(a) NIST directed research and development program
From amounts made available from the Public Safety Trust Fund, the Director of NIST, in consultation with the Commission, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the National Institute of Justice of the Department of Justice, as appropriate, shall conduct research and assist with the development of standards, technologies, and applications to advance wireless public safety communications.
(b) Required activitiesIn carrying out the requirement under subsection (a), the Director of NIST, in consultation with the First Responder Network Authority and the public safety advisory committee established under section 1425(a) of this title, shall—
(2)
accelerate the development of the capability for communications between currently deployed public safety narrowband systems and the nationwide public safety broadband network;
(3)
establish a research plan, and direct research, that addresses the wireless communications needs of public safety entities beyond what can be provided by the current generation of broadband technology;
(4)
accelerate the development of mission critical voice, including device-to-device “talkaround” capability over broadband networks, public safety prioritization, authentication capabilities, and standard application programing interfaces for the nationwide public safety broadband network, if necessary and practical;
(5)
accelerate the development of communications technology and equipment that can facilitate the eventual migration of public safety narrowband communications to the nationwide public safety broadband network; and