• County Home
• Who I Am
• Transportation
• Child Advocacy
• Energy and Natural Resources
• Agendas
• 911 Communications
•  News and Letters

Abbreviation	Name	Counties Served
AACOG	Alamo Area Council of Governments	Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Frio, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Medina, Wilson
ATCOG	Ark-Tex Council of Governments	Bowie, Cass, Delta, Franklin, Hopkins, Lamar, Morris, Red River, Titus
BVCOG	Brazos Valley Council of Governments	Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Robertson, Washington
CAPCOG	Capital Area Council of Governments	Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, Travis, Williamson
CBCOG	Coastal Bend Council of Governments	Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleburg, Live Oak, McMullen, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio
CTCOG	Central Texas Council of Governments	Bell, Coryell, Hamilton, Lampasas, Milam, Mills, San Saba
CVCOG	Concho Valley Council of Governments	Coke, Concho, Crockett, Irion, Kimble, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Reagan, Schleicher, Sterling, Sutton, Tom Green
DETCOG	Deep East Texas Council of Governments	Angelina, Houston, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, Tyler
ETCOG	East Texas Council of Governments	Anderson, Camp, Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Marion, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt, Wood
GCRPC	Golden Crescent Regional Planning Commission	Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Gonzales, Jackson, Lavaca, Victoria
HGAC	Houston-Galveston Area Council	Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller, Wharton
HOTCOG	Heart of Texas Council of Governments	Bosque, Falls, Freestone, Hill, Limestone, McLennan
LRGVDC	Lower Rio Grande Valley Council	Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy
MRGDC	Middle Rio Grande Development Council	Dimmit, Edwards, Kinney, La Salle, Maverick, Real, Uvalde, Val Verde, Zavala
NCTCOG	North Central Texas Council of Governments	Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, Wise
NRPC	Nortex Regional Planning Commission	Archer, Baylor, Clay, Cottle, Foard, Hardeman, Jack, Montague, Wichita, Wilbarger, Young
PBRPC	Permian Basin Regional Planning Commission	Andrews, Borden, Crane, Dawson, Ector, Gaines, Glasscock, Howard, Loving, Martin, Midland, Pecos, Reeves, Terrell, Upton, Ward, Winkler
PRPC	Panhandle Regional Planning Commission	Armstrong, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Collingsworth, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Donley, Gray, Hall, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Sherman, Swisher, Wheeler
RGCOG	Rio Grande Council of Governments	Brewster, Culberson, El Paso, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Presidio
SETRPC	South East Texas Regional Planning Commission	Hardin, Jefferson, Orange
SPAG	South Plains Association of Governments	Bailey, Cochran, Crosby, Dickens, Floyd, Garza, Hale, Hockley, King, Lamb, Lubbock, Lynn, Motley, Terry, Yoakum
STDC	South Texas Development Council	Jim Hogg, Starr, Webb, Zapata
TCOG	Texoma Council of Governments	Cooke, Fannin, Grayson
WCTCOG	West Central Texas Council of Governments	Brown, Callahan, Coleman, Comanche, Eastland, Fisher, Haskell, Jones, Kent, Knox, Mitchell, Nolan, Runnels, Scurry, Shackelford, Stephens, Stonewall, Taylor, Throckmorton

 

 

---

 

 

9-1-1 Fees and Surcharge Remittance

Funding of emergency communication services in Texas is authorized by Health and Safety Code (H&SC) Chapters 771 and 772. There are three funding sources--the Equalization Surcharge, the 9-1-1 Service Fee, and the Wireless 9-1-1 Service Fee which are collected from customers and remitted by their service providers.

All collections of the Equalization Surcharge and the Wireless 9-1-1 Service Fee are remitted on a monthly basis to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (the Comptroller). Collections of the 9-1-1 Service Fee are remitted based on customers physical, and in some cases billing, address. Collections from customers within the boundaries of a Regional Planning Commission (RPC) are remitted to the Comptroller; those within an Emergency Communication District created under Health & Safety Code Chapter 772 (District) are remitted to the District; and those within a 9-1-1 Municipality that provided, voted to provide, or contracted to provide 9-1-1 service on or before September 1, 1987 (Municipality) are remitted to the Municipality. Each RPC, District, and Municipality is commonly referred to as 9-1-1 Entity, and collectively referred to as the 9-1-1 Entities.

