Page 1 2 Page 1 2| FRIDAY - JULY 28, 2006 - ISSUE NO. 222 |
Dear friends of Wireless Messaging, The FCC released an important Public Notice this week:
Here is a very important point in that Notice:
The way I read this is, "voluntary consensus" vs. "other measures" really means the difference between the FCC recommending or urging compliance with certain recommendations of the Independent Panel or mandating compliance. This is an important difference and has been causing quite a stir in the industry. Please note that “comments in this proceeding are due on or before August 7, 2006 and reply comments are due on or before August 21, 2006.” I urge everyone to take this opportunity to get directly involved in our governmental process by filing comments with the FCC on this matter. This is not difficult and can be done directly online using the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). Opinions are divided between mandatory and voluntary compliance for all private-sector wireless carriers, and it appears that the FCC is pushing for mandatory participation in the new EAS system. Our trade association, the American Association of Paging Carriers (AAPC) will be co-sponsoring ENTERPRISE WIRELESS 2006 along with the Enterprise Wireless Alliance (EWA). The event will be held at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Florida—September 26-28 this year. The conference homepage is here. The Rosen Centre Hotel rate is $149/night. Go here for hotel reservations. Registration before August 27 is: $250 — All AAPC members will receive the EWA member rate. You can register online here. ENTERPRISE WIRELESS 2006 is expected to have more than 400 attendees and offers an exceptional program of regulatory updates, technology, compelling industry forecasts, and expert speakers in what it takes to make wireless communications truly productive. Additional details appear directly below in the AAPC Newsletter section. Now on to more news and views. |
A new issue of The Wireless Messaging Newsletter gets posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon central US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the Internet. That way it doesn't fill up your incoming e-mail account. There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world's major Paging and Wireless Data companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers—so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It's all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology. I regularly get reader's comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the Paging, and Wireless Data communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my web site. I am very careful to protect the anonymity of those who request it. NOTE: This newsletter is best viewed at screen resolutions of 800x600 (good) or 1024x768 (better). Any current revision of web browser should work fine. Please notify me of any problems with viewing. This site is compliant with XHTML 1.0 transitional coding for easy access from wireless devices. (XML 1.0/ISO 8859-1.) MORE PAGES | |||||||||||
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| WIRELESS MESSAGING NEWS |
 | PUBLIC NOTICE | ||
| Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 | News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 | ||
DA 06-1524 In the Matter of Recommendations of the Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks; Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (EB Docket No. 06-119) Request for Comment on Applicability of Recommendations to All Types of Disasters By this Public Notice, we remind the public of the comment cycle applicable to the recommendations of the Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks (Independent Panel). In addition, we request that, in addressing the issues raised in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on the Independent Panel’s recommendations, 1 parties address the applicability of the Panel’s recommendations to all types of natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, forest fires) as well as other types of incidents (e.g., terrorist attacks, flu pandemic, industrial accidents, etc). Parties should also discuss whether the Panel’s recommendations are broad enough to take into account the diverse topography of our Nation, the susceptibility of a region to a particular type of disaster, and the multitude of communications capabilities a region may possess. In January 2006, Chairman Kevin J. Martin established the Independent Panel pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended. The mission of the Independent Panel was to review the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the telecommunications and media infrastructure in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina and make recommendations to the Commission. On June 12, 2006, the Independent Panel submitted its Report to the Commission.2 On June 19, 2006, the Commission issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking initiating a comprehensive rulemaking to address and implement the recommendations presented by the Independent Panel. In the Notice, the Commission sought comment on what actions it can take to address the Independent Panel’s recommendations which were categorized