and start communicating and sharing ideas, making sure everybody knows everybody and that everybody is because the hurricane doesn't know county boundaries, and every county has got a different public service personnel and, and group.
▶ 2:10:16So we we try to make sure that we're communicating and certainly making sure that we're training is very important. How can we how can we improve some of these alerts that we have, Mr. gertz? >> well, congressman, again, on the your personal experience, you know, I, I know this is an issue for personal issue for you. It's also 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.
▶ 2:10:44For our part, we deliver the message that alert originators send. They decide where it goes, when it goes, what it says. We have new capabilities, new, uh, we've included geotargeting. We enable different features within the devices. We're going to have location aware mapping capabilities coming out next year. The fcc continues to encourage the industry and push the industry to add new features.
▶ 2:11:09Alert 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 we as a powerful tool. >> what about sending emergency signals? Um, with satellite technology?
▶ 2:11:31I know in western north carolina, after hurricane helene, um, that was something that was, um, certainly something that would have been useful. >> 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.
▶ 2:11:59And 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 that fiber. If we can rely on satellite technologies to make sure that the public can and consumers can reach 911, or they can get wireless emergency alerts, it's going to make them ultimately safer. We're already seeing some examples of that, um, today, you know, hikers in rural area being able to reach 911 and, you know, challenges the 911 community now having to serve those areas that they didn't have to serve before.
▶ 2:12:26So we're working through all these issues, but we're in and we're in the early stages. It's very exciting opportunity though to serve the public. >> you know, I'm proud to be the co-sponsor of the mystic alert act with congressman pfluger, who who had daughters at camp mystic as well. And, um, it's an honor of of janie hunt and the other victims of the of the camp mystic flood.
▶ 2:12:48This 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 was signed into law, Mr. gertz, how should the fcc balance flexibility for innovation with the need for uniform national alerting standards? >> congressman, thank you for that question.
▶ 2:13:14Because, 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 wi capable device. So, uh, we think that that that system works well, um, we want to make sure that as we're integrating new capabilities, we were able to preserve those capabilities going forward.
▶ 2:13:43Happy to work with you and the congressman on on your bill. >> okay. Well, and I'm out of time, but I want to ask you real quickly what kind of timeline is realistic for the fcc to establish something like this? >> congressman, it's a great question and something that I'm sure we're happy to work with you on. >> okay. Thank you very much. Thank all of you for everything you're doing. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. >> thank the gentleman. I ask unanimous consent to insert the record, the documents included on the staff hearing documents list. Without objection. So ordered.
▶ 2:14:13Seeing 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 ten business days to submit questions for the record, and I ask the witnesses to respond to these questions promptly. Uh, members should submit their questions by the close of business on tuesday, december 30th. Without objection, the subcommittee is adjourned.