Public Safety

NTIA’s Office of Public Safety Communications (OPSC) oversees the implementation of NTIA’s responsibilities under the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. It also supports the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) with support functions for its efforts to deploy, operate, and maintain the nationwide public safety broadband network.

NTIA has statutory and delegated responsibilities related to the FirstNet Authority. Under the enabling statute, the NTIA Assistant Secretary must approve all fees collected by the FirstNet Authority. As part of the 25-year partnership contract with AT&T to deploy and operate the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, the FirstNet Authority receives an annual sustainability fee from AT&T that must be approved by NTIA.

Additionally, the FirstNet Authority has a Board composed of 15 members, of which three are permanent positions held by Executive Branch cabinet officials and 12 are non-permanent members appointed by the Secretary of Commerce for three-year terms. The Secretary also appoints a Board Chair from the group of 12 non-permanent members. NTIA supports the Secretary with the recruitment, vetting, and recommendations for the 12 non-permanent Board seats.

In addition to carrying out its responsibilities under the Act, NTIA is engaged in variety of other activities to support the 9-1-1 community:

NTIA provides best practices to 9-1-1 officials regarding the implementation of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1).

Engage with other Federal partners across the Executive Branch on issues related to NG9-1-1 in support of the public safety community.

Starting in 2009 through 2022, NTIA and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded two separate rounds of grants to the States, U.S. territories, and tribes to improve 9-1-1 services with enhanced and next-generation technologies.

OPSC Leadership Directory

Associate Administrator: Mike Dame (Acting)

Contact

Office of Public Safety Communications
National Telecommunications & Information Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave., N.W., Room 4078
Washington, DC 20230
Phone: (202) 482-5802

Honoring America’s 9-1-1 Professionals

April 14, 2023

By: April McClain Delaney, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information

In recognition of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, I wanted to take a moment to salute the professionalism, dedication, and heroic acts that 9-1-1 professionals exhibit day in and day out.

There is no telling what type of call a 9-1-1 telecommunicator will face. Honoring America's 9-1-1 Professionals When 10-year-old Miracle in Central County, MO, called 9-1-1 while her mother was in labor, public safety telecommunicator Scott Stranghoener gave her careful instructions to coach her mom through the successful delivery of her baby sister.

In Lake Zurich, IL, telecommunicator Patty Steffy received a call reporting that a 57-year-old man was having difficulty breathing and later became unconscious. Steffy assisted the caller with directions on performing CPR until the paramedics arrived.

These calls—and millions like them—show the importance of these highly trained and dedicated public safety telecommunicators. Though we commonly refer to police, EMS, and firefighters as “first responders,” it’s also the people answering our 9-1-1 calls who provide life-saving assistance before anyone arrives on the scene.

Topics

Public Safety

NTIA Celebrates National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week!

April 13, 2022

This week marks National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, and NTIA is joining the entire nation in saluting our dedicated 911 telecommunicators. The dedicated professionals who answer our country’s 911 calls are a crucial first touch point to communities and individuals experiencing emergency situations. Whether taking and triaging initial calls for assistance, routing life-saving emergency medical services, or dispatching and coordinating field responders, America’s 911 professionals save lives each and every day.

Americans each year make more than 240 million calls to 911. Each of those calls represents a person in need of help, and they’re often the most tense, personal calls one can make. No matter where you live, that call is handled by dedicated professionals who staff, maintain, and manage our nation’s 911 centers and systems.

In 2019, NTIA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded over $109 million to 33 states, the District of Columbia and two tribal nations for projects designed to modernize the current systems and move our nation closer to Next Generation 911 (NG911). When fully implemented, NG911 will allow telecommunicators to keep pace with the advanced technology that is already used by the public they serve.

NTIA applauds all those public safety telecommunicators who dedicate themselves to helping others. NTIA is a champion of the public safety community and applauds all of the public safety telecommunicators who dedicate themselves to saving lives each day.

Topics

Public Safety

Recruitment of First Responder Network (FirstNet) Authority Board Member

February 10, 2022

NTIA issues this Notice to initiate the annual process to seek expressions of interest from individuals who would like to serve on the Board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority Board or Board). The term of one of the 12 non-permanent members to the FirstNet Authority Board will be available for appointment or reappointment in 2022.

To be considered for the calendar year 2022 appointment, expressions of interest must be electronically transmitted on or before March 14, 2022.

Topics

Public Safety