Wisconsin Plans to Upgrade 911 System to Accept Texts

Wisconsin is in the procurement stage of rolling out the NextGen 911 system, which will allow all dispatch centers to get more data from people in an emergency.

NextGen 911 offers more bandwidth to pinpoint almost exactly where the caller is and connects Wisconsin dispatch centers through a shared network.  It will be offered to all of the 109 dispatch centers, but not required. The centers that opt in will be charged monthly, in addition to the initial cost of equipment.

The most recent state budget included $6.7 million for planning the NextGen 911 upgrade. The state is currently waiting on bids from vendors who can create the system. That cost will be included in the 2019 biennium budget.