TCCA, the global member-led organisation for all stakeholders in the critical communications ecosystem has announced that the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division has become a member. 

NIST’s PSCR Division conducts research, development, testing, and evaluation for public safety communications technologies. It is housed within the Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL) at NIST and addresses the R&D necessary for critical features identified by public safety entities beyond the current generation of broadband technology.

The PSCR Division is focused on driving research to advance communications technologies in support of the public safety community. The Division works in partnership with stakeholders across public safety, industry, government and academia by accelerating the adoption and implementation of the most critical communications capabilities. Their goal is to ensure the public safety community can more effectively carry out their mission to protect lives and property during day-to-day operations, large scale events, and emergencies.

In partnership with the FirstNet Authority, which oversees FirstNet, the US critical communications network for first responders, NIST PSCR organises the annual 5X5 Public Safety Innovation Summit, which in 2025 takes place from 3-5 June.  

“Our division looks forward to connecting with other members and contributing to several of the Working Groups facilitated by TCCA, from the Critical Communications Broadband Group to the new Interworking Function (IWF) Group. Advancing communications for first responders is a worldwide challenge, so it’s vital we collaborate across sectors and at a global scale to drive progress together.” said Brianna Huettel, PSCR Strategy & Operations Lead.

"NIST PSCR has been a longstanding supporter of TCCA and the advancement of global critical communications. The forward-looking research, guidance and innovation they continue to lead and foster is vital to unlocking future critical functionality for end-users," said Kevin Graham, TCCA CEO. "It is with great pleasure we welcome them formally into TCCA membership and look forward to the multi-domain expertise they bring to our U.S. and international community.”

Within its Working Groups, interoperability and certification programmes, and via its world-leading Critical Communications Worldevent, TCCA members and partners set the agenda for the global development of critical communications.