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The Wireless Messaging News

Well . . . Preferred Wireless has closed down, and all the inventory is gone. Good luck to Rick McMichael in whatever business venture he chooses to pursue. Rick was a loyal supporter of this newsletter from the beginning.

APPS

NASA launches app to inspire citizen scientists during Solar Eclipse

By Terace Garnier Published July 27, 2017 Fox News

NASA launched its newest app this week designed to motivate the average person to be a citizen scientist during the upcoming solar eclipse.

Space Scientist Elizabeth Macdonald told Fox News the Globe Observer app was designed by a NASA-supported research program called the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment, better known as GLOBE. The initiative encourages students and members of the public to collect and analyze environmental observations.

“This is apart of a citizens' science project — so that people all across the country can report all the changes they see,” Macdonald explained. “Those can help us understand better how these clouds change and occur during a rare event like a solar eclipse.”

'GREAT AMERICAN ECLIPSE' 2017: WHAT IT IS, WHEN IT'S HAPPENING AND WHY YOU HAVE TO SEE IT

A video on the GLOBE Program Twitter feed explains how data compiled through the app is used after the solar eclipse.

“The data will go into the GLOBE Program’s database where it is accessible to students and scientists from all over the world.”

Scientists can later use the collected data to compare it with satellite observations. This helps with future studies of the Earth and global environment.

SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017: NASA ISSUES SAFETY WARNING

“What you can do with this app is observe clouds, temperature changes you will experience as a part of the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21,” the NASA spokeswoman said.

The experiment was also created to help solar eclipse enthusiast and others understand their surroundings. “It’s really going to be a spectacular event in many ways so you want to look all around at the ways that the atmosphere is changing and this is one of the ways you can participate,” Macdonald said.

Terace Garnier is a Fox News multimedia reporter based in Columbia, South Carolina. Follow her on twitter: @TeraceGarnier

Spok, Inc. (Formerly USA Mobility Wireless and Amcom Software) or Spōk (pronounced spōke) was in the news a lot this week. Their following news release reports “Wireless Trends Continue to Improve.”

AAA Communications Inc is Excited to Announce the Addition of Robert Mitchell to the Position of IT Administrator

Robert Mitchell has joined AAA Communications to ensure we are a state of the art Tele-Messaging facility.

BRANDON, FLORIDA (PRWEB) JULY 28, 2017

AAA Communications Inc. is excited to announce the addition of Robert Mitchell to the position of IT Administrator. His background is in Paging Services, Telephone Systems, Networking and IT Management. Robert previously worked at Westside Communications and DialPage from 1977 thru 1995 as a systems engineer.

Tele-Messaging Technology

After a successful start in the industry, Robert founded his own paging service, Triple A Beepers from 1995 to 2000. From 2000 on Robert put his expertise to use as an RF consultant and ISP Manager for several companies until he joined AAA Communications to convert us to a state of the art facility providing professional level TeleMessaging Solutions to medical, hospitals, service industries and more.

The first image a customer has of your company is provided by an Order Entry Tele Messaging Attendant. QTMS prides itself on having a professional staff who are specially trained, one on one, to know every customer’s business and product line, and the use of state-of-the-art equipment to process orders and maintain a complete database.

With Robert's expertise and implementation of cutting-edge technology, our TeleMessaging and custom built software can create personalized management reports allowing you to analyze your customer base and advertise more effectively. Your inbound orders and service call reports can be accessed directly online with site encryption and password protection using our computerized Bulletin Board; or, information can be transmitted to the staff or employee of your choosing instantly via TeleMessaging and Email Services.

More information about AAA Communications and our Tele-Messaging Services can be found online at http://www.QTMS.com.

In addition to Robert's technical expertise and commitment to excellence, his ingenuity and knowledge of the answering service industry has made AAA Communications a multi data center operation with the redundancy and reliability unmatched by our competition. We are confident that Robert's leadership will help secure our position as a leader in the TeleMessaging field. [source]

Now on to more news and views.

Wayne County, Illinois

Emergency Radio Communications Wireless Messaging Critical Messaging Two-way Radio Technology Telemetry Science Paging Wi-Fi

Wireless Messaging

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 opinions.

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Investor Relations — News Release

Spok Reports 2017 Second Quarter Operating Results; Wireless Trends Continue to Improve, Software Revenue and Bookings Increase

Board Declares Regular Quarterly Dividend

SPRINGFIELD, Va.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Jul. 26, 2017— Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPOK), the global leader in healthcare communications, today announced operating results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2017. In addition, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.125 per share, payable on September 8, 2017 to stockholders of record on August 18, 2017. 2017

Second-Quarter Results:

In the 2017 second quarter, consolidated revenue was $42.3 million, up from $41.4 million in the first quarter. Software revenue was $16.7 million in the second quarter of 2017, up from $15.6 million in the prior quarter. Wireless revenue totaled $25.6 million in the second quarter, compared to $25.8 million in the prior quarter.