 

Pursuant to H&SC Section 771.074, neither the Equalization Surcharge nor the 9-1-1 Service Fee or 9-1-1 Wireless Service Fee may be imposed on or collected from the state or the federal government.

 

Next Generation 9-1-1

 

Updates on CSEC's NG9-1-1 planning efforts:

 

The CSEC recognizes the need to take advantage of the advances in information and communications technologies and the output of the NG9-1-1 System Initiative.  Below is the status of CSEC's NG9-1-1 projects and activities, current as of January 12, 2010:

 

Texas Next Generation 9-1-1 Project.  CSEC staff is developing the documents required by the Texas Project Delivery Framework established by the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR).  Approval of the Business Justicication Review Component of the DIR Framework is required for CSEC to proceed with the E9-1-1 Grant Project, and must be forwarded to the state's Quality Assurance Team.  The Business Justification Review includes the following: Business Case Analysis; Statewide Impact Analysis; and, Project Charter for the Texas Next Generation 9-1-1 Project.

 

NG 9-1-1 FAQ

Increasingly, the "buzz" words Next Generation 9-1-1 or NG9-1-1 are used. The following is a list of questions and answers to help you gain a general understanding of what it is, the driving force behind it, and where you can find more information about it.

 

 

---

 

 

Q: What is the Next Generation 9-1-1 Initiative?

 

A: (Excerpted from USDOT NG9‑1‑1 System Description & High Level Requirements)

The Next Generation 9-1-1 Initiative (NG9-1-1) is a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) research and development project that will help define the system architecture and develop a transition plan that considers responsibilities, costs, schedule, and benefits for deploying Internet Protocol (IP)-based emergency services across the Nation.¹ USDOT understands that access to emergency services provided by Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) in today's world of evolving technology will ultimately occur within a broader array of interconnected networks comprehensively supporting emergency services-from public access to those services, to the facilitation of those services, to the delivery of the emergency information to dispatchers and first responders.

¹It is assumed that emergency service networks will be IP based, operating on IP networks shared with other emergency services and government services, in concert with existing and evolving communication technology and related services that will ultimately support much of the access to emergency services, along with the interconnection required to allow them to interrelate. Because of its purpose, NG9-1-1 service must be a priority service on the shared IP networks. Likewise, it is assumed that the emergency service network architecture driven by this document will generally follow the Internet Protocol Suite, including transport layer protocols like Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). Consequently, requirements are not specifically identified herein for such matters.

 

Q: What are the major milestones for the NG 9-1-1 Initiative project?

 

A: (Excerpted from USDOT NG9‑1‑1 Initiative Overview Presentation)

Major Milestones:

 

         National architecture and high-level design for NG9-1-1 System

 

         Proof of Concept

 

         Transition plan for NG9-1-1 implementation

 

Q: Who are the team members of the NG9-1-1 Initiative project?

 

A: The USDOT has contracted with Booz Allen Hamilton for the NG 9-1-1 Initiative project. The team members under this contract are Booz Allen Hamilton, the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), L. Robert Kimball and Associates and Texas A & M University (TAMU) Internet2 Technology Evaluation Center (ITEC).

 

Q: What are the specific tasks of the NG9-1-1 Initiative project?

 

A: The specific tasks of the project are:

•     Task 1: System Architecture Development

   

  •              Develop/revise Concept of Operations (ConOps)

  •              Define functional requirements / high-level architectural design

  •              Provide Architectural Analysis

  •              Define Detailed Requirements

•     Tasks 2 & 4 : Transition Analysis

   

  •                  Estimation of the NG9-1-1 benefits and costs

  •              Identification of critical system deployment issues

  •              Development of plan for transitioning from today's 9-1-1 to NG9-1-1

•     Task 3: Design and Demonstration of "Proof-of-Concept"

  •                  Design, development and demonstration of "Proof-of-Concept" system

Q: What are the objectives of the NG9-1-1 Initiative "Proof-of-Concept" demonstrations and will they include real Public Safety Answering Points?

 

A: The objectives of the "Proof-of-Concept" (POC) demonstration are to:

• Implement a working NG9-1-1 POC solution that can receive text, images, and video (in addition to voice) from several different kinds of access networks and communications devices.

•          Be capable of routing emergency data (text, images, and video) over public and private infrastructure while ensuring reliability and security of the data.

