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Welcome Back To
The Wireless
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NO POLITICS HERE
This doesn't mean that nothing is ever published here that mentions a US political party—it just means that the editorial policy of this newsletter is to remain neutral on all political issues. We don't take sides.
A new issue of the Wireless Messaging Newsletter is 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 web. 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 Messaging 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 readers’ comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the Paging, and Wireless Messaging 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. I spend the whole week searching the INTERNET for news that I think may be of interest to you — so you won’t have to. This newsletter is an aggregator — a service that aggregates news from other news sources. You can help our community by sharing any interesting news that you find.
Editorial Opinion pieces present only the opinions of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of any of advertisers or supporters. This newsletter is independent of any trade association. I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings, but I do freely express my own opinions.
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Service Monitors and Frequency Standards for Sale
(Images are typical units, not actual photos of items offered for sale here.)
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Passive Audio Amps For Smart Phones
Buy An Amp todayOh come on they are cool.These are acoustic amplifiers for smartphones. They don't need electric power to operate and there are no moving parts. They work like a megaphone (speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, or loudhailer). Everyone that I have shown one to has said something like “Wow, I want one of those!” So I have built a few of them. Of course there are more “Hi-Fi” ways to listen to audio on your smartphone but who would want to plug an elegant smartphone into some cheap, plastic gadget? Or even use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, which are a pain in the neck to set up, even on a smartphone. These have been made with hardwood bases and some of them are exotic hardwoods with interesting grain patterns. The horns are polished brass — made from mostly old horns that had rubber bulbs on the ends and were used in “times gone by” by taxis and even clowns in circuses. These horns have been re-purposed, reshaped, soldered, and polished. They horns are now on display and for sale at:
The two large horns — the trombone and the gramophone — are difficult to pack and ship to they are for local pickup only. The remainder can be sent to you. I have the cowboy horn and the rest are in stock at the Colorado coffee shop. Please call for pricing and availability or stop in for a demo and a great cup of espresso. P.S. Allan, Virginia and I worked together at WebLink Wireless in Dallas. |
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| Leavitt Communications |
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If Zoom's out, what about WebEx, Google Meet or Skype? We tried them all, here's what we found Jefferson Graham USA TODAY The popular Zoom video meeting app went out this week, for many on of all days, the first day of school, and people freaked out. With stay-at-home remote work and learning the new norm during this pandemic, what were people supposed to do? We agree that Zoom is the easiest, by far to connect to, when it's running, but what if it goes down again? One option is to explore a different video meeting app. We took a good hard at four competitors this week, which all offer tiers of free service. Zoom is still far and away the most popular of all of them, top-ranked on Apple and Google's app store download chart, along with Messenger (No. 10), Microsoft Teams (No. 14) and Google Meet (No. 15). We examined all, along with the granddaddy, Skype, which started the video chat explosion back in 2003 and WebEx, which used to only be available for a fee, but now has a free tier.
Google MeetNo other app has been pushed as aggressively this year. There's an extensive TV campaign touting how Meet, which formerly charged a subscription, is now 100% free through Sept. 30. (Google has decided to keep it free forever, with paid upgrades for subscribers of the G Suite.) And beyond the airwaves, Google has looked to make Meet a daily staple for Google users, by inserting tabs within Gmail, the most popular e-mail program, to start or join a Google Meet. Compared to Zoom, Meet is very much of a bare-bones app. You can connect to people for a video meet, and have up to 100 in the room. The silly bonus features seen on Zoom of adding a blurry background to your image are not there. You can share your screen, as with Zoom, and access different cameras or microphones. However, you can't record the call, something Zoom and other programs allow, unless you're a paid subscribers to G Suite. Tools like background blur, whiteboarding and hand raising are features Google says are "coming soon." Meet's best feature, however, is maddening. Google will display a transcript of your call, in real time, and it gets the words pretty much right on. Fantastic! But does it offer translation for those speaking in different languages? Nope. Can you download the transcript afterwards to have notes of the meeting? Nope to that, too. With Zoom, there are hundreds of third-party apps that enhance the experience, including building transcriptions and translations, from the apps Otter.ai and Lingmo.) Google limits the amount of time you can chat for free to one hour. Zoom allows 40 minutes. Rate: 2.5 stars. For minimalist video chat, it does the job, but it gets two big knocks: the video defaults to a super low-resolution 360p (which you can change) and there's that transcription issue. How hard can it be to offer a download button to save the meeting notes? If anyone could do it, it would be Google, which has set the standard for translations via its acclaimed Google Translate app.