Net income for the second quarter of 2017 was $1.5 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, up from $0.9 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, in the prior quarter.

Second quarter EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and accretion) totaled $5.3 million, or 12.4 percent of revenue, up from EBITDA of $4.6 million, or 11.1 percent of revenue, in the first quarter.

Other key results and highlights for the second quarter included:

• The quarterly rate of paging unit erosion slowed to a record low of 0.4 percent in the second quarter of 2017, compared to 1.8 percent in the prior quarter. Net paging unit losses were 5,000 in the second quarter of 2017, down from 20,000 in the first quarter of 2017. Paging units in service at June 30, 2017 totaled 1,086,000, compared to 1,091,000 at the end of the prior quarter.
• The quarterly rate of wireless revenue erosion slowed to 0.9 percent in the second quarter of 2017 versus 2.5 percent in the prior quarter.
• Total paging ARPU (average revenue per unit) was $7.52 in the second quarter of 2017, compared to $7.56 in the prior quarter.
• Software bookings for the 2017 second quarter were $20.4 million, an increase of more than 3 percent from the previous quarter. Second quarter bookings included $9.9 million of operations bookings and $10.5 million of maintenance renewals.
• Software backlog totaled $43.5 million at June 30, 2017, up more than 7 percent, or nearly $3 million, from $40.6 million in the prior quarter.
• Of the $16.7 million in software revenue for the second quarter, $7.0 million was operations revenue and $9.7 million was maintenance revenue, compared to $6.0 million and $9.6 million, respectively, of the $15.6 million in software revenue in the first quarter of 2017.
• The renewal rate for software maintenance in the second quarter of 2017 continued at greater than 99 percent.
• Consolidated operating expenses (excluding depreciation, amortization and accretion) totaled $37.1 million in the second quarter of 2017, up slightly from $36.8 million in the prior quarter.
• Capital expenses were $2.4 million in the second quarter of 2017, compared to $2.9 million in the prior quarter.
• The number of full-time equivalent employees at June 30, 2017 totaled 604, compared to 599 at March 31, 2017.
• Capital returned to stockholders in the second quarter of 2017 totaled $12.5 million, in the form of $2.5 million from dividends and $10 million from share repurchases.
• The Company’s cash balance at June 30, 2017 was $107.2 million, down from $118.9 million at March 31, 2017.

Management Commentary:

“We are pleased with our performance in the second quarter of 2017 and with the continuing benefits from our investments to enhance and upgrade our product development team and tools, as well as our sales infrastructure and management,” said Vincent D. Kelly, chief executive officer. “We saw strong performance in a number of key operating measures and solid year-over-year and sequential improvements in subscriber retention, sales bookings and backlog levels, and operating expense management. We believe continued investments will yield significant future benefits in the form of our improved, integrated communication platform, Spok Care Connect^®, and continued momentum in bookings levels. Overall, we continued to operate profitably, enhance our product offerings, and maintain our strong balance sheet. Our ability to generate healthy cash flows allowed us to execute against our capital allocation strategy, returning capital to shareholders in the form of dividends and stock repurchases.”

The Company posted solid results for its wireless products and services in the second quarter. Gross pager placements of 42,000 were a sharp increase from the prior and year-earlier quarters, and the highest level in the past two years, while gross disconnects of 47,000 improved slightly from 48,000 in the prior quarter and second quarter of 2016. “As a result, annual net pager losses declined to an historical low of 5.1 percent from the prior year’s second quarter, and were 0.4 percent in the second quarter, down 40 basis points from 0.8 percent in the prior-year quarter,” continued Kelly. “Overall, wireless sales efforts continued to focus primarily on our core market segments of Healthcare, Government and Large Enterprise, which represented approximately 92.7 percent of our subscriber base and 90.8 percent of our paging revenue at quarter end. Healthcare comprised 80.4 percent of our subscriber base, and continued to be our best performing market segment with the highest rate of gross placements and lowest rate of unit disconnects.”

Commenting on software results, Kelly said: “As a result of the investments we are making in our sales and product platforms, software revenues were up more than 7 percent from the first quarter and were in-line with prior year levels. We believe we are well positioned for the second half of the year, when software sales tend to be more robust.” Kelly primarily attributed the ability to generate sequential growth in software revenue levels to a more than 99 percent renewal rate on maintenance contracts. Similar to Spok’s wireless revenue stream, software maintenance revenue is a largely recurring revenue stream that provides the Company with a more stable revenue and margin base. “More than 84 percent of our revenue streams are recurring in nature, when you consider our solid wireless base and software maintenance contracts,” added Kelly. “This provides us with the ability to make key investments in our business while executing on our capital allocation strategy to enhance stockholder value.”

