911 Fee Reports and Reporting

Annual Reports on the Collection and Use of 911 Fees

Fifteenth Annual Collection of Information on State Collection and Use of 911 Fees
2023 911 Fee Report Information Collection Questionnaire

For 911 Fee Report filings and questions, please contact: Kim Anderson and John A. Evanoff at
911FeeReport@fcc.gov

Tips for Completing the FCC Questionnaire

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) submits an annual report to Congress on the collection and distribution of 911 and Enhanced 911 (E911) fees and charges by the states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories (states and taxing jurisdictions), as required by 47 U.S.C. § 615a-1(f)(2), under the New and Emerging Technologies Improvement Act of 2008 (NET 911 Act), as amended by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.

In 2020, Congress revised 47 U.S.C. § 615a-1(f) to require the FCC to issue new rules regarding the purposes and functions for which the obligation or expenditure of any 911 fees or charges is acceptable.  On June 25, 2021, the FCC released a Report and Order adopting rules to implement the requirements of the revised statute.  The rules adopted in the Report and Order went into effect on October 18, 2021.

The rules are codified at 47 CFR Part 9, Subpart I.  The rules provide that acceptable expenditures of 911 fees or charges for the purposes of the statute are limited to (1) the support and implementation of 911 services, and (2) operational expenses of Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs).  The new rules include illustrative, non-exhaustive examples of acceptable and unacceptable uses of 911 fees or charges at the state and local level.  Additionally, the rules establish an optional safe harbor for states and taxing jurisdictions that designate multi-purpose fees or charges for “public safety,” “emergency services,” or other similar purposes where a portion of those fees or charges supports 911 services.  The FCC also adopted a process by which a state or taxing jurisdiction may petition for a determination that an obligation or expenditure of a 911 fee or charge should be treated as acceptable even if it has not been listed as acceptable in the FCC’s rules.  The rules also require any state or taxing jurisdiction receiving a grant under Section 158 of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. § 942) after December 27, 2020, to provide the information requested by the FCC to prepare its annual fee report, in the form specified by the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (Bureau).

As part of its annual fee report, the FCC is required to include findings for each state or taxing jurisdiction on the amount of revenues derived from 911 fees and charges that are obligated or expended for any purpose other than those designated as acceptable in the FCC’s final rules.  Based on the information provided to the Bureau by states and other reporting entities, the annual report includes data on expenditure of funds for Next Generation 911 (NG911) services and cybersecurity investments.

Contact: John A. Evanoff and Kim Anderson at 911FeeReport@fcc.gov for additional information.

Current Report:

Past Reports:

Resources

Statutory Authority – 47 U.S.C. § 615a-1
911 Fee Diversion Rules – 47 CFR Part 9, Subpart I
Report and Order – 2021 911 Fee Diversion Report and Order
Small Entity Compliance Guide – 911 Fee Diversion Small Entity Compliance Guide

Bureau/Office:
Public Safety and Homeland Security
Tags:
Updated:
Monday, April 3, 2023