Barbour said he spent three or four days preparing to speak about creating a national broadband Internet service for emergency responders. Barbour spoke with help from lawyers and research materials from the National Emergency Number Association, which he recently served as chairman.

"It's definitely a unique feeling," he said. "A lot of preparation goes into play for just a short time. You want to be prepared for any type of question."

Barbour told Congressmen that creating a network that allows emergency personnel to get online anywhere should be a national priority and that such a network should have a sustainable funding source.

"The information that's available once you have that is astronomical," he told The Herald.

Barbour wants technology in place that allows people to send cell phone photos of a crime scene or fire to a 9-1-1 center, which could then send it to responders in the field. "This broadband network will be a good part of where that information will ride on," he said.

For the past several years, emergency-service agencies in Johnston have had access to a commercial broadband network, though it doesn't cover some remote areas of the county. The Sheriff's Department and a number of other agencies use it to gather information and communicate with the 9-1-1 response center.

Congress asked Barbour to testify because of his expertise with the technology and because of his work with the national 9-1-1 association.

"I was told that they were looking for a 9-1-1 director from rural America," he said, noting that he had appeared before Congress twice before on other 9-1-1 technology issues.