Kelly said second quarter bookings of $20.4 million were up from $19.8 million in the prior quarter, and included $10.5 million of maintenance renewals bookings, a record high for the second quarter. Additionally, software backlog of $43.5 million at June 30th was up more than 7 percent and 10 percent, respectively, from the prior quarter and year levels. “We will continue to build on the solid momentum we saw in the second quarter. We are encouraged as bookings included sales to both new and current customers, with existing customers adding products and applications to expand their portfolio of communications solutions. Customer demand remained strongest for upgrades to call center solutions, healthcare applications to increase patient safety, and improved nursing workflows.” Kelly added: “We continue to see growing demand for our software solutions for critical smartphone communications, secure texting, and emergency management, as well as clinical alerting, and we are proud to be working with more than 1,900 hospitals world-wide, including all of the best adult and children’s hospitals as defined by U.S. News & World Report.” Kelly also noted that in addition to the Company’s quarterly financial performance, progress was made in several other areas, including product development, sales strategy and key strategic partnership agreements. “Spok continues to generate activity and sales momentum at the conferences we attend,” commented Kelly. “In April, we attended the Becker’s Hospital Review 8^th Annual Meeting in Chicago, where our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Andrew Mellin, presented ‘The Healthcare CIO Perspective on Supporting Clinical Workflows’. In May, we also announced that several of our key executives would be participating at upcoming ‘C-Suite’ conferences throughout 2017 to discuss industry communication challenges with hospital leaders from across the country. And in early May, Spok released the second part of the Company's annual mobility in healthcare survey. Spok has been conducting this survey since 2011 to assess mobile workflow enablement trends in hospitals across the country. More than 300 U.S. healthcare professionals responded to this year’s questions about mobile strategy development, bring your own device (BYOD) policies, communications infrastructure, and opportunities to improve mobile communications. Spok will continue to leverage the attention that we are receiving as a thought leader within our industry.”

Spok returned capital to stockholders, totaling $12.5 million, in the second quarter of 2017. During the period, the Company paid $2.5 million in dividends and repurchased 572,550 shares of common stock, totaling $10 million, under its stock buy-back program. Kelly added, “Throughout 2017, we will remain focused on returning value to our shareholders through our multi-faceted capital allocation strategy, which, for the balance of 2017, includes dividends, and key strategic investments in our products and business designed to create sustainable growth.”

Michael W. Wallace, chief financial officer, said: “Continued expense management and strong financial discipline have allowed us to invest in our business for long-term growth. Our ability to align our expense base with the market demand we are seeing and drive high renewal rates in our recurring revenue categories, helped Spok to mitigate the additional expenses related to our investments in our sales and product platforms. Spok’s balance sheet remains strong, with a cash balance of $107.2 million at June 30, 2017, and we continue to operate as a debt-free company.”

Business Outlook:

Commenting on the Company’s previously provided financial guidance for 2017, Wallace noted: “As a result of the solid performance we saw in the second quarter, we are maintaining the 2017 guidance range that we provided last quarter.” With regard to financial guidance for 2017, Wallace reiterated that the Company expects total revenue to range from $161 million to $177 million, operating expenses (excluding depreciation, amortization and accretion) to range from $153 million to $159 million, and capital expenditures to range from $8 million to $12 million.

2017 Second-Quarter Call and Replay:

Spok plans to host a conference call for investors to discuss its 2017 second quarter results at 10:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, July 27, 2017. Dial-in numbers for the call are 719-785-1753 or 888-857-6932. The pass code for the call is 7139572. A replay of the call will be available from 1:00 p.m. ET on July 27, 2017 until 1:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, August 10, 2017. To listen to the replay, please register at http://tinyurl.com/spok2017Q2earningsreplay. Please enter the registration information, and you will be given access to the replay.

About Spok
Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPOK), headquartered in Springfield, Va., is proud to be the global leader in healthcare communications. We deliver clinical information to care teams when and where it matters most to improve patient outcomes. Top hospitals rely on the Spok Care Connect^® platform to enhance workflows for clinicians, support administrative compliance, and provide a better experience for patients. Our customers send over 100 million messages each month through their Spok^® solutions. When seconds count, count on Spok. For more information, visit spok.com or follow @spoktweets on Twitter.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act: Statements contained herein or in prior press releases which are not historical fact, such as statements regarding Spok’s future operating and financial performance, are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause Spok’s actual results to be materially different from the future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expectations include, but are not limited to, declining demand for paging products and services, continued demand for our software products and services, our ability to develop additional software solutions for our customers and manage our development as a global organization, the ability to manage operating expenses, future capital needs, competitive pricing pressures, competition from both traditional paging services and other wireless communications services, competition from other software providers, government regulation, reliance upon third-party providers for certain equipment and services, as well as other risks described from time to time in our periodic reports and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although Spok believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. Spok disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

[Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income follow at the source below.]

