Another Government Agency Ditches Blackberry

National Safety Transportation Board looks at iPhones

In another bout of bad news for BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is exploring a switch from BlackBerrys to Apple iPhones.

The government agency posted a solicitation document on the Federal Business Opportunities website requesting the switch, and suggesting its BlackBerrys "have been failing both at inopportune times and at an unacceptable rate." The board said Apple's new iPhone 5 is expected to provide greater reliability moving forward.

"The NTSB requires effective, reliable and stable communication capabilities to carry out its primary investigative mission and to ensure employee safety in remote locations," the board wrote in the posting. RIM did not immediately respond to a request for comment