commerce department funding of tribal nation call center upgrades announced

Arizona and Colorado will be receiving a combined $4.8 million in funding from the Department of Commerce for the building of Next Generation 911 infrastructure on tribal lands.

That next generation ability is designed to do away with current analog 911 infrastructure, allowing instead for digital information in the form of videos, voice, text messages, and photos to be received at the moment of transmission.

The money, in conjunction with the Department of Transportation, is coming through what is known as the 911 Grant Program and will help to pay for the infrastructure needed to upgrade the tribal 911 call centers.

That upgrading will provide those centers with IP network and digital network capabilities, while also offering advanced mapping systems for those same facilities.

In a statement, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross noted that new public safety technology advances now allow “critical information to flow seamlessly from the public through the 911 networks and on to first responders.”

Ross added that the grant awards will prove a “significant step toward a faster, more resilient emergency system.”

Altogether, grants totaling more than $109 million have been awarded for tribal call center projects in 34 states and two tribal nations.

By Garry Boulard

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