Enhancing Mobile Alert Response

sales@wirelessmessaging.com
800-373-1466
2630 National Dr., Garland, TX 75041

Contact Us for OEM Requests

BluTrac (Bluetooth Tracking and Control)

• Monitor and Report Bluetooth Beacon Signals via Wi-Fi
• Autonomous or Networked Applications
• Audible/Visual Annunciation and Output Switching
• Applications include:
  • Mobile Asset Tracking
  • Mobile Resident Call and Wandering Resident Tracking (MARS Only)
  • Access Control
  • Remote Switching Control
• Learn More at  blutrac.net

MARS (Mobile Alert Response System)

• Paging Protocol Monitoring and Wireless Sensor Monitoring (Inovonics and Bluetooth LE)
• Improves Mobile Response Team Productivity using Smartphone App
• Low-Latency Alerts using Pagers, Smartphones, Browsers, and Digital Displays
• Automated E-mail Based Alert Response and System Status Reports
• Linux Based Embedded System with Ethernet and USB Ports
• Browser Based Configuration
• Mobile Resident Call and Wandering Resident Tracking with Bluetooth Beacons
• SMTP and SIP Inputs and XMPP Output in Development

STG (SIP to TAP Gateway)

• Monitors Rauland Nurse Call SIP Protocol
• Outputs TAP protocol to Ethernet and Serial Port Paging Systems
• Linux Based Embedded System
  
• Browser Based Configuration

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.

• We treat our customers like family. We don’t just fix problems . . . We recommend and implement better cost-effective solutions.
• We are not just another vendor . . . We are a part of your team. All the advantages of high priced full time employment without the cost.
• We are not in the Technical Services business . . . We are in the Customer Satisfaction business.

Experts in Paging Infrastructure

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• Excellent Service Contracts
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• Contracts for Glenayre and other Systems starting at $100
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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 e-mail us for more information.

Spok Holdings Inc. (SPOK) Settles Into New 52-Week Low on July 27 Session

Equities Staff Follow | Thursday, 27 July 2017 17:15 (EST)

Shares of Spok Holdings Inc. (SPOK) sank into a new 52-week low yesterday, and could be a company to watch at the open. The company’s stock fell to as low as $15.85 yesterday after opening at $17.20. By the closing bell, the company's stock was at $16.30 a share for a loss of 4.96%.

While no company wants to see their stocks fall into a new 52-week low, opportune investors may have reason to celebrate. Bullish investors with a healthy tolerance for risk may view this as a chance to buy stocks as distressed prices before a bounce back. With that said, whenever a stock falls into new negative territory, there usually is a compelling reason for it. Investors bearish on the stock might see the stock reaching its lowest price in a year as a sign of growing downward momentum and take it as a good reason to sell their shares. Bulls, though, could likely see a new 52-week low as the stock hitting its low point and anticipate a recovery in the share price.

Spok Holdings Inc. saw 219,789 shares of its stock trade hands, that's out of 20.53 million shares outstand. The stock has an average daily volume of 128,785 shares. After hitting a new 52-week low, Spok Holdings Inc. enters the new trading day with a market cap of 334.65 million, a 50-day SMA of $17.40 and a 200-day SMA of $18.27

Spok Holdings Inc. now has a P/E ratio of 30.6.

For a complete fundamental analysis analysis of Spok Holdings Inc., check out Equities.com’s Stock Valuation Analysis report for SPOK.

Want to invest with the experts? Subscribe to Equities Premium newsletters today! Visit http://www.equitiespremium.com/ to learn more about Guild Investment’s Market Commentary and Adam Sarhan’s Find Leading Stocks today.

Spok Holdings Inc is a provider of critical communication solutions for enterprises to the healthcare, government, public safety and other industries. It offers paging services and selected software solutions in the United States and abroad.

Spok Holdings Inc. has 587 employees, is led by CEO Vincent D. Kelly, and makes its home in Springfield, VA. Spok Holdings Inc. is also a component of the Russell 2000 Index, which is generally viewed as the most reliable indicator of the health of the broader small-cap market. Using a rules-based methodology, it creates a simple, unbiased view of how America's stable of smaller publicly traded companies are performing in the stock markets. The index consists of the 2,000 smallest companies of the 3,000 largest publicly-traded companies in the country as judged by market cap. It's constructed by Russell Investments, which also builds and maintains the Russell 3000 (an index consisting of all 3,000 biggest companies by market cap) and the large-cap Russell 1000 (which has the 1,000 largest companies from the Russell 3000).