WebExAn app aimed at enterprise has stepped up to the plate during the pandemic by offering its services for free. WebEx doesn't charge you for meetings of up to 50 minutes, with as many as 100 people in the room. For features like higher-resolution video recordings saved to the cloud and longer meetings, rates start at $13.50 monthly. Rate: 3.5 stars. WebEx is just as easy to connect to as Zoom is, and it gets a brownie point for a cleaner, less cluttered menu with an easier to read "Mute" button front and center. That should help some audio-challenged attendees and make it easier for the rest of us to hear what's being said on the meetings.
SkypeThis is the app that popularized video chat, especially for free communication (Skype to Skype calls) with loved ones overseas, and it still offers all that. But the neglect from corporate owner Microsoft, and emphasis on Teams (see below), perhaps explains why Skype isn't even in the top 50 rankings on the iOS and Google Play charts. Skype's problem has always been that it was buggy. You could only initiate a chat with someone if they connected with you first and became a member of your contacts. And both parties had to download the hefty Skype app. This remains true today, but Skype now has a Zoom-like "instant meeting" feature that lets people connect to you without downloads or registration. This usually works, until it doesn't. Just ask my brother, who couldn't see me on his screen when we tested it this week. Rate: 3 stars*. Skype gets the rating if you know other people who downloaded the app. Then it works like a charm, with better audio quality than rivals. If they have to connect via other avenues Skype can be challenging.
Microsoft TeamsTeams is not just a video conference program but an element of a huge Microsoft business messaging app aimed at enterprise. Anyone with a Microsoft account can use Teams and have as many as 50 people on a video meeting. What you can't do for free: use Teams to make audio calls to others in your organization or have much storage space for sharing photos and videos. Pro memberships start at $5 monthly. Setting up video meets with people within your organization is relatively simple. Just find the person (or persons by adding them to the conversation) and click the video call button. But going outside your corporate "team" – if you're using the program at work to connect with people who don't work for your organization – can sound awfully convoluted with Microsoft-required administrator permissions. A better idea. Just go to the Calendar or Meeting section of the app and invite someone. It works rather easily, but with caveats. There will be no meeting held if you use Apple's Safari browser, and if you opt for Firefox instead, you'll get a meeting that can only be held via chat, sans video and audio. Microsoft would prefer you to download their app to make it work instead. Rate 3.0 stars: If you're using Teams at work, you either love it or hate it, but odds are, it does the job. Video meetings will work as advertised – you'll be able to connect, blur the background and record the conversation.
Messenger Meeting RoomsFacebook would like this private meeting room to be considered a "Zoom Killer," but the reality is, it's still Facebook, where the first choice, after you've selected your meeting room, is to put the video on your timeline for everyone to see and join. So that pretty much knocks out educators and enterprise. Rate: 2 stars When all is said and done, nothing beats Zoom for simplicity. WebEx may not have the outside apps to enhance the experience, but it does have the reliability of Cisco behind it. Google Meet could certainly do the job for those needing a backup, but without the bells and whistles you'll get elsewhere. |
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Paging Transmitters 150/900 MHz The RFI High Performance Paging Transmitter is designed for use in campus, city, state and country-wide paging systems. Designed for use where reliable simulcast systems where RF signal overlap coverage is critical.
Built-in custom interface for Prism-IPX ipBSC Base Controller for remote control, management and alarm reporting.
Prism-IPX Systems LLC.
11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022
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The Wireless Messaging News
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| SALCOM |
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| PRISM IPX Systems |
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| Easy Solutions |
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Providing Expert Support and Service Contracts for all Glenayre Paging Systems. The GL3000 is the most prolific paging system in the world and Easy Solutions gladly welcomes you to join us in providing reliable support to the paging industry for many more decades in the future. Easy Solutions provides cost effective computer and wireless solutions at affordable prices. We can help in most any situation with your communications systems. We have many years of experience and a vast network of resources to support the industry, your system and an ever changing completive landscape.
