Dear Friends of Wireless,

I think the mark of a truly civilized person is the ability to interact with others—who have different ideas, beliefs, or opinions—in a polite and respectful way. Unfortunately, many people in today's world feel entitled to denigrate everyone who differs with their beliefs, and in some cases even kill them.

I have been involved in some form of radio communications since my teenage years and have always felt a sense of comradeship with others who are likewise involved.

The debate between Zach Silbinger, Onset Technology's VP of Business Development, and Vic Jackson, President of Interconnection Services continues.

I want to congratulate both of them for keeping this discussion civil. They are both industry professionals and I am sure that many of our readers are learning from this exchange of opinions.

Check out the new ad from Leavitt Communications. Phil Leavitt has been a loyal supporter of this newsletter for several years.

The FCC has cited around 600 companies for "failure to file the Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) annual certification for 2007." They are threatening to fine each company $20,000 bucks—ouch that's a lot of money for a simple oversight. You can read about it here. A list of the companies cited is included. The FCC's CPNI information page is here. An FCC News Release follows below on the same topic.

Now on to more news and views.

Wireless Messaging Newsletter
Emergency Radio Communications Wireless Messaging Critical Messaging Telemetry Paging VoIP Wi-Fi WiMAX Location-Based Services	WIRELESS MESSAGING

This newsletter is brought to you by the generous support of our advertisers and the courtesy of iland Internet Solutions Corporation. For more information about the web-hosting services available from iland Internet Solutions Corporation, please click on their logo to the left.

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 readers' 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.

Editorial Policy: The opinions expressed here are my own and DO NOT reflect the opinions or policies of any of the advertisers, supporters, contributors, the AAPC (American Association of Paging Carriers, or the EWA (Enterprise Wireless Alliance). As a general rule, I publish opposing opinions, even when I have to substitute "----" for some of the off-color words. This is a public forum for the topics covered, and all views are welcome (so far). Clips of news that I find on the Internet always include a link to the source and just because I report on a given topic or opinion doesn't mean that I agree with it.

The local newspaper here in Springfield, Illinois costs 75¢ a copy and it NEVER mentions paging. If you receive some benefit from this publication maybe you would like to help support it financially? A donation of $25.00 would represent approximately 50¢ a copy for one year. If you are so inclined, please click on the PayPal Donate button above. No trees were chopped down to produce this electronic newsletter.

Obama proposes new wireless-spectrum fee

by Marguerite Reardon
c|net news
February 26, 2009 3:08 PM PST

Faced with a whopping $1.7 trillion deficit, President Obama is proposing tacking on a spectrum license fee to wireless operators to help generate revenue for the government.

The Obama administration's proposal was loosely outlined in the new budget plan for 2009 and 2010 submitted Thursday. In that plan, the administration proposes adding a new fee to be paid by wireless carriers that license wireless spectrum from the government.

These annual fees would start at $50 million in 2009 and jump to $200 million in 2010, Reuters reported. The fees will gradually increase over the next 10 years to $550 million per user per year, generating an estimated total of $4.8 billion over the next decade.

The proposed fees are in addition to license fees that operators have already paid the federal government as part of its wireless auctions. The Federal Communications Commission has been auctioning off wireless spectrum to phone companies and other entities since the 1990s. These auctions grant license holders exclusive rights to the spectrum in exchange for cash.

Over the years, these auctions have generated billions of dollars for the federal government. The most recent auction, which ended in March 2008, was for the 700 MHz block of spectrum that is being vacated by television broadcasters after the mandated digital TV transition. This valuable spectrum generated a record $19.6 billion.

But wireless spectrum is a limited resource. And the government is running out of airwaves to auction. In fact, the Obama administration predicts that it will only be able to generate about $4.8 billion in revenue from wireless auctions over the next 10 years.

Even though the additional fees could help the government halve the deficit by 2013 as well as help it fund several new spending initiatives, it's likely to be met with a great deal of resistance from mobile operators.

So far, none of the big four wireless carriers in the U.S.—AT&T, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless—has been willing to comment on the proposal. And the CTIA wireless-industry association said it's still looking into the matter.

"We are currently reviewing the details of the proposal and look forward to participating in the next stages of this issue," CTIA said in a statement.

