Who Governs Trust? How 911 Trust Ledger Keeps the System Honest

When people hear blockchain, they often think of crypto or decentralization for decentralization’s sake.That’s not what 911 Trust Ledger (911TL) is about.

We’re building a distributed data management framework for the 911 ecosystem — one that ensures emergency data is accurate, traceable, and trusted. But a system built on trust can only succeed if the way it’s governed is equally trustworthy.

That’s why 911TL was designed with a simple goal:

No single entity — public or private — should ever control the truth of 911 data.

Why Governance Matters

For decades, 911 has worked through a patchwork of agencies, boards, and vendors — each managing its own part of the system. It works, but it’s fragmented. Data lives in silos. Accountability is uneven. And too often, innovation gets trapped behind procurement or politics.

911TL doesn’t tear that down. It builds on it — creating a shared, permissioned ledger that gives every trusted participant a seat at the table. To make that possible, we needed a governance model that mirrors the best parts of how 911 already operates: local control, shared authority, and public accountability.

The Core Principles of 911TL Governance

Every decision in the network — from technical upgrades to policy changes — follows four guiding principles:

1. Transparency:All governance decisions and updates are recorded on-chain, open for audit.

2. Accountability:Participation requires active validation and adherence to operational standards.

3. Neutrality:The majority of decision-making power rests with public-serving entities — PSAPs and 911 Administrators.

4. Incentive Alignment:Recognition and rewards come from uptime, accuracy, and integrity — not control.

A Multi-Tier Model for Shared Authority

911TL’s governance framework is built around three layers — designed to keep the system efficient, representative, and open to innovation.

1. The Steering Council

The central policy body that defines the rules of participation and the long-term direction of the network.

Who’s at the table:

• PSAPs (50–60%) — the operational core and primary custodians of 911 data

• 911 Administrators (20–25%) — regional or state-level governance and oversight

• Vendors (15–20%) — technical contributors and integrators

• Public Sector Advisors — non-voting participants who observe, audit, and report

The Steering Council votes on protocol updates, onboarding new members, and ratifying standards. Major decisions require a supermajority — keeping the process deliberate and balanced.

2. The Technical Working Group

The engine room of 911TL. This team translates governance decisions into working code, APIs, and standards. It’s made up of engineers, data architects, and domain experts from across the ecosystem — PSAP technologists, CAD and GIS vendors, cybersecurity specialists, and others.

Their role:

• Define data schemas and interoperability standards

• Maintain the core ledger and validation logic

• Propose technical enhancements for the Steering Council to review

3. The Advisory Forum

Transparency isn’t optional.

The Advisory Forum brings in external perspectives — researchers, oversight bodies, and standards organizations — to evaluate how decisions affect privacy, equity, and funding.These members don’t vote, but their insight ensures the network stays grounded in public accountability.

Participation and Validation

Every participant in 911TL can operate a node, but only vetted members run validator nodes that confirm data integrity and authenticity.

• 911 Administrators act as primary validators.

• PSAPs may validate locally or delegate that function to their regional network.

• Vendors can validate when contributing high-integrity data.

• Public Sector agencies operate as observer nodes, focusing on compliance and analytics.

This proof-of-authority approach keeps the ledger both secure and efficient — consensus is built through verified trust, not computation.

Checks, Balances, and the Chain of Trust

When a new data model or feature is proposed — say, for AI-driven incident detection — the process follows a transparent, multi-step flow:

1. A vendor or PSAP proposes a new schema.

2. The Technical Working Group tests and validates it.

3. The Steering Council reviews and votes to adopt it.

4. The Advisory Forum audits and publishes a public summary of the process.

Every decision, discussion, and vote is logged on the ledger — an immutable record of governance in action.

Why This Model Works

The 911TL governance framework is designed to be both innovative and familiar.

It mirrors the collaborative structure of state 911 boards and NENA working groups while giving the ecosystem a secure, verifiable foundation for decision-making.

• It’s inclusive — everyone has a role and a voice.

• It’s balanced — PSAPs and Administrators hold majority control.

• It’s transparent — nothing happens behind closed doors.

911TL isn’t just about data management. It’s about data democracy.The people who depend on 911 should trust that the system — and the data behind it — work for them, not the other way around.