Please see our web site for exciting solutions designed specifically for the Wireless Industry. We also maintain a diagnostic lab and provide important repair and replacement parts services for Motorola and Glenayre equipment. Call or
Easy Solutions |
GLENAYRE INFRASTRUCTUREI would like to recommend Easy Solutions for Support of all Glenayre Paging Equipment. This Texas company is owned and operated by Vaughan Bowden. I have known Vaughan for over 35 years. Without going into a long list of his experience and qualifications, let me just say that he was the V.P. of Engineering at PageNet which was—at that time—the largest paging company in the world. So Vaughan knows Paging. GTES is no longer offering support contracts. GTES was the original group from Vancouver that was setup to offer support to customers that wanted to continue with the legacy Glenayre support. Many U.S. customers chose not to use this service because of the price and the original requirement to upgrade to version 8.0 software (which required expensive hardware upgrades, etc.). Most contracts ended as of February 2018. If you are at all concerned about future support of Glenayre products, especially the “king of the hill” the GL3000 paging control terminal, I encourage you to talk to Vaughan about a service contract and please tell him about my recommendation.
Click on the image above for more info about advertising here. |
INTERNET Protocol Terminal
The IPT accepts INTERNET or serial messaging using various protocols and can easily convert them to different protocols, or send them out as paging messages. An ideal platform for hospitals, on-site paging applications, or converting legacy systems to modern protocols.
Additional/Optional Features
Prism-IPX Systems LLC.
11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
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FCC Proposes to Reinstate Amateur Radio Service Fees08/28/2020 Amateur radio licensees would pay a $50 fee for each amateur radio license application if the FCC adopts rules it proposed this week. Included in the FCC’s fee proposal are applications for new licenses, renewal and upgrades to existing licenses, and vanity call sign requests. Excluded are applications for administrative updates, such as changes of address, and annual regulatory fees. The FCC proposal is contained in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in MD Docket 20-270, which was adopted to implement portions of the “Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act” of 2018 — the so-called “Ray Baum’s Act.” The Act requires that the FCC switch from a Congressionally-mandated fee structure to a cost-based system of assessment. In its NPRM, the FCC proposed application fees for a broad range of services that use the FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS), including the Amateur Radio Service that had been excluded by an earlier statute. The 2018 statute excludes the Amateur Service from annual regulatory fees, but not from application fees. “[A]pplications for personal licenses are mostly automated and do not have individualized staff costs for data input or review,” the FCC said in its NPRM. “For these automated processes — new/major modifications, renewal, and minor modifications — we propose a nominal application fee of $50 due to automating the processes, routine ULS maintenance, and limited instances where staff input is required.” The same $50 fee would apply to all Amateur Service applications, including those for vanity call signs. “Although there is currently no fee for vanity call signs in the Amateur Radio Service, we find that such applications impose similar costs in aggregate on Commission resources as new applications and therefore propose a $50 fee,” the FCC said. The FCC is not proposing to charge for administrative updates, such as mailing address changes for amateur applications, and amateur radio will remain exempt from annual regulatory fees. “For administrative updates [and] modifications, which also are highly automated, we find that it is in the public interest to encourage licensees to update their [own] information without a charge,” the FCC said. The FCC also proposes to assess a $50 fee for individuals who want a printed copy of their license. “The Commission has proposed to eliminate these services — but to the extent the Commission does not do so, we propose a fee of $50 to cover the costs of these services,” the FCC said. The Ray Baum’s Act does not exempt filing fees in the Amateur Radio Service. The FCC dropped assessment of fees for vanity call signs several years ago. Deadlines for comments and reply comments will be determined once the NPRM appears in the Federal Register. File comments by using the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), posting to MD Docket No. 20-270. This docket is already open for accepting comments even though deadlines have not yet been set. |
| Source: | ARRL.org |
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Paging Data Receiver PDR-4 The PDR-4 is a multi-function paging data receiver that decodes paging messages and outputs them via the serial port, USB or Ethernet connectors. Designed for use with Prism-IPX ECHO software Message Logging Software to receive messages and log the information for proof of transmission over the air, and if the data was error free.
Prism-IPX Systems LLC.
