California's Next‑Gen 911 Collapse

California spent over $450 million on a regionalized 'Next Generation' 911 system that failed in early rollouts (call blackouts, lost caller locations) and was canceled, leaving an aging analog emergency network at risk of catastrophic failure. The case shows how procurement design (regional vs statewide), vendor accountability, and inadequate redundancy can transform a modernization effort into a public‑safety liability. — It forces debate over how states should procure and govern critical digital infrastructure, balancing innovation against redundancy, vendor risk, and the immediate safety of residents.