FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler urged the public-safety community to embrace technology advances and urged Congress to pass legislation that will accelerate the pace of next-generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1) deployments.

As an organization guided by those in the field, Safecom has reorganized to focus on new technologies and strategic priorities.

Sue Swenson, chairwoman of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), gave her organization a passing grade in four areas during the past year, while highlighting focus areas for the next 12 months.

Curiosity about the technical evolution of mission-critical communications brought a record number of delegates to Barcelona, Spain, for Critical Communications World (CCW) 2015. The augmentation of TETRA systems with Long Term Evolution (LTE) was paramount in the session topics as well as vendor offerings.

John Suzuki last week took the helm of EF Johnson Technologies as president and CEO, 15 months following its acquisition by JVCKenwood. In an interview with MissionCritical Communications magazine, Suzuki offers insights into the company’s future plans, including moving Project 25 (P25) subscriber manufacturing to Japan and taking advantage of JVCKenwood’s global sales channel.

Reader comments on non-service-initialized phones and the FCC's proposed field office closures.

RadioResource International magazine recently interviewed MK Wong, deputy general manager of Hytera Communications, about the company’s global growth strategy and future plans.

Phil Godfrey is stepping down from his role as chairman of the TETRA + Critical Communications Association (TCCA), a position he has held since 2004. Godfrey answers questions about his successor and the future of TETRA in this interview with RadioResource International.

P25 is a sound technology, however, it is not a one-size-fits-all technology. P25 has its place in the Interoperability Continuum, but the standard is certainly not necessary to achieve reliable, effective public-safety interoperability.

Proposed 9-1-1 reliability rules would expand the FCC’s role in regulating the nation’s 9-1-1 infrastructure to such a degree that the two commissioners argue the FCC lacks legal authority to take such an expansive oversight role.