11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
Wireless Network Planners
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U.K. Developing Targeted Mobile Broadcasts for Virus AlertsThomas Seal
(Bloomberg) — The U.K. is developing a “cell broadcast” system that would allow it to deliver alerts targeted to certain locations, in an attempt to control the spread of the coronavirus, according to people familiar with the matter. A basic text message telling people to “stay at home” and linking to more information was sent to nearly every phone in the country in March, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared a national lockdown to halt the spread of Covid-19. The message couldn’t be sent out simultaneously and took most of the day to reach everybody. Government officials are now working with mobile network operators to develop a system that can quickly alert people in certain locations, according to the people, who asked not to be identified speaking publicly about private plans. “We are always looking for ways to improve the U.K.’s emergency communications and alert systems and regularly engage with a range of stakeholders — including mobile operators,” a government spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement. The new approach comes after the U.K. ditched plans to develop its own contract tracing app in favor of implementing a version based on technology from Apple Inc. and Google. The text system would rely on “cell broadcast,” a separate technology to text messaging with its own broadcast channel able to function even when the main network is congested, according to the mobile industry lobbying group, the GSMA. The British Environment Agency tested the method in 2019 using BT Group Plc’s network as a potential way of alerting people about flooding. Countries including South Korea rolled out similar mobile phone alerts during the early stages of the pandemic. The new approach could help health authorities get out messages about localized lockdowns, which have already happened in cities like Leicester where virus cases are deemed to be rising too quickly. Technical details are still under discussion and software is being procured, the people said. |
| Source: | Yahoo! Finance |
Brad Dye, Ron Mercer, Allan Angus, Vic Jackson, and Ira Wiesenfeld are friends and colleagues who work both together and independently, on wireline and wireless communications projects.
Click here
Note: We do not like Patent Trolls, i.e. “a person or company who enforces patent rights against accused infringers in an attempt to collect licensing fees, but does not manufacture products or supply services based upon the patents in question.” We have helped some prominent law firms defend their clients against this annoyance, and would be happy to do some more of this same kind of work. Some people use the title “consultant” when they don't have a real job. We actually do consulting work, and help others based on our many years of experience. “If you would know the road ahead, ask someone who has traveled it.” — Chinese Proverb WHAT IS 5G? 5G is the next generation of wireless networks and promises a mobile experience that's 10x to 100x faster than today's 4G networks. We say the word promise because we're in the early days of 5G. When more smartphones and networks support 5G tech, it will have far-reaching consequences for consumers, from the cars we drive (or that drive us) to the food we eat to the safety of our roads to the ways we shop to the entertainment we share with family and friends. And that doesn't include things we haven't yet imagined because we've never had the capability to unlock those new scenarios. Today, 5G may seem confusing even as it's widely hyped. We're here to help you sort fact from fiction, weed through the acronyms and jargon, and figure out when and how 5G can change the way you live. And we'll keep you from getting caught up in hyperbole — and empty promises. [ source ] |
Remote AB Switches ABX-1 switches are often used at remote transmitter sites to convert from old, outdated and unsupported controllers to the new modern Prism-IPX ipBSC base station controllers. Remotely switch to new controllers with GUI commands. ABX-1
ABX-3 switches are widely used for enabling or disabling remote equipment and switching I/O connections between redundant messaging systems. ABX-3
Common Features:
Prism-IPX Systems LLC.
11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
| Leavitt Communications |
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| Inside Towers Newsletter |
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Cell Site Outages Abound in Gulf as Laura Wreaks Havoc
After bombarding coastal areas of southern Louisiana with wind gusts up to 130 mph and a storm surge over nine feet as a hurricane, Laura swept north while also spreading over Arkansas Thursday. Laura weakened to a tropical storm early Thursday afternoon, with winds at 70 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Laura is predicted to move through the Tennessee Valley and the Mid-Atlantic today into tomorrow. Power outages from the storms totaled over 900,000 as of Thursday afternoon, according to PowerOutageUS. The site collects data from utilities nationwide. The bulk of the outages were in Louisiana and Texas, according to ABC News. Mississippi reportedly had over 9,400 customers without power as of Thursday morning, reported the Clarion Ledger. Louisiana and Texas had the most cell site outages as of Thursday mid-day, according to the FCC’s Disaster Information Reporting System. Of the 4,650 cell sites served in Louisiana, 380 were not working. Over 200 of the site outages were due to a lack of power, 141 had a transport issue and 16 were damaged. Calcasieu and Cameron counties were hit especially hard. 140 sites (75 percent) were not working in Calcasieu County and 20 (69 percent) were out in Cameron County. Of the 17,621 cell sites served in Texas, 113 were non-operational. Jefferson County was the hardest hit, with 39 (15.8 percent) out of 247 sites not working. Just over 45 of the non-working sites were out due to a lack of power, 41 for transport reasons and 20 were damaged, according to DIRS. Cable and wireline companies reported 192,915 subscribers out of service in the affected areas; this may include the loss of telephone, television, and/or Internet services. Three television stations, five FMs and one AM reported they were off-air. |
| Source: | Inside Towers newsletter |
Courtesy of the editor of
Inside Towers
Jim Fryer.
