In 2019, Los Angeles-based company NGA landed more than $100 million in contracts with the California Office of Emergency Services to help create the state’s new Next Generation 911 project, which promised to bring our aging 9-1-1 system into the internet age.
California’s project, however, is years behind schedule and currently on hold after some of the first 9-1-1 centers to go live with the new network reported technical issues such as outages and misrouted calls, with law enforcement officials blaming NGA’s technology for some of those problems in emails and memos obtained by NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit.
Now, newly obtained records from three other states that contracted with NGA to build similar Next Gen 911 networks show the company has been met with similar problems and delays, drawing the ire and frustration from government officials.
One of the strongest rebukes came from the State of Florida, which wrote a scathing letter to NGA in April of 2024 following complaints from several counties in the state that had contracted with the company on Next Gen 911 pilot projects.
“More than two years since the initial award date, your company has failed to implement reliable NG9-1-1 service in any county in Florida,” wrote Denise Adkins, Director of the Division of Telecommunications for the Florida Department of Management Services. “This is despite assurances that implementation would be complete and the first OSP cutover would occur within 12 months of contract execution. NGA911’s inability to meet the most basic requirements of the scope of work in a timely manner has not only left the region 1 counties dissatisfied but has caught the attention of the State of Florida.”
In the letter, Adkins also threatened to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission should the project fail.
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/california/next-gen-911-project-similar-problems-in-other-states/3817924/