•          Demonstrate distance call access, transfer, and backup across geographically dispersed PSAPs using NG9-1-1, IP-based routing capability.

•          Demonstrate use of open platforms and non-proprietary standards for developing NG91-1 solutions.

•          Build the technical foundation for developing grant guidance and evaluation criteria for NG9-1-1 systems.

 The POC demonstration requires a small number of PSAP locations (4-6) to facilitate testing on various components/interfaces of the NG9-1-1 system architecture.

 

Q: What is a NG9-1-1 System?

 

A: (Excerpted from USDOT NG9-1-1 System Description & High Level Requirements)

 

The NG9-1-1 System is an emergency call² delivery and response system (or "system of systems") that will capitalize on advances in information and communications technologies, and will enable--

•          Quicker and more robust information as the result of making a 9-1-1 call

•          Better and more useful forms of information (text, images, and video) from any networked communications device

•          Transfer of 9-1-1 calls between geographically dispersed PSAPs (and from PSAP to remote public safety dispatches) if necessary

•          Increased aggregation and sharing of data, resources, procedures, and standards to improve emergency response

•          Maximized public capital and operating cost savings for emergency communications services

While NG9-1-1 will result in these benefits to nation-wide emergency services, it will also allow the flexibility necessary to allow operational standards, protocols, and best practices to be adopted and implemented to meet unique local circumstances and needs. For example, not all PSAPs will provide emergency medical pre-arrival instructions to callers. Likewise, it is not necessary for NG9-1-1 to have identical technological capabilities nation-wide.

 

²The term "call" is used in this document to indicate any real-time communication--voice, text, or video--between a person needing assistance and a PSAP call taker. This term also includes non-human-initiated automatic event alerts, such as alarms, telematics, or sensor data, which may also include real-time communications.

 

Q: What is the vision for the NG9-1-1 System?

 

A: (Excerpted from USDOT NG9-1-1 Concept of Operations)

USDOT views the NG9-1-1 System as an evolutionary transition to enable the general public to make a 9-1-1 "call"³ from any wired, wireless, or Internet Protocol (IP)-based device, and allow the emergency services community to take advantage of Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) call delivery and other functions through new internetworking⁴ technologies based on open standards. By enabling the general public to access 9-1-1 services through virtually any communications device, the NG9-1-1 System provides a more direct ability to request help or share critical data with emergency services provider from any location. In addition, call takers at the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) will be able to transfer emergency calls to another PSAP and forward the location and other critical data, such as text messages, images, video, with the call.

 

³The term "call" is used in this document to indicate any real-time communication--voice, text, or video--between a person needing assistance and a PSAP call taker.

 

⁴"Internetwork" --to go between one network and another; a large network made up of a number of smaller networks.

 

Q: What is the purpose of implementing the NG9-1-1 System?

 

A: (Excerpted from USDOT NG9-1-1 Concept of Operations)

Trends in telecommunications mobility and convergence have put the 9-1-1 system at a crossroads. The growing market penetration of both cellular and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony have underscored the limitations of the current 9-1-1 infrastructure. The Nation's 9-1-1 system, based on decades-old technology, cannot handle the text, images, and video that are increasingly common in personal communications and critical to future transportation safety and mobility advances. The current 9-1-1 system "�is an analog technology in an overwhelmingly digital world."⁵

 

Many of the limitations of the current 9-1-1 system stem from its foundation on 1970s circuit-switched network technology. Presently, convoluted systems are used to deliver 9 1-1 calls and any location data for landline voice, landline teletype/ telecommunications device for the deaf (TTY/TDD), wireless/ cellular voice, and VoIP 9-1-1 to the PSAP. Each introduction of a new access technology (e.g., wireless) or expansion of system functions (e.g., location determination) requires significant engineering and system modifications.

 

There appears to be consensus within the 9-1-1 community on the shortcomings of the present 9-1-1 system and the need for a new, more capable system to allow the general public to make 9-1-1 calls and send text, image, and video; capabilities that are increasingly common in mobile communications devices and vehicles. There is general agreement on the need to take advantage of advances in information and communications technologies.

 

⁵Dale N. Hatfield, former FCC Office Chief; A Report on Technical and Operational Issues Impacting the Provisions of Wireless Enhanced 911, October 2002, available at http://www.fcc.gov/911/enhanced/reports.

 

Q: What are the major goals and objectives of the NG9-1-1 System?

