Massachusetts experienced a 911 system failure on Tuesday, causing a two-hour outage and forcing emergency agencies to direct the public to alternative contact methods. The outage was attributed to a firewall issue, not a cyberattack, and impacted over 3.2 million annual emergency calls. This incident highlights the need for a thorough investigation and the implementation of Next Generation 911, which would allow for more data from callers and create system redundancy. However, funding challenges remain, with an estimated $15 billion needed for nationwide 911 system upgrades. The article also emphasizes the increasing use of text messages for emergency help and the need for additional congressional funding to support these advancements.