TMA Marks Its 70th Anniversary in 2020

What began as a collective effort on the part of eight, forward-thinking security industry leaders on a cold night in 1949 has grown and evolved over seven decades to become The Monitoring Association (TMA), the preeminent, internationally-recognized non-profit trade association that represents professional monitoring companies, security systems integrators, and providers of products and services to the alarm industry. The Board of Directors and staff of TMA are proud to mark the organization’s 70th anniversary in 2020.

“This year, as the TMA community joins together to celebrate this historic milestone, I am honored to be its president and to have the great and humbling opportunity to recognize the amazing men and women whose joint innovation, dedication, leadership, and tenacity have positioned this organization and our industry to advance and thrive for seven decades,” stated TMA President Don Young. “If our past is indicative of our future, I am certain TMA’s relentless commitment to excellence and its tireless defense of security monitoring will continue to propel its members to great success in all aspects of their business.”

Personal remembrances will be shared throughout 2020 across all of TMA’s communications. A special celebration will take place at TMA’s 2020 Annual Meeting, Oct. 24-28 in Marco Island, Fla.

If anyone would care to share a remembrance, text or photo, please contact communications@tma.us.

5G is on the Move

Verizon hits goal of launching 5G in more than 30 cities
Re-post from The Verge, December 23, 2019
Author: James Vincent

One of the biggest barriers for 5G adoption is simply getting customers access to the new network. Carriers are racing to roll out 5G, and Verizon announced today that it’s reached its goal of launching the service in more than 30 US cities before the end of the year. In fact, 31 cities now have some access Verizon’s 5G network, along with 15 NFL stadiums.

But that figure needs caveats. As we’ve noted before, while 5G certainly delivers blazingly fast speeds, actual coverage is spotty and Verizon’s network is no exception. (This is partly because the millimeter wave technology used to create America’s 5G networks doesn’t travel as easily as other methods.)

In our tests of Verizon’s 5G access in Chicago, for example, the network was only available in a handful of locations, and was inconsistent even when it did appear. And while Verizon does offer coverage maps supposedly showing where 5G is available in each city, even these aren’t always reliable guides. It just goes to show: 5G is definitely a work-in-progress.

In other 5G news…

Politico reports the White House has named Robert Blair a security adviser to his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, a key point person on 5G wireless technology.

The White House named Blair, who will continue to advise Mulvaney, a special representative for international telecommunications policy. He will support 5G efforts led by White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow, who has staked out support for a market-driven approach to 5G deployment amid administration debates over the best strategy.

Verizon Rolls Out 5G…Trump Admin Names New 5G Tech Expert

While the world has been celebrating the holiday season, 5G is making headlines!

President Donald Trump named Robert Blair, a security adviser to his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, a key point person on 5G wireless technology. He will support 5G efforts led by White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow, who has staked out support for a market-driven approach to 5G deployment amid administration debates over the best strategy. 5G is a top priority for the Trump administration.

Carriers are racing to roll out 5G, and Verizon announced today that it’s reached its goal of launching the service in more than 30 US cities before the end of the year. In fact, 31 cities now have some access Verizon’s 5G network, along with 15 NFL stadiums.

Stay tuned for more 5G news!

The Fight Continues to Reclassify Public Safety Telecommunicators

In July, APCO provided an update on the 9-1-1 SAVES Act, which would reclassify public safety telecommunicators as Protective Service Occupations (as opposed to administrative/clerical). The provisions of 9-1-1 SAVES were included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a separate bill that had passed the House of Representatives. As APCO explained, the process forward for the NDAA was complex and required reconciliation of the differing House and Senate versions of the bill.

According to a recent report, the final version of the NDAA will not include the reclassification provision. However, the standalone 9-1-1 SAVES Act remains alive. Bipartisan support continues to grow, with 114 U.S. Representatives and 26 U.S. Senators sponsoring the bills.

APCO will continue fighting for passage of the 9-1-1 SAVES Act. If you have not already done so, please encourage your Members of Congress to support the 9-1-1 SAVES Act.

TAKE ACTION NOW