Previous spectrum fee proposals have been strongly opposed by the wireless industry, and there's little reason to suggest that the industry would support them now. The big difference this time around is that a Democrat-controlled Congress could be more willing to support President Obama's plans.

More details about the proposal are expected later this spring when the administration releases a more detailed budget package. But any changes to the fee structure would require legislation. And my guess is that the wireless industry would fight hard against it.

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Kordia: we did not walkie talkie over Tait

Chris Keall | Monday February 23 2009 - 06:54am

State-owned Kordia, which is chasing the 100,000-strong radio telephone market, is defending its choice to partner with US giant Motorola. Christchurch’s Tait says its technology would have been a better choice for Kordia’s new digital radio network, which was not put out for tender.

Last week, Kordia launched a digital radio network, dubbed KorKor, which supports souped-up radio telephones (RTs) that support two-way calls, calls to regular phones, and location-based GPS mapping services. These are not your father’s walkie talkies.

Kordia chief executive Geoff Hunt sees an addressable market of between 60,000 and 100,000 customers for the new service – based on the number of service workers, emergency personal, tradesman, security guards and the like using older analogue radio telephones today.

The new network was built using Motorola gear, and has been launched with two Motorola digital radios – one hand-held, one for vehicles. Both cost $1640, and are tied to either a $45 or $75 monthly KorKor plan.

Christchurch-based Tait Electronics is not taking Kordia’s decision to go with Motorola RTs lying down.

NBR’s initial story saw Kordia and Tait employees spar in the Comments section.

Now both companies have formally elaborated on their positions.

The crux of the argument is that Motorola’s RTs are based on the “Tetra” technology standard, while Tait’s gear is built to a rival standard, P25.

“This Tetra digital standard (originally from Europe) is totally incompatible with the P25 digital standard (originally from the US). This prevents radio users communicating with each other: for example a bus company, which needs to work with public safety officials during an emergency, would not be able to collaborate if they opted for a Tetra solution,” says Brett Smythe, Regional General Manager for Tait Asia Pacific .

The New Zealand Police are among several government departments that have already chosen P25-based gear, My Smythe says, following the lead of the Electronic Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) Management Committee, a body that recommends digital technology solutions.

The US Department of Homeland Security has embraced the P25 standard, helping Tait to land police force RT contracts in that country.

P25 has also been adopted by New Zealand start-up Team Talk, which is building a new mobile radio network alongside its fibre business.

“Digital standards such as Tetra and P25 are NOT compatible with each other, so they represent important long-term strategic choices for any network operator or government department. This is especially important when taxpayers' money is at stake,” says Mr Smythe.

Kordia business manager Aaron Olphert responds: “Kordia is not building an alternative to the Emergency Services network. Kordia is targeting commercial operators.”

Mr Olphert says Kordia is aware that some emergency services and government departments in New Zealand have chosen P25-based gear, but contends features such as smaller, lighter handsets, GPS and two-way digital are making Tetra “the dominant standard in Europe and Asia Pacific for government, private and commercial networks.”

The business manager says Tait’s hypothetical bus driver in distress might be on an RT that’s immediately incompatible with Tetra (or P25), but that it’s common for emergency services in most countries to have gear working on multiple standards, Mr Olphert says, with back-end software and systems patching calls between them.

Kordia comms manager Emma Morrison also points out that the Tetra-based Motorola RT’s on its KorKor network can also be used to text or call a cellphone, or to call a landline, while a distress button - via voice and GPS - can alert every user on your RT network to your condition and exact location.

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FEMA taps AT&T and Verizon Wireless for emergency communications providers

By Will Park on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 2:41 PM PST

In AT&T, Announcements, Financial, Partnerships, Verizon

It sure is good to see the federal-response agency nightmare we call the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) doing something to actually prepare for an emergency. You know, instead of waiting until an emergency hits and then scrambling to figure out how to get water to catastrophe victims.

With the new Obama administration cleaning up the mind-boggling mistakes made by the Bush team, it seems FEMA is gearing up to ensure that emergency first-responders have adequate lines of communications during and after a disaster. FEMA recently took bids from the wireless telecoms industry for contracts to supply the federal response agency with the hardware and infrastructure necessary to maintain a working communications network in the most trying of times.

