The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) criticized the Trump administration’s list of items subject to 25 percent tariffs following the Section 301 investigation into China’s trade practices. The list includes a number of inputs used in the U.S.-based manufacturing of telecom goods.

Representatives from 30 global telecommunications companies will join dozens of observers from U.S. state and federal agencies, as well as international participants, to test public-safety communications and related technologies during the second international Mission Critical Push to Talk (MCPTT) Plugtests event set for June 25 – 29 at Disaster City on the Texas A&M University (TAMU) campus in College Station, USA.

A new industry organization aimed at promoting open standards does not yet have the support of major standards-making bodies or the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) but will work to encourage support and participation from those groups.

With the buildout of the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) underway, First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Chair Sue Swenson cautioned public safety against becoming complacent during a keynote speech at the Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Public Safety Broadband Stakeholder Meeting in San Diego this week.

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) is starting to become a reality, so authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) must consider the wide-ranging ramifications of implementing the new mission-critical broadband data service and how it will affect in-building communications for first responders, building owners, facility managers and tenants.

The effective delivery of critical communications is crucial to ensuring public safety and to enabling businesses to protect personnel and property during major planned and unplanned events. At the dawn of the fourth industrial revolution, the industry is looking to see how 5G, big data, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) can be harnessed to further enhance critical communications in the context of an ever-changing technological landscape.

Last month at a cybersecurity conference, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen previewed the May unveiling of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) new cybersecurity strategy and issued a stern warning to cybercriminals. The new DHS Cybersecurity Strategy was released May 15.

Attorneys for the federal government defended the use of a declaration from a First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) employee in a lawsuit against FirstNet, arguing that the declaration was intended to show knowledge the employee had and not the contents of FirstNet’s contract with AT&T.

The Department of Commerce and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a report that offers a guide to government, civil society and industry actions that would dramatically reduce the threat of botnets and similar cyberattacks.

Around 600 agencies have signed up for First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) services, AT&T chief financial officer John Stephens said during Cowen’s Technology, Media and Telecom Conference May 30 in New York.