To get more information on Spok Holdings Inc. and to follow the company’s latest updates, you can visit the company’s profile page here: SPOK’s Profile. For more news on the financial markets and emerging growth companies, be sure to visit Equities.com’s Newsdesk. Also, don’t forget to sign-up for our daily email newsletter to ensure you don’t miss out on any of our best stories.

All data provided by QuoteMedia and was accurate as of 4:30PM ET.

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ARRL President Issues Call for Members to Reach Out to their Senators to Support S. 1534

The ARRL Letter for July 27, 2017

ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, is calling on League members to urge their US Senators to support the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2017, S. 1534. ARRL has opened a RallyCongress page to simplify the task.

“[W]e are at a crossroad in our efforts to obtain passage of The Amateur Radio Parity Act,” Roderick said. He said the campaign to secure passage of the bill scored a major victory earlier this year when H.R. 555 passed unanimously in the US House of Representatives. Obtaining passage of the companion Senate bill, S. 1534, is the final legislative hurdle.

“Now is the time for all hams to get involved in the process!” Roderick said. “Many of you already live in deed-restricted communities, and that number grows daily.”

He urged radio amateurs now restricted by a homeowners association from installing effective outdoor antennas to visit the RallyCongress site and e-mail their two US senators. He also encouraged those not currently affected by deed covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs) to support their fellow radio amateurs by doing the same.

ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR

“If you want to help create an opportunity — not available before now — for Amateurs who live in deed-restricted communities to install effective outdoor antennas on property that you own or lease, send these e-mails today!" Roderick said. "We need you to reach out to your senators today. Right away.”

S. 1534 was introduced in the US Senate on July 12, marking another step forward for this landmark legislation. Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are the Senate sponsors. The measure will, for the first time, guarantee all radio amateurs living in deed-restricted communities governed by a homeowners association (HOA) or subject to any private land-use regulations, the right to erect and maintain effective outdoor antennas at their homes, while protecting the aesthetic concerns of HOAs.

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PSSI is the industry leader in reverse logistics, our services include depot repair, product returns management, RMA and RTV management, product audit, test, refurbishment, re-kitting and value recovery.

Google is killing a 7-year-old feature that gave instant search results while you typed

Edoardo Maggio
July 27, 2017

Google's then-Vice President of Search Product and User Experience Marissa Mayer announces Google Instant during a special launch event September 8, 2010 in San Francisco, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Google is killing Instant Search, the smart feature that gives users search results while they are still typing, according to a statement given to Search Engine Land.

Instant Search launched in 2010, when Marissa Mayer was leading the Search team at Google. She deemed the introduction of the feature to be a “fundamental shift in search,” and claimed that if everyone on the planet used it, it would save about 3.5 billion seconds a day, or 11 hours every second, according to a report Wired wrote at the time.

Apparently, the reason why Instant Search is going away is that over 50% of users do their searches on mobile rather than desktop, so its usefulness is seemingly reduced.

Google's Instant Search feature made it possible to see search results while still typing. Itand Iced Tes/YouTube

Here is Google's full statement:

“We launched Google Instant back in 2010 with the goal to provide users with the information they need as quickly as possible, even as they typed their searches on desktop devices. Since then, many more of our searches happen on mobile, with very different input and interaction and screen constraints. With this in mind, we have decided to remove Google Instant, so we can focus on ways to make Search even faster and more fluid on all devices.”

The feature was never live on mobile, either on Google's app or through web browsers. But now, even if you type something on a web browser on desktop, search results will only be delivered when the user hits the enter key.

Get the latest Google stock price here.

Specialists in sales and service of equipment from these leading manufacturers, as well as other two-way radio and paging products:

	Motorola SOLUTIONS
	Motorola MOBILITY

Disaster-Proven Paging for Public Safety

Paging system designs in the United States typically use a voice radio-style infrastructure. These systems are primarily designed for outdoor mobile coverage with modest indoor coverage. Before Narrowbanding, coverage wasn’t good, but what they have now is not acceptable! The high power, high tower approach also makes the system vulnerable. If one base station fails, a large area loses their paging service immediately!

Almost every technology went from analog to digital except fire paging. So it’s time to think about digital paging! The Disaster-Proven Paging Solution (DiCal) from Swissphone offers improved coverage, higher reliability and flexibility beyond anything that traditional analog or digital paging systems can provide. 

Swissphone is the No. 1 supplier for digital paging solutions worldwide. The Swiss company has built paging networks for public safety organizations all over the world. Swissphone has more than 1 million pagers in the field running for years and years due to their renowned high quality.

DiCal is the digital paging system developed and manufactured by Swissphone. It is designed to meet the specific needs of public safety organizations. Fire and EMS rely on these types of networks to improve incident response time. DiCal systems are designed and engineered to provide maximum indoor paging coverage across an entire county. In a disaster situation, when one or several connections in a simulcast solution are disrupted or interrupted, the radio network automatically switches to fall back operating mode. Full functionality is preserved at all times. This new system is the next level of what we know as “Simulcast Paging” here in the U.S.

