Alexandria, VA – Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted an Order that builds upon lessons learned from recent 9-1-1 service outages and puts appropriate new mechanisms in place to improve the reliability and resiliency of 9-1-1 networks nationwide.

In June 2012, in the wake of a powerful “Derecho” storm that struck the Mid-Atlantic states, a number of public safety answering points (PSAPs) lost the ability to receive 9-1-1 calls.  Investigations revealed a number of vulnerabilities in the 9-1-1 network and local exchange carrier (LEC) failures to follow best practices to ensure continuity of 9-1-1 service.

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International advocated adoption of effective and appropriate steps the FCC should take to best ensure that 9-1-1 service remains resilient at all times.  Specifically, APCO supported a meaningful and enforceable certification process for current and future 9-1-1 service providers (“covered entities”) to verify that they are in compliance with Commission requirements  concerning 9-1-1 circuit auditing, back-up power for central offices, and network monitoring.  APCO also supported immediate and verified outage reporting to PSAPs to remedy prior instances where PSAP directors and staff lacked information about outages impacting 9-1-1 service.

“APCO applauds the FCC for taking action to ensure the reliability and continuity of 9-1-1 networks,” said APCO President Gigi Smith.  President Smith continued, “We believe the new requirements, which are consistent with APCO’s suggestions, will have a meaningful impact on the health of the 9-1-1 system, for the benefit of PSAPs across the country and the safety of the general public.”

APCO International (www.apcointl.org)
APCO International is the world’s oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals and supports the largest U.S. membership base of any public safety association. It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide – and the welfare of the general public as a whole – by providing complete expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy and outreach.