911 systems may soon have to prove they can pass calls across state lines

The US communications regulator wants to make 911 calls work better across state lines. It proposes requiring companies that run the new digital 911 systems to test if their networks can talk to each other.

Today, 911 calls often get stuck or lost when someone is near a state border or travels between different emergency zones. This proposal means the companies building the new digital 911 networks will have to make sure their systems can seamlessly hand off calls, no matter where the caller is. This is a necessary step to make emergency services work like modern phone networks.