AT&T executives told FCC officials that opting out of the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) results in “an exceptionally difficult and costly process for the state involved.” Four AT&T employees met with FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) staff May 18.

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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced grant recipients that will receive $197 million in competitive grant funding to help commuter and intercity passenger railroads meet the Dec. 31, 2018, deadline to implement positive train control (PTC) systems to improve safety.

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RapidSOS announced a data-sharing partnership with Waze, a real-time crowdsourced traffic and navigation app. 9-1-1 centers connected to the RapidSOS next-generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1) clearinghouse will soon be able to receive live incident data from Waze, providing public-safety call-takers and first responders with information around car crashes.

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A First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) official and AT&T executive offered an advance look at some of the information state single points of contact (SPOCs) will receive this week in Dallas during a state plan kick-off meeting.

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released fiscal year (FY) 2017 notices of funding opportunity for 10 DHS preparedness grant programs totaling more than $1.6 billion.

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Zetron and RapidSOS announced the deployment of RapidSOS-enabled Zetron MAX call-taking software in multiple public-safety answering points (PSAPs) in Tennessee. PSAPs equipped with the newest MAX software are participating in a statewide pilot project coordinated by the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board.

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During the next year, LaaSer Critical Communications will work with IXP and the Chattahoochee River (Georgia) 9-1-1 Authority (ChatComm) to deliver enhanced services at the four Atlanta-area municipalities served by ChatComm.

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The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) named Wes Johnston CEO. Johnston comes to TIA with more than 25 years of experience leading technology and telecom businesses. Most recently, he was managing director for technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) at The Gores Group, a global private equity firm.

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Aptean, a provider of mission-critical enterprise software, acquired FDM Software, which provides records management systems, CAD, mapping and analysis solutions for public-safety agencies in North and South America.

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The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) directed all telephone and mobile wireless companies to update their networks to be ready to provide next-generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1) services by 2020.

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