Swissphone offers high-quality pagers, very robust and waterproof. Swissphone offers the best sensitivity in the industry, and battery autonomy of up to three months. First responder may choose between a smart s.QUAD pager, which is able to connect with a smartphone and the Hurricane DUO pager, the only digital pager who offers text-to-voice functionality.

Bluetooth technology makes it possible to connect the s.QUAD with a compatible smartphone, and ultimately with various s.ONE software solutions from Swissphone. Thanks to Bluetooth pairing, the s.QUAD combines the reliability of an independent paging system with the benefits of commercial cellular network. Dispatched team members can respond back to the call, directly from the pager. The alert message is sent to the pager via paging and cellular at the same time. This hybrid solution makes the alert faster and more secure. Paging ensures alerting even if the commercial network fails or is overloaded.

Swissphone sets new standards in paging:

Paging Network

• It’s much faster to send individual and stacked pages digitally than with analog voice.
• If you want better indoor coverage, you put sites closer together at lower heights.
• A self-healing system that also remains reliable in various disaster situations.
• Place base station where you need them, without the usage of an expensive backhaul network.
• Protect victim confidentiality and prevent unauthorized use of public safety communications, with integrated encryption service.

Pager

• Reliable message reception, thanks to the best sensitivity in the industry.
• Ruggedized and waterproof, IP67 and 6 1/2-feet drop test-certified products.
• Battery autonomy of up to three months, with a standard AA battery.
• Bluetooth enables the new s.QUAD pager to respond back to the dispatch center or fire chief.

Dispatching:

• Two-way CAD interfaces will make dispatching much easier.
• The new s.ONE solution enables the dispatcher or fire chiefs to view the availability of relief forces.
• A graphical screen shows how many of the dispatched team members have responded to the call.

Swissphone provides a proven solution at an affordable cost. Do you want to learn more?
Visit: www.swissphone.com or call 800-596-1914.

Friday, July 28, 2017	Volume 5 | Issue 147

Senate Bill Makes Up Repack Cost Shortfall for TV, Radio

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced the Viewer and Listener Protection Act of 2017 into Congress. S.1632 establishes a fund within the U.S. Treasury to ensure certain broadcasters affected by the TV spectrum repack can stay on the air.

“I remain very concerned that rural America will be disproportionately harmed if Congress does not take action to provide adequate resources and an appropriate timeline for the relocation of TV and radio stations,” announced Moran. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Todd Young (R-IN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Tom Udall (D-CO) co-sponsored the measure.

If passed, the measure provides a way for radio stations affected by the television repack to recoup their moving costs as well. Currently moving costs for radio stations that share towers with TV stations that have to move to a different channel are not part of the $1.75 billion Congress allocated for repack reimbursement.

The allocation will be used only if the money Congress allocated for repack costs are exceeded. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told lawmakers this week, the agency believes the costs will go over $2.1 billion. The bill would also direct the FCC to modify the transition period for a specific television station if necessary to ensure that no broadcaster is forced to go off-air for a significant period of time.

NAB hailed the measure. “This bill addresses the nearly $400 million shortfall in the $1.75 billion repack fund,” said NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith. “It also makes clear that no broadcaster will be forced off the air if it makes a good faith effort to meet FCC deadlines.”

Maryland

Disputed Power Line Project Considers Telecom-Style Towers

Transource Energy is in discussions with counties on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, bordering Pennsylvania and Maryland, regarding its planned Independence Energy Connection project, reported The Baltimore Sun. A map released on Monday shows that the routes in consideration are in Harford County, in the Norrisville area.

Transource Energy, hired by PJM Interconnection, the nation's largest regional electric supply grid in terms of customers, is tasked with achieving "market efficiency" and reducing a power gridlock. The Transource plan includes routes for high-voltage overhead lines and this week it announced that both lattice towers and single or monopole towers are under consideration to carry the twin 230KV power lines. The monopoles are shorter (120 feet vs 135 feet) and require more towers to complete the job. The corridor right-of-way for the lines are estimated at 130 feet, according to Transource.

Area residents are concerned about the need for this project, saying it will have little or no benefit to the area, will negatively impact scenic views, and will “destroy the landscape in rural counties.” Transource Energy has scheduled additional informational meetings in early August to further discuss the project with residents.

New York

No Vote Could Lead to No Tower, No Phone Coverage

Vital Statistics: T-Mobile offered town $1,000 a month for six months to place interim tower in two parking spots.

