When bad things happen, we want good people on the scene as quickly as possible and for those people to have the right tools for the job. First responders have communications needs that include being able to receive calls, check maps and routes, download and upload various information, run several specific applications, and of course, communicate with their colleagues. This often has to take place while on the move and in less-than-ideal circumstances. Public-safety users cannot tolerate dropped calls or slow applications because of congested networks. The dedicated First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) exists to ensure that first responders can make calls and access the data they need, with the best cellular connectivity available.

The Department of Interior (DOI) laboratory in Denver, which is on track to conduct Project 25 (P25) Inter RF Subsystem (ISSI) and Console Subsystem Interface (CSSI) conformance testing, should be accredited by the first quarter of 2020. The lab partnered with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) and will use the Valid8 test tool to verify conformance for CSSI/ISSI users.

The question of when Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks might replace LMR systems is an ongoing industry debate. During recent months, I have covered several industry stories that lead me to think full replacement might never happen, and if it does, it’s going to take a long time — at least 20 years.

Juniata County Communications in Pennsylvania adopted the PowerPhone technology to meet a state mandate.

Several groups supplied Indonesian Federal Police command center vehicles with technology to access satellite broadband on the move.

Sonim Technologies revised its financial guidance for fiscal 2019 and appointed Bob Tirva as interim chief financial officer (CFO).

Axon’s Body 3 body-worn camera passed carrier certification requirements to operate on the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and Verizon networks.

The FCC is seeking comment on procedural changes that, if adopted, the commission said would streamline many administrative hearings under the Communications Act of 1934.

The FCC reported that one public-safety answering point (PSAP), Dorchester Dispatch Center in South Carolina, was down Sept. 6 with calls rerouted to the Summerville, South Carolina, PSAP following Hurricane Dorian. By Sept 7, no outages affecting PSAPs in the disaster area were reported.

The Project 25 Technology Interest Group (PTIG) announced 2,350 Project 25 (P25) trunked and conventional systems in countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Iridium Satellite appointed Lt. Gen. John Campbell, U.S. Air Force (retired), as the company's executive vice president for government affairs. Gen. Campbell will help Iridium accelerate its provision of products and services to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and nearly 40