PA 911 Systems Funding Crisis Is Looming, Lawmaker Warns

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania's county 911 systems soon could face a funding shortfall because the state's current uniform 911 surcharge of $1.95 is set to expire in January.

A state lawmaker wants to prevent that from happening.

Under current Pennsylvania law, the surcharge will disappear on Jan. 31. But state Rep. Brenda Pugh, a Luzerne County Republican, plans to introduce legislation that would extend the expiration deadline for several years.

"The urgency of maintaining the uniform statewide surcharge as a funding source to sustain the statewide 911 communication system is very crucial," Pugh wrote in a memo to colleagues.

"This will be achieved through my legislation which will change the January 31st, 2026 expiration date to January 31st, 2029 to give our counties, the statewide 911 advisory board, and our 911 community more time to develop a thorough and adequate response to the issue of sustainable 911 funding."

The 911 surcharge is a flat-rate fee placed on a phone service bill monthly or at point of sale for a prepaid device that provides the bulk of funding for the operation of 911 emergency telecommunications services in Pennsylvania.

Retailers, phone service and Voice over Internet providers are responsible for charging and collecting the surcharge from consumers on each transaction or monthly bill, according to the state's 911 website.

The collected funds are then remitted by the service providers to the state. Mobile phone providers, for example, are required to file reports and make payments on a quarterly basis. The state then distributes the collected revenues to support their 911 systems.

According to Pugh, in 2022, the total reported expenditures for statewide 911 was $421 million, while the surcharge collected amount collected was $323 million. Pennsylvania's 67 counties contributed a total of $89.5 million.

In 2024, the total reported expenditures reported statewide for 911 was $455 million and the surcharge collected was $375 million, resulting in counties contributing a collective $80 million.