North Carolina 911 Centers Receive $13 Million for Upgrades
State grants provide critical radio and security infrastructure for 124 emergency call centers across North Carolina in 2026.
Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Telecommunications
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In 2026, the North Carolina 911 Board awarded more than $13 million in state grants to upgrade local emergency communications systems. The funding supports critical infrastructure projects across the state, including new radio hardware and enhanced cybersecurity measures at various public safety answering points.
Why it matters
These infrastructure investments ensure that the state's 124 public safety answering points remain operational and secure. By modernizing legacy dispatch systems, the state aims to maintain reliable emergency response capabilities for its nearly 3,000 telecommunicators.
The 2026 grant cycle provided over $13 million for technical upgrades, including $4.1 million for the N.C. State Highway Patrol's dispatch consoles. Individual awards ranged from $54,107 for cybersecurity at Brunswick County to over $1.2 million for radio consoles in Wilson County.
The players
N.C. 911 Board
A state oversight body within the Department of Information Technology that manages emergency communications funding and policy for 124 public safety answering points.
N.C. State Highway Patrol
The state's primary law enforcement agency, which received $4.1 million for radio dispatch consoles and logging recorders.
The details
The grant program, managed by the N.C. 911 Board under the state Department of Information Technology, funds physical hardware and software modernization. These upgrades replace aging radio dispatch consoles, which convert analog or digital voice signals into data packets for transmission, and implement newer cybersecurity protocols to protect internal networks. These systems are essential for public safety answering points to communicate effectively with first responders in the field.
Timeline
2016-2026: The N.C. 911 Board invested $104 million statewide.
2026: North Carolina awarded over $13 million in grants.
The Tech Race
This investment follows a decade of sustained funding by the N.C. 911 Board totaling $104 million for statewide emergency infrastructure. The cycle marks an ongoing effort to maintain compatibility across 124 public safety answering points amid shifting telecommunications standards.
These upgrades primarily affect the technical reliability and security of emergency calls handled by 3,000 professional telecommunicators statewide. Residents in recipient counties like Bertie, Brunswick, Jones, Lenoir, Robeson, and Wilson will see improved dispatch equipment performance.
The takeaway
The state's consistent funding model reinforces the stability of emergency dispatch operations against aging hardware threats. Observers can monitor the North Carolina Department of Information Technology for future annual grant distributions and equipment procurement updates.
Further reading
Explore ongoing state efforts in Telecommunications to modernize critical public infrastructure.
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