A Blog by MARK J. FLETCHER, ENP
A Century of Connection
To say that technology is rapidly and radically changing the way we live and work is a gross understatement.
Our personal level of connectivity has risen dramatically – just over the last quarter-century. Our communications landscape has significantly changed how we communicate, collaborate, and consume information. In today’s world, we expect—and often demand—to be hyper-connected 24 hours a day.
Looking back, it wasn’t so long ago that our thirst for “breaking news” was first whetted. On November 2, 1920, radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh aired the world’s first commercial radio broadcast, covering the presidential election. It was this one event that solidified the fact of just how disengaged we were as a nation—I believe that we forget how news, and public awareness of current events, once took days, or even weeks, to spread across the country. The media was “stated” at best, and far from being “social”.
From One Broadcast to Billions of Voices
Now, we live in a world where a single post or tweet can instantly reach nearly every corner of the globe, as opinions and ideas travel at the speed of light—unencumbered by time or distance.
According to Visual Capitalist, in the year 2000, there were roughly 361 million internet users worldwide. However, today, that number exceeds 4.48 billion—an increase of more than 1,100 percent in just the last 25 years.
In 1920, only a lone AM radio station served a limited region in Western PA.
Today, there is a plethora of communication options available to us. In addition to terrestrial and satellite radio, broadcast and cable television, the Internet provides countless streaming services, hosting more information outlets than can be counted.
The Sector That Time Forgot
Yet amid this explosion of information connectivity, one critical segment remains burdened by technological inertia: Public Safety communications.
This vital national infrastructure, typically funded by local taxes, tariffs, and surcharges, remains severely constrained in terms of feature functionality, interoperability, and leading-edge innovation—especially when compared to today’s commercial communications networks.
In the early days of the Internet and IP Network adoption, there was understandable hesitation to trust this technology for mission-critical emergency communications.
But those concerns are now primarily addressed; many were unfounded, and the fact remains that our critical financial institutions, airlines, and hospitals rely on those technologies. Over the years, IP systems have matured and proven themselves to not only be resilient, reliable, and secure, but they can be upgraded with new capabilities as technology advances. Network operators are also better equipped than ever to monitor, isolate, and swiftly and effectively mitigate outages.
The Physical Infrastructure – Copper Can’t Carry the Future
A less-discussed but equally grave concern is the aging legacy copper infrastructure still providing the backbone for many of our communications systems.
This physical plant is deteriorating in the field—exposed to the elements, suffering storm damage, motor vehicle collisions, and the occasional misplaced backhoe excavation.
By contrast, modern fiber-optic infrastructure, while delicate to handle, is functionally ageless and capable of high-speed data transfer. Fiber doesn’t corrode, fatigue, or degrade the way copper does. In addition to that, wireless technology continues to advance with 5G cellular services widespread, and 6G technology on the brink of deployment. This solves even more connectivity issues once reserved for physical infrastructure only.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is already grappling with the sustainability and escalating maintenance costs of the nation’s legacy TDM networks—a problem that will only intensify as carriers sunset traditional copper-based systems.
The Cost of Standing Still
“Every day we delay the NG911 transition, we pay more to preserve a system already on life support.”
The paradox is painful: the technology, expertise, and funding required to modernize our nation’s 911 infrastructure already exist.
Billions have been allocated or are available through federal and state grants, public-private partnerships, and infrastructure programs. Yet instead of investing in the systems that will serve the next century, many jurisdictions are forced to spend those dollars simply maintaining the fragile systems of the last one.
Each passing day widens the gap between what’s possible and what’s being delivered.
The longer we continue to fund repairs on copper lines and patchwork solutions, the more we drain resources that could be used to build the resilient, data-rich, and fully interoperable networks NG911 demands. The cost of catching up grows exponentially with every delay.
The Emergency Before the Emergency
It’s time to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth: our nation’s emergency communications network is itself on the brink of an emergency.
The systems that once defined reliability are now the very barriers preventing progress.
Moving forward does not mean rushing recklessly.
It means acting decisively, guided by standards, best practices, and a commitment to resiliency.
We must transition with purpose, precision, and transparency, ensuring that every new component introduced into the NG911 ecosystem enhances service reliability and public trust.
A Call to Move—Deliberately, but Now
The future of 911 cannot afford complacency.
The infrastructure is aging faster than it can be patched, and the technology curve is accelerating beyond our grasp.
The choice before us isn’t whether to modernize—it’s whether to do it before the next crisis makes that decision for us.
Let’s move forward—not haphazardly, but with deliberate speed and informed caution—to deliver critical NG911 communications at a rate that is both effective and achievable.
The tools are here. The funding is available. The technology is ready.
What we lack is time—and every day we wait, we lose a little more of it.
Act now—before the emergency becomes the emergency itself.
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Thanks for spending time with me; I look forward to next time. Stay safe and take care.
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