RCR Wireless reports that FEMA accepted bids from AT&T (NYSE: T) Mobility and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless to help the agency, a part of the Department of Homeland Security, in coordinating disaster relief efforts. AT&T has been tapped to provide the wireless and WiFi services that FEMA will use in their daily operations. Verizon will be providing infrastructure and hardware for emergency communications, with Strata Technologies handling satellite communications.

All wireless carriers are signed up to work with FEMA on a one-year contract, with four possible one-year contract extension options at FEMA’s discretion.

The new FEMA administration is seemingly taking a proactive approach that may just result in faster response times and more coordinated response efforts. “This is an example of the new FEMA,” said Rex Whitacre, the agency’s acting deputy CIO.

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Motorola Sells Good to Visto

Thursday February 26, 2009

Well, so much for that. Motorola is selling its enterprise mobile e-mail unit to Visto, just two years after making its high profile acquisition of Good Technology, reports RCR Wireless News. Good is the company behind Good Mobile Messaging, a stellar push e-mail platform for business cell phones.

Visto, a Silicon Valley-based mobile e-mail company, is buying the unit from the struggling handset vendor for an undisclosed amount. Motorola originally bought Good in late 2006 in a cash deal rumored to be around $500 million—far more than Visto likely paid, the report is quick to point out—in an effort to catch Research in Motion, the top player in corporate-focused mobile messaging.

The move mirrors one by Nokia, which recently dumped its Intellisync business it had bought three years ago for $430 million.

Officers Ordered To Stop Profane Talk On Illegal Radios

Ham Radio Complaints Spark Move

POSTED: 4:58 pm EST February 23, 2009
UPDATED: 7:12 pm EST February 23, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS — Dozens of illicit radios were ordered removed from Indianapolis police cars after ham radio operators complained about the language officers used on radio frequencies they aren't supposed to be utilizing.

Hundreds of police officers used what they called a second radio to talk to other officers, but those radios don't have federal authorization, 6News' Jack Rinehart reported.

Officers sometimes used the extra radios for officials business, but they were also used for personal communication and biting, sometimes profane commentary about their workday.

"I've heard, basically, obscenities," said a ham radio operator who didn't want to be identified. "I've heard comments about private citizens, in general."

"I'm locking that guy up. I'll write a report, and that way, she'll want to report his a** anyway," an officer said in a conversation that the ham operator had recorded.

"F*** it, ha ha ha," exclaimed another officer.

Ham operators who found the language offensive reported it to the Federal Communications Commission, prompting the department to do a three-day inspection of cruisers and ordering everyone with an unlicensed radio to remove it.

"Apparently, there has been a problem with some language, which is a violation of the FCC regulations," said Indianapolis police Lt. Jeff Duhamell. "The chief has decided that the officers should pull them out of their vehicles."

The FCC is letting Indianapolis police handle the issue internally. Officer use of unauthorized frequencies goes back many years, Rinehart reported.

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• January 14, 2005—Intelsat 804 suffers electrical power system anomaly—TOTAL LOSS

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Telecommunications Industry Consulting

February 27, 2009

An Open Letter

To: Zack Silbinger (zack.silbinger@onsettechnology.com)
Cc: Brad Dye and The Wireless Messaging Newsletter

From: Vic Jackson

Subject: February 18, 2009 Letter to The Wireless Messaging Newsletter

Dear Mr. Silbinger,

Thank you for your thoughts and comments in response to my Paging versus Smartphone article in The Wireless Messaging Newsletter published on February 13, 2009. Your February 18^th letter describing your company’s “solution which transmits pages over smartphones” in last week’s The Wireless Messaging Newsletter, does a very good job of laying out the advantages of combining technologies to create new and improved services for the healthcare industry.