 

A: (Excerpted from USDOT NG9-1-1 Concept of Operations)

The primary goal of the NG9-1-1 System is to save lives, health, and property by improving emergency services access and response in the United States. The state of the NG9-1-1 System also has a major effect on transportation security, mobility, and efficiency.

   

The NG9-1-1 System objectives that will lead to this goal include:

 

             Enable E9-1-1 calls from any networked communication device.

 

             Enable geographic-independent call access, transfer, and backup among PSAPs and between PSAPs, and other authorized emergency organizations.

 

             Encourage a flexible, open, non-proprietary, and secure architecture to facilitate the implementation of an interoperable internetwork (system of systems).

 

             Foster increased coordination and partnerships within the public safety community.

 

             Encourage standards coordination and interoperability across the United States and with other emergency services network providers within North America (Canada   and Mexico), recognizing the global impacts of routing emergency calls in an IP environment.

 

•              Maximize emergency services capital, operating, and maintenance cost savings.

Q: Who is defining the NG9-1-1 System?

 

A: (Excerpted from USDOT NG9-1-1 Concept of Operations)

USDOT will monitor activities by Standard Development Organizations (SDO) that are currently working on requirements and standards related to NG9-1-1. For example, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Network Reliability and Interoperability Council (NRIC), National Emergency Number Association (NENA), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) Emergency Services Interconnection Forum (ESIF) have consensus-based efforts underway to develop requirements and standards for public safety, 9-1-1, and other emergency services networks. USDOT expects that the products of these consensus efforts will form the foundation for NG9-1-1 Initiative engineering and demonstration projects.

 

Q: What does the NG9-1-1 System architecture look like?

 

A: Section 3 of the USDOT NG9-1-1 Architecture Analysis Report provides information on the NG9-1-1 Architecture at both high-level and detailed architectures.

 

Q: Will there be changes to the current 9-1-1 funding paradigm?

 

A: (Excerpted from USDOT NG9-1-1 Concept of Operations)

The current financing paradigm for the 9-1-1 system operations will likely prove inadequate in the future. Surcharges, fees, and taxes on telephone equipment and services fund a significant portion of the capital and operating costs for today's 9-1-1 system. Traditional landline telephone services are being replaced by wireless and VoIP services. Consequently, the corresponding revenue stream for the 9-1-1 system is expected to decline. Moreover, there is reason to believe that telephony will eventually be a "free" application available to Internet users along with e-mail, instant messaging, and other communications applications. This would further undermine the dependency on telephone-related revenues for 9-1-1 funding.

 

Although the historical 9-1-1 funding paradigm is likely to change, the opportunity for sharing costs through shared infrastructure and related operations will increase, as will economies of scale. As NRIC VII reported, "a significant initial investment is required" to develop the infrastructure, upgrade the Nation's PSAPs, and interface with many new entities. New revenue sources will be needed, but recurring costs for 9-1-1 equipment and operations may decrease because of the potentially lower costs for IP-based equipment and infrastructure.

 

Q: What are some of the NG9-1-1 funding model options?

 

A: NENA's Next Generation Partner Program, a public-private partnership representing a unique cross-section of industry and public safety perspectives issued a funding report entitled Funding 9-1-1 into the Next Generation: An Overview of NG9-1-1 Funding Model Options for Consideration (March 2007). This Report provides the benefits and potential barriers of several funding models and is not intended to be exhaustive.

 

Q: What is the NENA Next Generation (NG) Partner Program?

 

A: (Excerpted from NENA's NG Partner Program webpage)

NENA's Next Generation Partner Program is a joint public-private working group developed to further the mission of creating safer communities by advancing technology, policy and operations issues through research and planning. To date, the program is supported by 39 program partners, which include key representatives from leading communications companies, vendors of 9-1-1 products and services, and public safety-related associations.

 

Q: Where can I find information on NG9-1-1?

 

A: The following information on NG9-1-1 is available:

 

•          USDOT Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA)

   

  •                 NG9-1-1 Initiative

  •                 NG9-1-1 publications and presentations

•          NENA

   

  •                 Next Generation Partner Program

  •                 NG9-1-1 Project

  •                 Next Generation 9-1-1 Transition Planning Committee

  •                 Overall status of NG9-1-1

  •                 NENA 08-751, i3 Technical Requirements Document