Two of the nation’s leading experts on 911 issues have been named to the Federal Communications Commission’s Intergovernmental Advisory Board, which held its first meeting Friday, Feb. 13. The experts are:

• David Jones

  is director of Emergency Services for Spartanburg County, S.C., and second vice president of the National Emergency Number Association, which represents thousands of emergency call centers across the nation. Jones is an expert on technical issues related to Enhanced 911 (E-911), the ability of automated systems to detect a caller’s telephone number and physical location, and route the call to a public safety answering point (PSAP) designated for that location.

• Jenny Hansen

  is manager of the Public Safety Services Office for the State of Montana, Department of Administration, and an active NENA member. Hansen, a nationally recognized expert in rural emergency communications services, has testified before Congress on several occasions. She also chairs the 911 committee of the Association for Public Safety Communications Officials International.
  

“NENA applauds the appointment of these 911 experts to the FCC’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee,” said Steve Seitz, NENA Director of Government Relations. “The FCC has taken a leadership role in modernizing the nation’s 911 system, and it’s good to know that both David and Jenny will be working hard behind the scenes to ensure that E-911 remains one of the top priorities in telecom policy.”

The advisory committee is composed of 15 elected and appointed officials of local, state and tribal governments. During a two-term that will run through early 2006, the panel will address topics including homeland security and rural telecom issues. At the committee’s first meeting, members will discuss internal organization and start setting future work priorities. For more information on the committee, visit www.fcc.gov/statelocal/.