A temporary tower that would provide cell phone coverage is in limbo after a town board decided further input is necessary. Esopus Town Board members voted to delay establishing a solution for T-Mobile’s coverage problems, reported the Daily Freeman. T-Mobile customers living in the hamlet will be without service if a decision is not made before August 6, the day the carrier’s lease runs out on a tower located on Snake Mountain. A temporary lease for a 106-foot tall tower would give the carrier time to locate a permanent solution.

Esopus Supervisor Diane McCord has previously suggested the tower be placed on municipal property, either at the town hall, Highway Department garage, or the town water and sewer plant. Esopus has been offered $1,000 a month for a six-month lease to use a 20-by-30-foot area in the town hall parking lot. Town Building Inspector Salvatore Morello indicated the location would be suitable for the structure, but cautioned it should be placed away from buildings in case it fell. Ulster County Legislator Carl Belfiglio said, “The town is not in the business of making money or becoming an enterprise.” The board will meet again to make a final decision on August 7, one day after the current lease expires.

Senate Commerce to Vote on FCC Nominees Next Week

The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled confirmation votes for three nominees to the FCC next week. Lawmakers plan to vote August 2 on former Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, and Brendan Carr, a Republican, who’s currently the FCC’s General Counsel. The body will consider current Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, for another five-year term.

However, Committee Democrats seek an arrangement on the FCC nominees to smooth the process for the next Democratic FCC nominee to replace Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, if necessary. Clyburn’s term expired last month and she has not said anything publicly about her plans. She has not been re-nominated by President Trump to-date, but she may stay in her post until the end of the current Congress unless a successor is confirmed.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) told Politico he’s looking for “a guarantee” for the next Democrat. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) said those talks haven’t yet occurred. At next week's hearing, the committee will also vote on the confirmation of David Redl, a GOP Hill staffer who President Trump nominated to lead the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Wireless Communication Solutions

USB Paging Encoder

• Single channel up to eight zones
• Connects to Linux computer via USB
• Programmable timeouts and batch sizes
• Supports 2-tone, 5/6-tone, POCSAG 512/1200/2400, GOLAY
• Supports Tone Only, Voice, Numeric, and Alphanumeric
• PURC or direct connect
• Pictured version mounts in 5.25" drive bay
• Other mounting options available
• Available as a daughter board for our embedded Internet Paging Terminal (IPT)

Paging Data Receiver (PDR)

• Frequency agile—only one receiver to stock
• USB or RS-232 interface
• Two contact closures
• End-user programmable w/o requiring special hardware
• 16 capcodes
• POCSAG
• Eight contact closure version also available
• Product customization available

Other products

Please see our web site for other products including Internet Messaging Gateways, Unified Messaging Servers, test equipment, and Paging Terminals.

Contact

Hark Technologies 717 Old Trolley Rd Ste 6 #163 Summerville, SC 29485

Tel: 843-821-6888

Fax: 843-821-6894

E-mail: sales@harktech.com CLICK

Web: http://www.harktech.com CLICK

A Problem

The Motorola Nucleus II Paging Base Station is a great paging transmitter. The Nucleus I, however, had some problems.

One of the best features of this product was its modular construction. Most of the Nucleus' component parts were in plug-in modules that were field replaceable making maintenance much easier.

One issue was (and still is) that two of the modules had to always be kept together. They are called the “matched pair.”

Motorola used some tricks to keep people in the field from trying to match unmatched pairs, and force them to send SCM and Exciter modules back to the factory for calibrating them with precision laboratory equipment.

The serial numbers have to match in the Nucleus programing software or you can't transmit [in simulcast mode] . Specifically the 4-level alignment ID parameter contained in the SCM has to match the Exciter ID parameter.

Even if someone could modify the programing software to “fudge” these parameters, that would not let them use unmatched modules effectively without recalibrating them to exact factory specifications.

So now that there is no longer a Motorola factory laboratory to send them to, what do we do?

I hope someone can help us resolve this serious problem for users of the Nucleus paging transmitter.

Please let me know if you can help. [click here]

[Thanks to Tom Harger Chief Engineer at Contact Wireless for the correction above in red.]

Selected portions [sometimes more — sometimes less] of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update and/or the BloostonLaw Private Users Update — newsletters from the Law Offices of Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast, LLP — are reproduced in this section of The Wireless Messaging News with the firm’s permission. Contact information is included at the end of the newsletter.

REMINDER – International Traffic and Revenue Report Temporarily Waived

On May 1, the FCC issued an Order temporarily waiving the traffic and revenue reporting requirement of Section 43.62(b) of the FCC’s rules, which is normally due on July 31. The temporary waiver will remain in effect until the FCC decides on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopted in March, in which the FCC proposed to eliminate the traffic and revenue report entirely.

As a result of the waiver, the FCC will not be accepting Traffic and Revenue Reports or waivers.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino.

