Federal Communications Commission FCC 23-47 STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER GEOFFREY STARKS Re: Facilitating Implementation of Next Generation 911 Services, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 21-479 9-1-1 has a long and successful history. But even more compelling may be its future. Looking back, we’ve extended 9-1-1 to wireless, texting, satellite, and VoIP. We’ve made it easier, and quicker, for first responders to locate callers automatically, and for employees and hotel guests to secure help from a multi-line phone. We’ve improved the reliability and resilience of our networks and our situational awareness in the wake of an outage, and we’ve expanded the tools available to restore communications after a disaster. As we look ahead, requiring providers to deliver calls and information in IP is a critical next step. Though as with anything, the details here matter. I look forward to hearing feedback on our proposal, and to finding the best way forward. I thank the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau for its excellent work on this item.