into four areas: (1) pre-positioning the communications industry and the government for disasters in order to achieve greater network reliability and resiliency; (2) improving recovery coordination to address existing shortcomings and to maximize the use of existing resources; (3) improving the operability or interoperability of public safety and 911 communications in times of crisis; and (4) improving communication of emergency information to the public.3 As the Commission stated in the Notice, its goal in this proceeding is “to take the lessons learned from this disaster and build upon them to promote more effective, efficient response and recovery efforts, as well as a heightened readiness and preparedness in the future.”4 The Commission also stated that it seeks “comment whether we should rely on voluntary consensus recommendations, as advocated by the Independent Panel, or whether we should rely on other measures for enhancing readiness and promoting more effective response efforts.”5 In light of the Commission’s comprehensive examination into these areas, we request that parties filing comments in this proceeding address the applicability of the Independent Panel’s recommendations to all types of disasters. Specifically, parties should address not only the applicability of the Independent Panel’s recommendations to areas of the country subject to hurricanes, but to areas prone to other types of disasters. Would other types of disasters warrant modifications or other changes to the Independent Panel’s recommendations? For example, would the characteristics of earthquakes, floods, forest fires, or other natural disasters require modifications to the Independent Panel’s recommendations? In addition, we request that parties filing comments discuss the impact of the country’s diverse topography on the Independent Panel’s recommendations. Would a region’s topography warrant modifications or other changes to the Independent Panel’s recommendations? If additional steps are warranted to account for unique topography, what actions can the Commission take to improve network resiliency and reliability, recovery coordination, first responder communications and emergency communications to the public in those areas? Finally, different regions may have different communications capabilities. For example, a metropolitan urban area may have greater and diverse communications capabilities than a rural, mountainous region. Would the availability of different communications capabilities in a region affect the Independent Panel’s recommendations? If so, what actions should be taken in this regard? Finally, comments in this proceeding are due on or before August 7, 2006 and reply comments are due on or before August 21, 2006.6 Enforcement Bureau Contact: Lisa M. Fowlkes (202) 418-7452 or lisa.fowlkes@fcc.gov Enforcement Bureau Press Contact: Janice Wise (202) 418-8165 or Janice.wise@fcc.gov -FCC-
1 See In the Matter of Recommendations of the Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, EB Docket. No. 06-119, 71 Fed. Reg. 38564 (July 7, 2006) (Notice). | |||
Source: FCC (pdf)
John Lawson Testifies Before Congress About the Link Between the WARN Act and the Digital Emergency Alert System (July 2006)
In Testimony Before House Telecommunications Subcommittee, Lawson says passage of WARN Act will build upon ground-breaking partnership between APTS and DHS-FEMA
On July 20, 2006, John Lawson, President & CEO of the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS), testified at a hearing held by the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Mr. Lawson told Members of Congress about the recently announced completion of Phase II of the pilot project on the Digital Emergency Alert System undertaken in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency. The project confirmed how the Department of Homeland Security can and disseminate public alerts and warnings during times of national crisis through the use of local public television’s digital television broadcasts.
At the hearing, Lawson also offered "our strong support for the creation of a national hazard alert system under H.R. 5785, the Warning, Alert, and Response Network (WARN) Act. We commend Representative Shimkus, as well as the co-sponsors of the WARN Act, for their leadership in this vital area. The WARN Act is a pivotal piece of legislation, one that can save lives, ease suffering and speed recovery during future disasters."
The WARN Act meets some of the key communications challenges exposed during Hurricane Katrina by establishing a National Alert System capable of providing emergency alerts to the public on a national, regional, or local basis. Among other things, the WARN Act embraces public television digital transmitters as the backbone for the reception, relay, and retransmission of National Alert System messages.
Lawson said: "For Public Television, the creation of a national alert system is a component of a much larger mosaic of how digital technology can be deployed. We are utilizing DTV not only to improve the lives of all Americans, but even to save their lives in the event of a natural or man-made emergency. Public Television is proud to be at the leading edge of this effort, through the Digital Emergency Alert System."
