FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski groused to that the government response to implementing NG911 has been slow, adding that commercial airlines have the capability to next passengers about flight delays, but people caught in emergency situations can't text 911 for help.

"The unfortunate truth is that the capability of our emergency response communications has not kept pace with commercial innovation -- has not kept pace with what ordinary people now do every day with communications devices. The shift to NG911 can't be about if, but about when and how," Genachowski said

Here's the breakdown of the FCC's five-step plan, told in plain(er) English:

Develop location accuracy mechanisms for NG-911: The FCC has "launched development of a framework for providing automatic location information in the NG911 environment," meaning they're currently talking about creating a framework using mobile phones' GPS that will eventually be realized.

Enable consumers to send text, photos, and videos to 911 operators: Next month, the FCC may send out a notice that will answer questions about NG911. This notice will focus on the bandwidth infrastructure required for PSAPs (Public Safety Answering Points) to use NG911. In the very least, the FCC hopes to speed up NG911's capability to accept text messages, with the other multimedia features coming soon thereafter.