However, your observations and choice of words to describe the common carrier paging industry are simply not an accurate depiction of the state of the paging business today. It is disappointing to think you might consider common carrier paging a threat to your business when paging would be a great partner. I would be very interested in learning to which existing paging carrier(s) you might be referencing when you describe “the demise of mass paging”. Certainly, the market for private individual consumer paging has all but disappeared with the advent of cell phones and text messaging. But, then, so have cell phones mounted in vehicles (excepting maybe OnStar^®). To describe common carrier paging as being dead is far from reality. By most estimates, there are still several million pagers in service. Your statement, “…with paging companies posting dramatic declines in users every quarter,” likely applies to only one publicly owned nationwide carrier, but does not describe the many local, state and regional paging carriers that are continuing to serve and grow their core markets in the healthcare, public safety and industrial markets—among others. For reference, check out the many advertisers of products and services for the common carrier paging business that are listed in this Newsletter whose customers are obviously making “…investments in infrastructure...” to better serve their paging subscribers. With respect to your “aging but independent network” comment, you may not be aware that the simulcast paging “solution” in use by most paging common carriers is still the most proven, mature and fastest technology available, as well as THE most reliable and effective way to send critical information to many people simultaneously. Incidentally, an Alphanumeric page does not necessarily require a “callback” as your colleague, Patrick Corr suggests in his comments about common carrier one-way paging.

With respect to your counter-arguments to my four points of the advantages of paging:

I disagree with your contention that it is difficult to compare paging range to cellular range. Just take a cell phone into the basement or other shielded areas of many hospitals and check that the pager still works while the cell phone does not. Of course, in this situation, in many cases, a Wi-Fi signal has long since also been lost.

With respect to your claim of being able to simultaneously page “thousands” using the “PIN blast”, I would be interested in hearing how you have tested this process, especially during a widespread disaster such as a hurricane, under the condition where the cellular network has been placed in a general public emergency condition by the paging carrier, including the data channels, at the request of public safety officials. Or, the entire cellular network is down due to an earthquake, fire or other widespread calamity.

You agree that a redundant (physically separate) network is important for reliability but do not explain how “…communicating over an aging but independent network…” impedes that goal. Additionally, you did not address my contention that a single device, such as the smartphone, is inherently unreliable if the device itself fails, regardless of how “highly reliable” the technology might be.

In closing, and strictly as some brainstorm ideas, I suggest you consider the partnership possibilities of the many paging carrier businesses around the country promoting your products and services to their long time customers as complementary to their paging services. It also comes to mind that based on the current and future medical record-security requirements, an independent and encoded one-way paging network might have application for facilitating secure transactions and/or other related applications when used in conjunction with a two-way data network such as the “solutions” your company markets.

Many thanks for your patience, enthusiasm and effort in this dialogue. Thanks also to Brad Dye and the The Wireless Messaging Newsletter for making it all possible.

Hopefully this discussion will prove beneficial to your company’s development of its telecommunications solutions as a partner, not a competitor of common carrier paging, in providing proven, reliable and life-saving technology for the healthcare industry.

Sincerely,

Vic Jackson,
Interconnection Services, Inc.

Vic Jackson
Interconnection Services, Inc.
2377 Seminole Dr.
Okemos MI 48864
OFC: 517 381 0744
E-mail: vic@interconnectionservices.com

Vic Jackson is the founder of Interconnection Services, Inc., which specializes in assisting Commercial Mobile Radio Service carriers seeking Interconnection Agreements with other telecommunications carriers, Interconnection Issues and other Interconnection related services. Additionally, Vic is a telecommunications consultant for businesses, educational institutions, and government telecommunications systems.

Vic’s background is technical and systems management, including paging systems, two way mobile systems, telephone networks, and computer applications. For the past thirty years he has been involved in negotiating wireless interconnection and numbering issues with the local exchange carriers in various capacities on a local, regional and nationwide basis. He has also made numerous presentations as a nationally recognized authority on interconnection issues before industry groups, FCC staff, Regional Bell Operating companies, and state commissions. Please see www.interconnectionservices.com for more information.

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BloostonLaw Telecom Update

Published by the Law Offices of Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast, LLP

[Selected portions reproduced here with the firm's permission.]

www.bloostonlaw.com

CPNI CERTIFICATION DUE MARCH 1: The FCC has issued a Public Notice reminding carriers that the deadline for CPNI certification is no later than March 1. This year, March 1 falls on a Sunday, and FCC rules normally would roll such a deadline over to the next business day, March 2. However, out of an abundance of caution, we recommend that clients complete their filings by Friday, February 27 (i.e., the last business day before March 1). The FCC’s notice indicates that the CPNI report must not only be filed electronically, but copies must be delivered to designated FCC personnel and contractors. Otherwise, the filing may be considered defective.

