related -- State of California has spent over $500 million on a Next Generation 911 (NG911) system designed to modernize its emergency response network, which i

related -- State of California has spent over $500 million on a Next Generation 911 (NG911) system designed to modernize its emergency response network, which includes features like text, video, and precise caller location capabilities, and has already built a regional, multi-vendor network that is fully functional and tested in areas like Central and Los Angeles. Despite this, the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) has decided to abandon the existing NG911 system, which was designed with built-in redundancy to prevent statewide outages, in favor of a new single-vendor network. This reversal will cost an estimated additional $700 million to maintain the outdated legacy system for another five to seven years while the new system is developed, with the total cost potentially exceeding a billion dollars. Critics argue this decision wastes taxpayer money, undermines public safety, and increases the risk of a statewide 911 outage, as the new single-vendor model lacks the regional backup that protects the current NG911 system.