*Pages 1--1 from  Microsoft Word - 43973.doc*
 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT:  November  17,  2004  David  Fiske  at  (202)  418-  0513 
 David.  Fiske@  fcc.  gov 


 STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  K.  POWELL  ON  THE  INCEPTION  OF  THE  “NEXT  GENERATION  E9-  1-  1  PROGRAM” 
 BY  THE  NATIONAL  EMERGENCY  NUMBER  ASSOCIATION 


 I  applaud  the  National  Emergency  Number  Association  (NENA)  for  creating  the  Next  Generation  E9-  1-  1  Program  and  moving  forward  to  tackle  this  difficult  issue. 
 As  Chairman  of  the  FCC,  I  have  consistently  urged  service  providers  to  work  closely  with  state  and  local  governments  to  ensure  that  Enhanced  9-  1-  1  services  are  deployed 
 expeditiously  and  factored  into  the  development  of  next-  generation  technologies.  We  are  in  an  era  of  rapid  innovation  and  expanding  consumer  choices,  and  our  nation’s  9-  1-  1  system  must 
 keep  pace  with  these  advances  in  order  to  protect  the  public  in  times  of  emergency. 
 This  responsibility  must  be  shared  by  all  involved  --  landline  and  wireless  telephone  companies,  Internet-  based  service  providers,  Public  Safety  Answering  Points,  equipment 
 manufacturers,  and  local,  state  and  federal  agencies.  NENA’s  NG  E9-  1-  1  leadership  team  is  well  positioned  to  lead  this  dialogue  and  help  all  the  players  translate  the  discussion  into  action. 


 I  hope  everyone  involved  in  the  9-  1-  1  system  will  do  their  part  to  make  this  program  meaningful  and  successful. 
1