Lawson concluded, "The Department of Homeland Security has made an investment in an infrastructure platform that would support regional and local emergency communications. The WARN Act builds upon that investment and extends its emergency communications capabilities, across multiple devices, to states and localities throughout the country. This critical piece of legislation will go a long way toward providing the type of comprehensive, integrated public safety communications framework that the American people need and deserve. If the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has taught us anything, it is that we are all vulnerable in a time of crisis."
Source: SPTS News Release
USA Mobility Sets Date to Report Second Quarter Results; Schedules Meeting with Financial Analysts in New York
ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall — USA Mobility, Inc. (Nasdaq: USMO), a leading provider of wireless messaging services, today announced that it will report operating results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2006 on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 at approximately 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).
In addition, USA Mobility announced that it will host a meeting for financial analysts and other investors in New York City at approximately 11:00 a.m. on August 9, 2006, immediately following the company's Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Annual Meeting of Stockholders is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. at the offices of Latham & Watkins LLP, Suite 1200, 885 Third Avenue (53rd Street and Third Avenue). The analysts meeting will be held at the same location.
Financial analysts and others planning to attend the analysts meeting should RSVP to Britni Torres at 703-718-6616 or Britni.Torres@usamobility.com. For those investors unable to attend the analysts meeting, it will be accessible via conference call. The dial-in number for the call is 888-802-2266 (toll-free) or 913-312-1270 (toll). The pass code for the call is 9672476 (followed by the # sign). A replay of the call will be available from 3:00 p.m. ET on August 9 until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, August 23. The replay number is 888-203-1112 (toll-free) or 719-457-0820 (toll). The pass code for the replay is 9672476 (followed by the # sign). The analysts meeting will also be webcast and accessible via the investor relations section of the company's website at http://www.usamobility.com.
About USA Mobility
USA Mobility, Inc., headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is a leading provider of paging products and other wireless services to the business, government, healthcare and emergency response sectors. USA Mobility offers traditional one-way and advanced two-way paging via its nationwide networks covering more than 90% of the U.S. population. In addition, the company offers mobile voice and data services through Sprint Nextel and Cingular Wireless, including BlackBerry and GPS location applications. The company's product offerings include wireless connectivity systems for medical, business, government and other campus environments. USA Mobility focuses on the business-to-business marketplace and supplies mobile connectivity solutions to over 80% of the Fortune 1000 companies. For further information visit http://www.usamobility.com.
Contact: Bob Lougee
703-721-3080
Source: USA Mobility, Inc.
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BLOOSTON, MORDKOFSKY, DICKENS, DUFFY & PRENDERGAST, LLP CALL FOR ACTION: NECA STAFF IMPOSING POSSIBLE REFUNDS FROM POOL MEMBERS FOR CMRS-BOUND TRAFFIC BloostonLaw Collecting Data to Oppose Effort One of our clients in the NECA pools has recently been notified by NECA’s staff that NECA intends to impose a refund liability to the pool for having charged LOCAL SWITCHING for traffic terminating from an end office switch to a CMRS Carrier’s Mobile Switching Center. We have researched the FCC’s precedent and past NECA publications on the subject and believe NECA to be in error. We are aware that other pool members may be in similar jeopardy of having to make refunds, as other companies have imposed similar charges for switching IXC calls through ILEC facilities to a CMRS carrier switch. Our client is currently working with NECA staff to resolve this issue informally. As this may affect a larger number of companies, we would like to know if your company may be collecting these charges too. We will keep all responses in confidence. We would use the information simply to emphasize the harm to the industry if the NECA staff interpretation is adopted by the Board of Directors and management. We believe that if refunds/true-ups are imposed by NECA, they will be substantial. If your company is interested in participating, please fax this page back to us at 202-828-5568. This form is also available in electronic format at www.bloostonlaw.com under What’s New. BloostonLaw contacts: Ben Dickens, 202-828-5510 and Gerry Duffy, 202-828-5528. |
Source: Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy and Prendergast, LLP
For additional information, contact Hal Mordkofsky at (202) 828-5520 or halmor@bloostonlaw.com
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