FCC Issues $20,000 Fines for Missed CPNI Reports

The FCC has issued a “blanket” Notice of Apparent Liability proposing to fine several hundred carriers $20,000 each for failing to timely file their 2007 CPNI certification by the March 1, 2008, deadline. The Notice makes no effort to examine the individual circumstances of each carrier. Responses can by filed within 30 days of the Notice, or by March 26, 2009. Obviously, a failure to submit the required 2008 CPNI certification by the March 1, 2009 deadline risks a similar sanction.

The FCC has also begun fining carriers who timely filed their certifications, due to alleged defects in the content of the filing. Therefore, our clients should be wary of oversimplified certification templates that have become widely available.

BloostonLaw contacts: Gerry Duffy, Mary Sisak, and John Prendergast.

MARCH 1: CPNI ANNUAL CERTIFICATION: Carriers should modify (as necessary) and complete their “Annual Certification of CPNI Compliance” for 2008 between January 1 and March 1. Yesterday, the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau issued an Omnibus Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL), proposing $20,000 fines against multiple carriers for allegedly failing to file annual CPNI certifications on our before March 1, 2009 (see separate story above). Additionally, Acting Chairman Michael Copps announced that the Bureau will release a list of carriers who will receive NALs this week for allegedly filing non-compliant CPNI certifications. For 2007, the FCC Enforcement Bureau conducted a computerized audit to identify any non-filers, who may face sanctions. The CPNI filing requirement applies to all “telecommunications carriers,” which can include ILECs, CLECs, wireless carriers, paging companies, resellers and other service providers. If you are not sure whether the CPNI requirement applies to your company, you should contact us promptly. Note that the annual certification should include the information required by the FCC’s CPNI rule changes in 2007. A company officer with personal knowledge that the company has established operating procedures adequate to ensure compliance with the rules must execute the Certification, place a copy of the Certification and accompanying Exhibits in the Company’s CPNI Compliance Records, and forward the original to BloostonLaw for filing with the FCC by March 1. BloostonLaw has prepared a template to assist interested clients in meeting their CPNI certification requirements. We are prepared to help our clients meet this requirement, which we expect will be strictly enforced, by assisting with preparation of their certification filing; reviewing the filing to make sure that the required showings are made; filing the certification with the FCC, and obtaining a proof-of-filing copy for your records. Clients interested in obtaining BloostonLaw's CPNI compliance manual should contact Gerry Duffy (202-828-5528) or Mary Sisak (202-828-5554).

MARCH 31: ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT STATUS REPORTS. Carriers are reminded that Section 43.82 of the Commission’s rules requires each facilities-based carrier that provides international telecommunications services to file a Circuit Status Report by March 31, 2008. The report should contain data as of December 31, 2007. The information that must be filed and filing format for the Circuit Status Report is described in detail in the Circuit Status Filing Manual. All facilities-based carriers must file a Circuit Status Report if they had any activated or idle circuits as of December 31, 2007. If carriers did not have any activated or idle circuits as of December 31, 2007, they are not required to file this report or file any letter stating that they have no circuits to report. The Filing Manual requires carriers to report the total number of activated and the total number of idle circuits using the following categories: submarine cable, satellite, and landline (cable or microwave). The Filing Manual defines international facilities-based circuits as “international circuits in which a carrier has an ownership interest. For this purpose, the term ownership interest includes outright ownership, indefeasible right of use (IRU) interests, or leasehold interests in bare capacity in an international facility, regardless of whether the underlying facility is a common or non-common carrier submarine cable or … satellite system.” The Filing Manual further explains that leasehold interests in bare capacity “are distinct from private lines leased from another reporting international carrier.” Thus, any telecommunications carrier that has leased an international circuit from another common carrier, a non-common carrier, or a foreign carrier, other than a lease of private line “service” or “capacity” from a common carrier, must file a Circuit Status Report and include that circuit in its report. Such a circuit should be reported as a facilities-based circuit, and not as a facilities-based resold circuit. Private line resellers should report their resold circuits using the Facility Codes 11, 12 and 13 as specified in the Filing Manual. Facilities-based carriers that are regulated as dominant on particular U.S. international routes under Section 63.10 must provide their circuit status information on a facility-specific basis for the dominant route only. Carriers should provide the information in a separate appendix using the same table format in the Filing Manual, but they should add a column labeled "Facility Name" after "Data field #2". Carriers are reminded to file their reports on compact disc (CD) media. The FCC will not accept reports filed on diskettes. But it will accept Excel files. BloostonLaw contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and Mary Sisak.

