The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is encouraging a “system of systems” approach for interoperability. CISA is initially focusing the Shared Communications System and Infrastructure (SCSI) methodology along the southwest border region.

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) nationwide public-safety Long Term Evolution (LTE) network now covers more than 2.61 million square miles of the nation, said AT&T, the contractor deploying the network. More than 11,000 public-safety agencies and organizations subscribe to FirstNet, accounting for more than 1.2 million connections nationwide.

U.K. Emergency Services Network (ESN) staff and contractors are working with public-safety officials in the country to trial various services on the network, said Duncan Swan, director with Mason Advisory, during a podcast called ESN Future.

University of Colorado researchers released a report on the details of the presidential alerting system and their development and demonstration of the first practical spoofing attack on presidential alerts, using both commercially available hardware and modified open source software.

Two new public-safety bills that address network resiliency during and after disasters were introduced in the House.

The first phase of the South Korean nationwide public-safety network is complete, while phase two is underway and expected to be completed by June.

The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC), a federation of public-safety communications organizations, has formed a separate not-for-profit foundation to potentially fund the federation’s work. The NPSTC Foundation was incorporated in December and has applied to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a 501(c)(3) organization that would be exempt from federal income tax.

SAFECOM released the “Fiscal Year 2020 SAFECOM Guidance on Emergency Communications Grants,” a document updated annually to provide current information on emergency communications policies, eligible costs, best practices, and technical standards for grant recipients. Grant applicants are encouraged to reference this document when developing emergency communications investments for federal funding.

The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) received a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to expand apprenticeships in the telecommunications industry. In partnership with the Power & Communication Contractors Association (PCCA), the grant will be used to train a 5G workforce.

The State of New York Office of General Services (OGS) updated its telecom services contract, authorizing Verizon and AT&T’s First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) service as contractors to offer services to all state agencies and public-safety entities. The contract update runs through Sept. 15, 2024.