Costs & Funding

While consumer technology continues to advance quickly, funding models for 911 systems have not kept up, leaving PSAPs and ECCs struggling to continue funding traditional 911 systems and paying for the technology upgrades needed for Next Generation 911 (NG911) systems.  Many state and local 911 agencies fund their 911 technology, operations, training, and administration with a combination of surcharge fees and general funds.

Each year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) submits to Congress a report on the collection and distribution of 911 fees and charges by the nation’s states and territories. The FCC also reports whether 911 charges and fees collected by states and entities are being used for any purpose other than supporting 911 services.

The National 911 Program regularly supports the development of tools and resources to help localities plan for the costs of NG911 implementation. In late 2018, the Program issued its Congressionally-requested report of the estimated cost to transition the country to NG911.

In addition, the Program shares information about a number of efforts to address these issues to encourage regular sharing of knowledge, best practices and other funding-related information.

On the Federal 911 Funding page you’ll find detailed information on both grants from the National 911 Program and funding opportunities for 911 projects from other federal agencies and organizations.