911 Grant Program Regulations Nearing Release, Applications Accepted Soon

In the coming months, the 911 Grant Program will release final regulations and accept grant applications

Next Generation 911 (NG911) is the future of emergency communications, enabling the public, telecommunicators and first responders to communicate quickly, securely, and through a variety of mediums. Though the nation is making progress toward implementation, costs continue to be a hurdle.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), acting through the Implementation Coordination Office (ICO), are preparing to award $115 million in funds through the 911 Grant Program for states and local jurisdictions to upgrade their 911 call centers and 911 systems to NG911 capabilities.

In September of last year, the Grant Program released for public comment a Notice of Proposed Rule Making, outlining implementation regulations. Numerous individuals, local and regional authorities, states and associations provided comments, which the ICO will respond to and publish in the coming months, along with the final regulations. From there, the ICO will open the grant application process and share information on how to apply.

The chart below identifies the eight stages of the grant process:

✓	Stage 1:	FCC conducts AWS-3 spectrum auction (Nov 2014 – Feb 2015)
✓	Stage 2:	Auction proceeds transferred to Public Safety Trust Fund (May 2016)
✓	Stage 3:	Public Safety Trust Fund transfers funds to 911 Grant Program (Sept 2016)
✓	Stage 4:	NHTSA & NTIA draft joint grant regulations (August 2017)
✓	Stage 5:	Public provides comments on draft regulations (November 2017)
✓	Stage 6:	Final regulations are published (August 2018)
✓	Stage 7:	Grant applications accepted (April 2019)
✓	Stage 8:	Grants are awarded (August 2019)

For more information about the 911 Grant Program, visit 911.gov and sign up for email updates to get the latest information about when you can apply.