U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito spoke at the 911 Emerging Technologies Symposium in Charleston, West Virginia.
The event aimed to help telecommunicators from county 911 centers and featured 19 vendors with new equipment and technologies. The focus was on moving to Next Generation 911 (NG911) for precise location accuracy and faster call-answering times.
According to West Virginia NENA Chapter President Russell Emrick, five counties have started upgrading to NG911, with the goal of enabling all 55 counties to receive text-to-911 by next year. Awaiting the governor's signature, Senate Bill 439 could allow certain 911 personnel to retire and receive retirement benefits at an earlier age.
Senator Capito discussed congressional efforts to support 911 systems, including proposed legislation to classify 911 telecommunicators as protective service workers and plans for broadband expansion. Senator Joe Manchin also mentioned the return of congressionally directed spending to help direct funds back to West Virginia for projects like 911 center upgrades.