E9-1-1 Summit

Dear Task Force NYC:

I have attached two documents in response to your 9-1-1 inquiry. In a nutshell, yes the issue is being addressed. There is an Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) Stakeholder Council comprising of individual and organizational consumer stakeholders (e.g. NAD, TDI, California Center for the Law & the Deaf, Gallaudet University, Hearing Loss of America, only to name a few) and industry stakeholders. To learn more about the work of this Council and to perhaps collaborate with them you may contact the Chair – Sheri Farinha Mutti. I do not have her email address readily available but you can locate her via NorCal Center on Deafness, Sacramento – CA where she serves as CEO. You may also secure information via NAD and/or TDI.

As you may have noted in our last several Interagency Coordinating Council Monthly Updates, the FCC was scheduled to host a day-long E9-1-1 Summit (agenda attached). The Summit took place on November 15th and was attended by FCC officials and Commissioners, in addition to representatives from the Department of Justice, Department of Transportation, DHS, and the White House Domestic Policy Council. Notably, in addition to the FCC, the Department of Transportation is also actively exploring technological solutions.

It is also worth noting that E9-1-1 technological feasibility issues span beyond the hearing disability community. See for example, http://www.nena.org/pages/Content.asp?CID=83&CTID=5 although the conference and input period has passed. The E9-1-1 Stakeholder Council is working to ensure that while the government and industry identify mainstream solutions, those solutions are also be workable for individuals with hearing and speech disabilities or that there be a workable alternative.

As appropriate, I will keep you abreast of relevant future developments or meetings either directly or via colleagues in FCC and DOT. In the meantime, you may wish to become affiliated with the E9-1-1 Stakeholder Council.

Best regards,

Claudia L. Gordon
Senior Policy Advisor
Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Department of Homeland Security
(202) 357-8327 (v)
(202) 357-8346 (tty)
(202) 357-8298 (f)
claudia.gordon@dhs.gov

The E9-1-1 Summit reports’ available for anyone who requests for it.