MAY 31: FCC FORM 395, EMPLOYMENT REPORT. Common carriers, including wireless carriers, with 16 or more full-time employees must file their annual Common Carrier Employment Reports (FCC Form 395) by May 31. This report tracks carrier compliance with rules requiring recruitment of minority employees. Further, the FCC requires all common carriers to report any employment discrimination complaints they received during the past year. That information is also due on May 31. The FCC encourages carriers to complete the discrimination report requirement by filling out Section V of Form 395, rather than submitting a separate report. Clients who would like assistance in filing Form 395 should contact Richard Rubino.

FCC Meetings and Deadlines

Feb. 27 – Deadline for reply comments on NECA’s proposed modification of average schedule formulas for interstate settlements (WC Docket No. 08-248.)

Feb. 27 – Deadline for comments on NOI regarding FCC’s annual video competition report (MB Docket No. 07-269).

Mar. 1 – CPNI Annual Certification is due.

Mar. 2 – Copyright statement of accounts form for cable companies is due.

Mar. 2 – Deadline for comments regarding possible changes to rules under Regulatory Flexibility Act (CB Docket No. 08- 21).

Mar. 5 – FCC open meeting.

Mar. 9 – Deadline for reply comments on CTIA proposal to transition cellular licensing to CMA geographic market areas (RM-11510).

Mar. 16 – FCC Form 477, Local Competition and Broadband Reporting Form, is due. (Extended from Mar. 2.)

Mar. 23 – Deadline for filing certain information collection statements regarding NET 911 Act (PS Docket No. 09-14).

Mar. 27 – Deadline for reply comments on NOI regarding FCC’s annual video competition report (MB Docket No. 07-269).

Mar. 31 – FCC Form 507, Universal Service Quarterly Line Count Update, is due.

Mar. 31 – FCC Form 525, Competitive Carrier Line Count Quarterly Report, is due.

Mar. 31 – FCC Form 508, Projected Annual Common Line Revenue Requirement Form, is due.

Mar. 31 – Annual International Circuit Status Report is due.

Apr. 1 – FCC Form 499-A, Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet, is due.

Apr. 1 – Revised DTV Consumer Education requirements for ETCs, MVPDs take effect.

Apr. 10 – Auction 73 winners must file quarterly report covering DTV consumer education outreach efforts for period Jan.-Mar. 2009.

Apr. 11 – Deadline for FCC to act on Embarq forbearance petition regarding IP-to-PSTN voice traffic, or have it deemed granted (WC Docket No. 08-8).

Apr. 20 – FCC Form 497, Low Income Quarterly Report, is due.

May 1 – FTC begins enforcement of Red Flag Rules.

May 1 – Rate Integration Certification is due.

May 31 – FCC Form 395, Employment Report, is due.

This newsletter is not intended to provide legal advice. Those interested in more information should contact the firm.

Source: Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy and Prendergast, LLP For additional information, contact Hal Mordkofsky at 202-828-5520 or halmor@bloostonlaw.com

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.

