The FCC has recognized the potential of television broadcasting to evolve and has allowed licensed operators to transition to an all IP-based broadcast technology called Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC 3.0) or NextGen TV. This wireless standard, the result of work that was aligned with Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPPP) and other IP-based communications platforms, is just now being deployed. By the nature of its underlying awareness of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and ability to transport time synchronous data packet payloads, there now exists a new tool that has an ability to impact the world of Position/Navigation/Timing (PNT).

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) selected 15 more schools to to participate in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Collegiate Training Initiative (UAS-CTI).

In addition to radios and cellphones, first responders must carry myriad sensors and peripheral devices that can require different power sources and may need to be charged at different intervals. To address this challenge, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) awarded $1 million to Colorado-based small business TDA Research to develop a power module that would service all of the current and emerging requirements of on-body devices for first responders through the DHS Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, administered by S&T.

HAAS Alert announced an integration between its Safety Cloud collision prevention platform and Cradlepoint's portfolio of NetCloud-powered wireless routers, enabling public-safety and municipal fleet customers to activate their vehicles on Safety Cloud via their Cradlepoint solution. Through this new capability, end customers can access HAAS Alert's safety solution more easily and cost effectively.

With a growing need to improve the security, efficiency and accuracy of passenger and baggage screening, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program is working with a small business to advance explosive detection equipment. Synthetik Applied Technologies received funding to develop machine learning training data that simulates human travelers and baggage object models to support machine learning algorithms.

Axon announced a partnership with Occam Video Solutions, whose flagship product, iNPUT-ACE, is software used for video investigations.

L3Harris Technologies received a contract from the U.S. Navy for its Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV) program. This is the Navy’s first program for an unmanned surface vehicle to support the Navy’s Distributed Maritime Operations strategy.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced 26 schools have been selected so far to participate in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Collegiate Training Initiative (UAS-CTI).

FIRST iZ, an unmanned aerial system (UAS) allowing drones to be dispatched autonomously by 9-1-1 operators, announced it partnered with Tyler, Texas,-based KnackForge to create control systems hardware and software for FIRST iZ’ FIRST Port and its launch ecosystem.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the FCC issued an advisory guidance document to help non-federal public and private entities better understand the federal laws and regulations that may apply to the use of capabilities to detect and mitigate threats posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operations.