I think I just read that Newark will install transponders in all vehicles that traverse the air traffic ways. Yes, at considerable expense.
One reason for a system as envisioned by the OP is that there is a fairly severe shortage of air traffic controllers and training new ones takes a long time. In other words, the problem is time and money.
EWR is one of the bigger ones & they didn’t have all of the safety equipment, it’s probably worse at some of the medium sized ones; especially with the plethora of different airport authorities out there.
AIUI, air traffic control isn’t operated by the operators of the individual airports but rather centrally by the FAA for the entire country, even if the controllers are physically located at or near an airport.
True. But the issue being batted about is the electronics installed on all the cars & trucks which drive around on the airport. Police & fire are the obvious ones but there are many more.
In typical US practice, the airport is owned and operated by the local government: city, county, or sometimes a multi-county authority. None of whom look at their airport as a high priority for optional spending on nice-to-have retrofits.