Inside Towers is a daily newsletter by subscription. |
| BloostonLaw Newsletter |
Reminder: Form 477 Data as of June 30 are Due September 1On August 25, the FCC issued a Public Notice notifying all parties required to file Form 4771that the filing deadline for the Form 477 data as of June 30, 2020 is September 1, 2020. The FCC’s Form 477 filing interface, available online at https://apps2.fcc.gov/form477/login.xhtml, is accepting data as of June 30, 2020. Accurate and timely submission of FCC Form 477 is mandatory for affected entities, which include facilities- based providers of broadband connections to end user locations; providers of wired or fixed wireless local telephone services; providers of interconnected voice over Internet protocol service; and providers of mobile telephony services. Service providers that are required to file Form 477 but fail to do so may be subject to enforcement action under the Communications Act and any other applicable law. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, Mary Sisak, and Sal Taillefer. Headlines3.5 GHz CBRS PAL Auction ClosesBidding in the FCC’s 3.5 GHz PAL auction (Auction 105) concluded yesterday after 76 bidding rounds and 23 active bidding days. Gross bids were more than $4.58 billion. Auction 105 made available for bidding seven (7) Priority Access Licenses (or PALs) in each county, and each PAL consists of a single 10 megahertz channel at 3550-3650 MHz (with exact frequency assigned by a cloud- based Spectrum Access System or “SAS”). With 3,233 counties nationwide, Auction 105 made available the greatest number of spectrum licenses ever in an FCC auction. Bidders won 20,625 of 22,631 licenses that were available for bid, or 91.1% of the available licenses. Bidders were able to bid on up to four PALs per county and can aggregate them. The remaining 80 megahertz of the 150 megahertz CBRS band is available for use under the General Authorized Access (GAA) tier of the CBRS spectrum-sharing framework. “This is a banner day for American leadership in 5G and for American consumers. The 3.5 GHz auction has concluded, and I can say unequivocally: It was a resounding success,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The FCC will release a Public Notice in the next few days that provides official notification to winning bidders, specifies the deadlines for payments and long-form applications, and gives details for other post-auction procedures. Concurrent with the release of the Closing Public Notice, the Commission will make available complete round-by-round auction results, including bidder identities, for Auction 105. These results will be available to bidders and to the public in the Public Reporting System (PRS) at https://auctiondata.fcc.gov. All Auction 105 applicants remain subject to the Commission's prohibited communications rule until after the deadline for winning bidders in Auction 105 to submit down payments. Applicants remain subject to the prohibition regardless of whether they qualified to bid or became winning bidders. The 3.5 GHz band is a key part in the FCC’s 5G FAST Plan, and the agency’s ongoing push to make more mid-band spectrum available for 5G. An additional opportunity for our law firm’s clients to obtain mid-band spectrum is coming up very quickly, with the C-band auction (designated as Auction 107) beginning on December 8. Short-form applications for Auction 107 will be due by 6 pm on September 22, 2020. BloostonLaw Contacts: Cary Mitchell, John Prendergast C-Band Auction (Auction 107) Short-Form Applications Due Tuesday, September 22ndOur law firm’s clients will have another opportunity to obtain mid-band spectrum for 5G in the form of exclusive use Partial Economic Area (or “PEA”) licenses with the fast-approaching C-band auction (designated as Auction 107) that is slated to begin on December 8. Short-form applications for Auction 107 will be due by 6 pm on Tuesday, September 22nd. We urge interested clients to contact the firm without delay so we can confirm we have all the information we need and get started on preparing your company’s application. Auction 107 will offer 5,684 new flexible-use overlay licenses for spectrum in the 3.7– 3.98 GHz band throughout the contiguous United States subject to clearing requirements. 3.7 GHz Service licenses will be 20- megahertz unpaired channels license by PEA and issued for 15-year, renewable license terms. Small business and rural service provider bidding credits will be available to reduce the winning bid costs of eligible applicants. The FCC has established the following dates and deadlines in connection with Auction 107:
