For the millions of Americans who have dialed 911, these are the familiar and comforting words we hear upon placing the call. It is the question that guides us through a moment of chaos or crisis, the linchpin to saving lives and protecting health.
“911, where is your emergency?”
The extra time it takes to figure out exactly where to send help, even if it’s a few extra seconds, costs lives. But the United States has let our 911 emergency response system languish for decades, failing to make the necessary investments to bring it into the digital age. That inaction should be unacceptable to every American. Upgrading 911 technology should be a national priority, and Congress must provide sufficient funding to ensure it works in every community.
Nearly 60 years later, we are living in a completely different era. In 2024, more than three-quarters of 911 calls came via either cellphones or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and other wireless voice services. Since some states do not break down calls by service type, that number is likely even higher. By contrast, only about 7% came from landlines. In many states, landlines now account for less than 5% of 911 calls. That number is likely to decline further in the years ahead.
Asking “where is your emergency” may sound like an easy fix, but that incorrectly assumes a caller can always answer the question. Callers may be in an unfamiliar location. They may be navigating imminent danger, such as an intruder or attacker, that prevents them from sharing. They may give the wrong address, or they may move locations from the moment a call is placed to the time help arrives. Even the emergency data that may be stored in a person’s cell phone for precisely such a circumstance can’t be accessed by call takers or dispatchers.
Past attempts to fix these errors have failed. The ENHANCE 911 Act, enacted in 2004, authorized up to $250 million in annual federal grants to help states upgrade their 911 systems. But those appropriations were never made. Other funding opportunities for states wound up being far smaller. Ultimately, the legislation was not reauthorized by Congress, and national funding efforts dried up. In recent years, federal funding for 911 upgrades has ground to a halt.
Full NextGen 911 rollout nationwide is estimated to cost approximately $15 billion. The cost of inaction is far higher. Fixing access to location data would free up 911 professionals to rapidly triage calls. It would also mean a quicker and more accurate on-scene response, helping callers and emergency personnel alike.
When 911 launched, cell phones did not yet exist, and America’s emergency response system is still largely stuck in that bygone era. This is an emergency of our own making, and it is fixable. Our leaders must answer the call for help.
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