Bill > HB468

This bill updates Delaware's emergency services laws, primarily focusing on the 911 system, to modernize its technology and funding. It renames the "911-Enhanced Emergency Reporting System" to simply the "911 system" and expands the definition of a "911 call" to include text, images, and video, not just voice, and clarifies that a "911 system" can be accessed through various devices like phones and computers. The bill also introduces terms like "Next Generation 911" (NG911) and "Emergency Services Internal Network" (ESInet) to reflect advancements in emergency communication technology, and defines "Computer Aided Dispatch System" (CAD) as a platform for managing emergency responses. It shifts the responsibility for developing and maintaining the statewide 911 system to the 911 System Service Board, which will now coordinate technical standards for NG911 and manage the 911 Fund, including administering contracts for statewide 911 projects. The bill also revises the funding structure for the 911 Fund, increasing the monthly surcharge on telecommunications services and prepaid wireless services, and establishes a new formula for distributing funds to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), which are the facilities that receive and answer 911 calls. Additionally, it clarifies that PSAPs must migrate to Board-managed vendors by a certain date and outlines procedures for handling cybersecurity incidents affecting the 911 system. The bill also updates definitions and provisions related to the 911 Fund and prepaid wireless 911 surcharges, and repeals outdated sections of the law.