The market for proximity services (ProSe) in public-safety Long Term Evolution (LTE) devices — called direct mode or off network in LMR systems — is uncertain because of a lack of public-safety standards and commitments from chipmakers for the technology.

Lawmakers and witnesses were generally favorable to the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) laboratory, located in Boulder, Colorado, during a House communications subcommittee hearing Feb. 2. The hearing covered reauthorizing the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which oversees federal spectrum.

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) released a video offering more information on the state plans.

Cheryl J. Greathouse, president of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International, offers details on Project 43, FirstNet’s opt-out option, 9-1-1 indoor location accuracy, 4.9 GHz and more.

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Innovation and Test Lab in Boulder, Colorado, is conducting a number of general Long Term Evolution (LTE) coverage tests on commercial networks. As part of the analysis, FirstNet’s device team completed local LTE mobility testing using the FirstNet Lab’s LTE devices, as well as data collection, post processing and mapping tools.

A new study found that fulfilling the smart city promise will require integrating communications technology and increasing stakeholder engagement. Black & Veatch’s “2017 Strategic Directions: Smart City/Smart Utility Report” addresses the interlocking pieces of the smart city ecosystem and their effects on public safety, quality of life and sustainability.

Jan. 19 marked the third of a series of five deadlines in Rivada’s pre-award protest of the contract award for the First Responder Network Authority’s (FirstNet) nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN). Several motions and other documents have been filed but are sealed under a protection order.

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) announced its 2017 federal advocacy priorities, one of which is First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) state plans.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) pushed the closing date for its public-safety broadband network request for proposals (RFP) to Jan. 31.

The FCC authorized Virginia to proceed with relocation of existing 700 MHz narrowband operations to state-licensed channels and granted a conditional waiver of the requirement to coordinate operations on those channels with Kentucky.