The C-Band auction Notice and Filing Requirements Public Notice (FCC 20-110) was adopted by the Commission and released earlier this month. This PN establishes bidding procedures for the clock and assignment phases of the auction, including two clock phase categories of generic blocks in the 46 PEAs where certain blocks are subject to the first early clearing deadline of December 2021. The clock phase will be followed by an assignment phase in which winning bidders for blocks subject to the first early clearing timeline will be assigned both interim and final contiguous frequency-specific license assignments. An Attachment A spreadsheet with information about the license areas, upfront payments and minimum opening bids (adopted 8/7/2020) is available HERE. BloostonLaw Contacts: Cary Mitchell, John Prendergast FCC Settles Swath of Online Political File Investigations for Failure to CertifyIn the last week, the FCC has entered into approximately 25 consent decrees settling as many investigations for failure to affirmatively certify compliance with its public file obligations in the Commission’s rules. The Commission’s rules require stations to maintain and make available for public inspection information about all requests for broadcast time made by or on behalf of candidates for public office, and to upload such information to their online political files “as soon as possible,” meaning “immediately absent unusual circumstances.” The companies do not appear to have been fined for noncompliance, but were required to develop and implement a Compliance Plan designed to ensure future compliance with the Political Record-keeping Statute and Rule, and to designate a senior manager to serve as a Compliance Officer regarding the online political file. Stations with questions about the online political file requirements may contact the firm for more information. BloostonLaw Contact: Gerry Duffy. Law and RegulationSimplified Media Lease Access Rate Rules Effective September 21On August 20, the FCC published in the Federal Register its Second Report and Order in MB Docket Nos. 07- 42 and 17-105, in which it adopted a tier-based leased access rate calculation for the leased access rules that apply to cable operators. As a result, the new rates are effective September 21, 2020. The leased access rules require cable operators to make available channel capacity for commercial use by unaffiliated video programmers. Under the new rules, the maximum commercial leased access rate that a cable operator may charge for full-time channel placement on any tier is the average implicit fee for full-time channel placement on that tier. This average implicit fee is calculated by first calculating the total amount the operator receives in subscriber revenue per month for the programming on the tier on which the channel will be placed, and then subtracting the total amount it pays in programming costs per month for that tier (the “total implicit fee calculation”). Next, the total implicit fee is divided by the number of channels on that tier (the “average implicit fee calculation”). The result, the average implicit fee, is the maximum rate per month that the operator may charge the leased access programmer for a full-time channel on that tier. The average implicit fee must be calculated annually based on contracts in effect in the previous calendar year. The implicit fee for a contracted service may not include fees, stated or implied, for services other than the provision of channel capacity (e.g., billing and collection, marketing, or studio services). Entities with questions about the new simplified lease access fee caps may contact the firm for more information. BloostonLaw Contact: Gerry Duffy. IndustrySenators Urge FCC to Increase Funding for Rural Healthcare ProgramOn August 21, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and a group of 15 senators sent a letter expressing concern over FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s efforts regarding the expansion of the Rural Health Care (RHC) program, and calling for increased funding. The senators wrote:
The senators also asked the FCC to provide responses to a number of questions, including:
The full letter can be found here. DeadlinesAUGUST 29: COPYRIGHT STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS. The Copyright Statement of Accounts form plus royalty payment for the first half of year is due to be filed August 29 at the Library of Congress’ Copyright Office by cable TV service providers. BloostonLaw contact: Gerry Duffy. SEPTEMBER 1: FCC FORM 477, LOCAL COMPETITION AND BROADBAND REPORTING FORM. Three types of entities must file this form.
BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Gerry Duffy. SEPTEMBER 30: FCC FORM 396-C, MVPD EEO PROGRAM REPORTING FORM. Each year on September 30, multi-channel video program distributors (“MVPDs”) must file with the FCC an FCC Form 396-C, Multi- Channel Video Programming Distributor EEO Program Annual Report, for employment units with six or more full-time employees. Users must access the FCC’s electronic filing system via the Internet in order to submit the form; it will not be accepted if filed on paper unless accompanied by an appropriate request for waiver of the electronic filing requirement. Certain MVPDs also will be required to complete portions of the Supplemental Investigation Sheet (“SIS”) located at the end of the Form. These MVPDs are specifically identified in a Public Notice each year by the FCC. BloostonLaw Contacts: Gerry Duffy and Sal Taillefer. OCTOBER 15: 911 RELIABILITY CERTIFICATION. Covered 911 Service Providers, which are defined as entities that “[p]rovide[] 911, E911, or NG911 capabilities such as call routing, automatic location information (ALI), automatic number identification (ANI), or the functional equivalent of those capabilities, directly to a public safety answering point (PSAP), statewide default answering point, or appropriate local emergency authority,” or that “[o]perate[] one or more central offices that directly serve a PSAP,” are required certify that they have taken reasonable measures to provide reliable 911 service with respect to three substantive requirements: (i) 911 circuit diversity; (ii) central office backup power; and (iii) diverse network monitoring by October 15. Certifications must be made through the FCC’s portal. BloostonLaw Contacts: Mary Sisak and Sal Taillefer. Calendar At-a-GlanceAugust September October November
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| LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
Brad: Glad you are staying well. Keep it up. The newsletter is a GEM. Will you please let your readers know I have 6 Sonic PTX150 VHF paging transmitters available. They are 100 watt, POCSAG/FLEX™ capable and covers 138-174 MHz. Power cords are included. They were removed WORKING from a county paging system and are guaranteed by me. $1,425.00 each. Phil
Please contact Phil directly. The newsletter will receive a 10% to 15% commission on any sales made. (On the honor system — no contract.) |
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Hello, Today, the Land Mobile Communications Council (LMCC) has urgently requested that the Federal Communications Commission address numerous instances of harmful interference to established private land mobile radio (PLMR) operations from newly commissioned digital television stations (DTV). The interference has rendered affected PLMR facilities entirely unusable in certain markets, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars of lost revenue. Further, in some cases, companies have been forced to suspend operations for employee safety. Please see the attached LMCC press release and the letter filed today (also attached) for more information. In support of the LMCC filing, the Enterprise Wireless Alliance (EWA) has released a statement, which is attached. If you would like to speak with a representative of the LMCC or with EWA President Mark Crosby about this matter, please contact me. Thank you, Andrea Andrea Cumpston | Communications Director | Enterprise Wireless Alliance |
Vaughan, The Southern California Railway Museum (SCRM) is a 110+ acre facility in Perris, California in Riverside County, about 20 miles north of Temecula. We are an operating railroad (FRA OERX), and feature all forms of rail transportation — Steam, Diesel, Electric (Both Light Rail Vehicles and Streetcars/Trolleys) that the public can come ride on. We have about 2 miles of main line, and several more miles worth of yard tracks, etc. Our website is www.socalrailway.org if you'd like to check it out. We are currently using a pea whistle PeopleFinder Plus along with Bravo Encore pagers for numeric paging on 464 MHz. We would like to continue using our numeric pagers but also incorporate alphanumeric paging down the line. We have a very nice Nucleus transmitter sitting around. Advanced control version of course. I've always wanted to work with a GL3000ES. Love that Canadian lady's prompt set. We would be using it as a dial-up terminal, using PIN codes for the pagers (I believe it supports that?). I imagine we would need a transmitter controller as well, or does the GL3000ES offer an integrated transmitter controller? We use the paging system for emergency mass notification throughout the facility. It is also used to indicate train delays using status codes and other proprietary numeric codes. Sincerely appreciate anything you can do for us. [CAN OTHER READERS HELP TOO?] Best, Chris Baldwin Chris/KF6AJM — Christopher Baldwin, #9513L Ast. Div. Mgr. — Maintenance Foreman — LRV Maintenance Southern California Railway Museum, Inc. |
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“How Does Light Therapy Work?”WCCO — CBS MinnesotaHeather Brown talks to a psychiatrist and a light therapy box maker to answer this Good Question (2:31). WCCO 4 News At 10 — November 5, 2019 |
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 Best regards,  Newsletter Editor 73 DE K9IQY Licensed since 1957 |
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