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Wireless Communication Solutions

ISI-LX Internet Serial Interface with Protocol Conversion Converts Serial TAP message to SNPP, SMTP, or WCTP Pass through Serial Data to TCP/IP and TCP/IP back to Serial Supports Ethernet or PPP Connection to Internet w/Dial Backup Includes 4 Serial Ports for Multiplexing Traffic

IPG Internet Paging Gateway No Moving Parts Such as Hard Drives or Fans to Fail Supports 10Base-T Network Connection to Internet Accepts HTTP, SMTP, SNPP, and WCTP from Internet Sends TAP or TNPP to Your Paging Terminal

PageTrack Inexpensive method of automating your paging monitoring Uses standard paging receiver Available in 152-158 POCSAG or 929 FLEX (call for others)

Omega Unified Messaging Server Full Featured Internet Messaging Gateway TAP Concentrator and TNPP Routing Functions w/TNPP over Internet Serial Protocols Supported: GCP, SMDI, SMS, TAP, TNPP Internet Protocols Supported: AIM, HTTP, SMPP (out only), SMTP, SNPP, and WCTP Full Featured, Easy-to-use Voice/Fax/Numeric Mail Interface One Number For All Your Messaging Optional Hot-swap Hard Drives and Power Supplies Available

Please see our web site for even more products designed specifically for Personal Messaging carriers. For example, the Omega Messaging Gateway and E-mail Throttling Gateway (anti-spam).

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Wireless Messaging Software

AlphaPage® First Responder (Windows 2000, XP, Vista). When the message matters, AlphaPage® First Responder is the fast, reliable, and secure solution Emergency Management Professionals choose. AlphaPage® First Responder is designed for the modern professional who requires full-featured commercial wireless messaging capabilities that include advanced features such as automated Route-on-Failure, custom message templates, and secure messaging with SSL encryption. AlphaCare™ extended premium support plans are also available. For more information on all InfoRad Wireless Messaging software solutions, and fully supported free demos, please click on the InfoRad logo.

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PAGING & WIRELESS
NETWORK PLANNERS LLC
WIRELESS SPECIALISTS

www.pagingplanners.com
rmercer@pagingplanners.com

R.H. (Ron) Mercer Consultant 217 First Street South East Northport, NY 11731
Cell Phone: 631-786-9359

Science & Technology
Greenhouse gases

OCOck up

Feb 26th 2009
From The Economist print edition

America’s new carbon-dioxide-monitoring satellite crashes soon after launch

ATTEMPTS to understand more about the Earth’s atmosphere and the effects on it of increasing levels of carbon dioxide suffered a blow on February 24th. A shroud protecting the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO), an American satellite intended to monitor levels of the gas, failed to detach as it was being carried into space. Instead of going into orbit, the Taurus rocket carrying the craft crashed into the sea near Antarctica.

AP When the rockets go up…

The OCO, which cost $278m and took eight years to develop, would have been the first American satellite dedicated to the study of atmospheric carbon dioxide. It was supposed to join five others in a formation known as the “A-train”. The plan was for OCO’s measurements to be synchronised with an analysis of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases by the rest of the fleet. One of these satellites, Aura, does already look at carbon dioxide, but its measurements are confined to the upper atmosphere. The instruments on OCO would have examined the lower atmosphere, and in finer detail.

What the researchers were trying to discover were the places on Earth where carbon dioxide is being added to the atmosphere and those where it is being removed. Including man-made emissions, the Earth’s “carbon cycle” releases about 330 billion tonnes of the gas each year. Most of this is then absorbed by so-called carbon sinks, a mixture of photosynthesising plants and chemical precipitation, while a small amount remains to contribute to the rise in carbon-dioxide concentration that has been going on for the past 150 years. About half of the sunk carbon is absorbed by oceans, but exactly where the rest goes—and in what quantities—is not well understood. Remote habitats such as rainforests are clearly involved, but the lack of instruments in these places means the details are hazy.

Michael Freilich, the director of the Earth Science Division of NASA, America’s space agency, says his team will look at how other measurements taken by the A-train might be used to compensate for the loss of OCO, and how these measurements can be coordinated with data from other sources. Such sources could include Ibuki, a satellite dedicated to monitoring carbon dioxide and methane, which was launched by the Japanese space agency in January. So the loss of OCO is a setback to understanding the details of global warming, but thanks to Japan, perhaps not a complete disaster.

