Technology presents the ultimate moving target for government. In 2004 lawmakers created the Wireless Enhanced 911 Board to oversee a new “e911” system that would reveal the wireless caller’s identification and location to the emergency 911 crew. Along with it, a 66-cent monthly fee paid by wireless subscribers was collected in a fund to pay for the system.

That system has been built, but technology has changed. Upgrades would enable first responders to have even more information on an emergency call.
Improvements favored by the counties include one allowing the e911 system to receive text messages; this would be useful for the hearing impaired as well as for someone facing a criminal threat who wants to alert police without being heard.
Additional upgrades could expand coverage of the 911 system to locations where signals don’t reach — in basements of public buildings, for example.
And the growing use of “voice over internet protocol” (VoIP) phones has prompted some to seek improvements allowing recognition of those calls, as well.
Now that the options involve Internet service providers as well as wireless companies, the Legislature needs to revisit the way the fund is managed and supervised.
It would make sense for oversight of the e911 system remain with a single board, regardless of whether the call originates from a cell or a VoIP phone. But that board may need to be restructured and its funding source adjusted.
By the time the Legislature convenes in January, officials will have a clearer idea of which improvements should be made and how to finance and manage them. The current $9 million annual cap on spending also may need to be raised.
A robust emergency-response network should be part of any community’s public-safety system, and making sure Hawaiçi has the protection it needs deserves a spot on the Capitol calendar.