Montgomery, AL (August 29, 2019) — The State of Alabama has been awarded over $2.5 million in federal grants from the U.S Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Transportation to aid in the continued upgrade of the states’ 9-1-1 call centers to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) capabilities. Alabama has been on the forefront of 9-1-1 technology since the first call was made in Haleyville, AL on February 16, 1968. The Alabama 9-1-1 Board is honored to continue this longstanding tradition of 9-1-1 leadership. With this award, we will move closer to the goal of implementing a fully functional NG9-1-1 network to serve the citizens and visitors of Alabama.
The intention of the over $109 million in total grants that were available to states, territories, tribal nations, and the District of Columbia is to “power basic improvements such as providing digital and IP network capabilities to 911 emergency call centers and will assist implementation of advanced mapping systems that will make it easier to identify a 911 caller’s location,” the U.S. Department of Commerce stated as they announced the awards. Award amounts are calculated using road miles and population; upon certification and project plans being approved at the federal level, Alabama was awarded the maximum amount possible.
In Alabama, the transition to NG9-1-1 is well underway and funding has already been secured by the Alabama 9-1-1 Board. The Alabama Next Generation Emergency Network (ANGEN) is currently being installed in 9-1-1 centers across the state to provide interoperable connectivity and NG9-1-1 core services that will ultimately assist all of those in the public safety sector, as well as anyone who makes a request for assistance. As of today, ANGEN serves at least 40% of Alabama’s population and is deployed in various jurisdictions, from rural areas like Wilcox County to more populated areas, such as the River Region.
The grant funds awarded to Alabama will be used to further enhance the ANGEN project by building a single, authoritative Geographic Information System (GIS) database needed for call routing as well as operational and situational awareness. Any remaining portion of the funding will be used for hosting a call taking solution, a tool used by virtually every primary Public Safety Answering Point in the United States.
For additional information, contact:
Adam Brown at: (334) 440-7911