From: Michael Lyons
Subject: Our Next PTC Meeting
Date: February 25, 2009 8:57:35 AM CST
To: Paging Technical Committee

The next Paging Technical Committee meeting is scheduled to be held in conjunction with the Global Paging Convention, June 17 - 19 at the Hilton Montreal Bonaventure Hotel in Montreal, Canada. The PTC meeting will be on Wednesday, June 17 beginning at 1:00 pm. The Global Paging Convention will open that evening with a welcome reception beginning at 5:30 pm and concludes on Friday afternoon around 4:00 pm. Throughout the two days there will be educational sessions intermixed with an opportunity to peruse vendor exhibits and network with people from multiple countries working in the paging industry.

We hope you will plan to attend this inaugural event, to register please go here http://www.pagingcarriers.org/2005wc/registration.htm.

The Hilton Montreal Bonventure Hotel, http://www.hiltonmontreal.com/ is the host hotel and is a unique penthouse hotel providing an oasis in the heart of Montreal. Reservations may be made by calling 800-267-2575 and reference AAPC to receive the group discounted rate of $199 CAN. This rate includes wireless internet and complimentary use of the health club.

Passports are needed and it is recommended that you make airline reservations as much in advance as possible.

If you have any topics that you would like to have on the agenda, please let me know.

Also, please let me know if you will be attending so I can make sure we have the correct room size.

Sincerely,

Michael Lyons
PTC Chair
Office: 219-871-6458
Cell: 317-504-6634
mlyons@indianapaging.com

From: Merle Garrison
Subject: Fw: Contact Brad Dye- Wireless Industry Referral- Rex
Date: February 20, 2009 1:32:02 PM CST
To: Brad Dye

Good afternoon Brad. My name is Merle Garrison, and I am following up on the voice mail that just left for you. As you can see from the e-mail below, I have been referred to you by Rex Lee of Houdinisoft. I worked for Rex as a sales manager at SkyTel and Arch Wireless for many years with great success. He referred me to your newsletter and mentioned that you sometimes publish job search information. I am highly interested in being able to participate in your program first, by being able to receive your newsletter and second, by the ability to publish my job search. I have included my resume for your review. Please let me know how I might be able to proceed on both fronts.

Thank you for your consideration and please feel free to call on me at the number below.

Sincerely,

Merle Garrison
818-884-5136
merlethomasgarrison@yahoo.com

From: Larry Fischer
Subject: FCC PROPOSES $20,000 FINES FOR FAILURE TO FILE CPNI CERTIFICATION FOR 2007
Date: February 27, 2009 1:09:32 PM CST

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires telecommunications service providers and interconnected VOIP providers to file a certification each year by March 1 stating whether they are in compliance with the FCC's Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) rules.

Compliance is considered an obligation within your contract.

The names that appear on Order DA 09-426 are mostly smaller carriers, however there are also some fair size players included.

In business as in life we all must strive to be responsible and fulfill our obligations. Few of us ever forget our wives birthday or our wedding anniversary date. Perhaps this is because the consequences might be severe. I believe a $20,000.00 fine is also severe.

As for the OMNIBUS NOTICE OF APPARENT LIABILITY FOR FORFEITURE, the word apparent is repeated throughout the document. Take heed to the Governments warning, “pay the piper” and get off the list ASAP.

Under the present economic conditions I would hope the FCC would consider the impact a $20K jolt might have on a the viability of a small business. Even more so I pray that U. S. Government agencies don’t follow the steps of municipalities by supporting their budgets through issuing citations in an attempt to collect fines.

Seems the powers to be don’t realize that if U.S. Customs applied import duty at an amount that would create an equal playing field for US companies. Imports would either decrease and US jobs would return, or the Fed would collect so much cash that personal and corporate income tax could be abolished.

Quid pro quo,

Larry Fischer
larry@franklinclock.com

Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Franklin Instrument Company Inc.
233 Railroad Drive
Warminster, PA 18974 USA
Phone: 215-355-7942 Fax: 215-322-1022
Blackberry: 267-269-8463
Please visit http://www.franklinclock.com

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This is an inscription on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop in Westminster Abbey:

“When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world.

As I grew older and wiser I discovered the world would not change—So I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country, but it too seemed immovable.

As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it.

And now I realize as I lie on my deathbed, if I had only changed myself first, then by example I might have changed my family. From their inspiration and encouragement I would then have been able to better my country,

And who knows, I might have even changed the world.”