Press Release

Emergency Communications Reliability and 911 Protection Act of 2026

For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. — [DATE]

A new federal proposal, the Emergency Communications Reliability and 911 Protection Act of 2026, has been introduced to address widespread gaps in 911 reliability, rural EMS availability, and emergency‑communications infrastructure across the United States.

The bill establishes national minimum standards for 911 uptime, routing redundancy, backup power, PSAP staffing, EMS availability, outage reporting, and public transparency. It also creates a new federal oversight office to enforce compliance and administer modernization grants.

Purpose of the Legislation

The legislation responds to persistent issues affecting communities nationwide, including:

• 911 outages during storms and power failures
• Rural dead zones where mobile 911 calls cannot be completed
• Dispatch centers that lack after‑hours staffing
• EMS units unavailable overnight in rural counties
• Inaccurate or delayed caller‑location information
• Lack of public notification during 911 outages
• Insufficient federal oversight and enforcement

The bill aims to ensure that every 911 call is answered, every county has 24/7 EMS coverage, and the public is informed when 911 is impaired.

Key Provisions of the Bill

National 911 Reliability Standards

• Requires 99.999% uptime for 911 routing systems
• Mandates dual‑path redundant routing
• Requires 8–24 hours of backup power at towers and routing centers

Rural and Underserved Coverage

• Establishes 911 Priority Zones in areas with poor coverage
• Requires carriers to map and remediate dead zones
• Conditions federal telecom funding on compliance with reliability standards

Next‑Generation 911 Modernization

• Provides $1 billion for CAD, GIS, NG911, and location‑accuracy upgrades
• Improves vertical and horizontal caller‑location accuracy
• Enhances cybersecurity protections for 911 systems

After‑Hours EMS and Dispatch Availability

• Requires 24/7 on‑site staffing at all PSAPs
• Requires at least one fully staffed EMS unit on duty at all times
• Establishes federal staffing grants for rural and underserved counties

Outage Transparency

• Requires carriers to report 911 outages within five minutes of detection
• Requires public alerts with alternative emergency contact numbers
• Creates a national 911 Reliability Dashboard for public transparency

Enforcement and Oversight

• Establishes the Federal Emergency Communications Oversight Office (FECOO)
• Authorizes civil penalties up to $1,000,000 per incident
• Creates criminal penalties for willful negligence resulting in injury or death
• Allows suspension or termination of federal funding for noncompliance

Funding and Appropriations

The bill relies on existing federal telecommunications funding sources, including:

• Universal Service Fund (USF)
• Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF)
• Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program

No new federal taxes or fees are created. Civil penalties collected under the Act help offset implementation costs.

Implementation Timeline

• Immediate: Penalties, outage reporting, and public notification requirements
• 1 year: PSAP staffing and EMS availability requirements
• 2 years: Uptime, redundancy, backup power, and NG911 upgrade requirements
• Extensions: Available for rural and tribal communities facing financial or logistical hardship

Impact on Rural Communities and States

The bill is expected to significantly improve emergency‑response reliability in rural regions, including areas with long EMS response distances, limited dispatch staffing, known cellular dead zones, and aging 911 infrastructure.

Communities in southern Indiana and similar regions nationwide stand to benefit from improved coverage, faster response times, and more resilient emergency‑communications systems.

Bill Text and Additional Information

The full legislative text, plain‑language summary, fiscal analysis, and regional impact assessments are available upon request.