Headlines

FCC Reminds Model-based CAF Phase II Recipients of Interim Deadlines

On July 20, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau issued a Public Notice reminding CAF Phase II model-based support recipients of their upcoming deployment and reporting obligations (and the consequences for failing to meet those deadlines). Specifically:

• No later than December 31, 2017: Carriers receiving CAF Phase II funding must complete deployment to at least 40 percent of supported locations in each state (the interim build-out milestone).
• No later than March 1, 2018: Carriers receiving CAF Phase II funding must report the geo-location information for each of the supported locations to which the carrier deployed in order to meet its interim build out milestone and must certify that, as of December 31, 2017, the carrier was offering voice and broadband services meeting the requisite public interest obligations to 40 percent of supported locations in each state.

According to the Public Notice, the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) will be verifying that, as of December 31, 2017, each company that is receiving CAF Phase II funding was offering the requisite voice and broadband services in each state. Such carriers should be prepared to produce documentation upon request during the verification process sufficient to demonstrate that they had deployed to the reported locations by December 31, 2017.

In the event that a carrier is unable to meet its interim build-out milestone, it must notify the Commission, USAC, and the relevant state, U.S. Territory, or Tribal government as appropriate, no later than ten business days after December 31, 2017. Any carrier that fails to satisfy its interim build out obligations—for instance, by not building to the required number of locations or by not providing service that meets the Commission’s requirements—will be subject to increased reporting obligations and support reductions that scale with the extent of the carrier’s non-compliance. Failure to comply with the terms and conditions of CAF II funding may also result in a carrier being subject to an FCC enforcement action. In determining whether to bring an enforcement action and what sanctions to impose, the Commission will take into account the nature, circumstances, extent, and gravity of any violation.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Gerry Duffy.

EAS Participants Should Prepare for Second Nationwide Emergency Alert System Test on September 27

The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (the “Bureau”) announced Monday that the Bureau in collaboration with FEMA will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (or “EAS”) on Wednesday, September 27, 2017, at 2:20 PM EDT. Important compliance dates and recommendations for preparing for the test are listed below. Also, EAS Participants are obligated to renew their identifying information required by filing ETRS Form One on or before August 28^th. The EAS Test Reporting System (ETRS) is now open and accepting 2017 filings.

Entities required under the Commission's rules to comply with EAS rules (“EAS Participants”) include all broadcast radio and television stations, and wired and wireless cable television systems, DBS, DTV, SDARS, digital cable and DAB, and wireline video systems.

The secondary test date is scheduled for October 4, 2017, if necessary. All EAS Participants are required to participate in this nationwide test and must be prepared to participate in a test on both the primary and alternate test dates.

Required Reporting

Under FCC Part 11 Rules, EAS Participants are required to file their “day of test” data within 24 hours of any nationwide EAS test or as otherwise required by the Bureau. Last September’s EAS Test was the first time that test data was captured and analyzed using the ETRS. The reporting procedures this year are similar to last year, but FCC rules require all EAS Participants to renew their registration info annually, and to fulfill this obligation this year by filing ETRS Form One on or before August 28, 2017. Each EAS Participant should file a separate copy of Form One for each of its EAS decoders, EAS encoders, and units combining such decoder and encoder functions. Thus, compliance dates that EAS Participants should mark on their calendars are as follows:

• EAS Participants must file a Registration Renewal on ETRS Form One on or before August 28, 2017.
• EAS Participants must file the “day of test” information sought by ETRS Form Two at or before 11:59 PM EDT on September 27, 2017.
• EAS Participants must file the detailed post-test data sought by ETRS Form Three on or before November 13, 2017.

We strongly encourage all clients that are EAS Participants to renew their registrations in ETRS now. Other steps that their staff should be taking to prepare for the test include:

• Reviewing and, if necessary, updating state EAS plans;
• Ensuring that a copy of the EAS Operating Handbook is located at normal duty positions or EAS equipment locations and is immediately available to operators;
• Reviewing the EAS Operating Handbook for the actions to be taken by operators upon receipt of the test alert and tailoring any actions as necessary that are specific to the EAS Participants’ facilities;
• Ensuring that their EAS equipment operates in compliance with the Commission rules, such as being capable of receiving and processing the national periodic test code and the “six zeroes” national location code;
• Upgrading EAS equipment software and firmware to the most recent version;
• Updating ETRS Form One filings to reflect changes to identifying information;
• Manually synchronizing EAS equipment clocks to the official time provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, if an EAS Participant’s equipment does not automatically synchronize to an Internet time source.

Clients with any questions or who would like us to assist them in obtaining further information should contact the firm.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast, Gerry Duffy, Cary Mitchell

Comments on Law Enforcement Caller ID NPRM Due August 21

On July 21, the FCC published in the Federal Register its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing to amend its Caller ID rules to allow carriers to disclose blocked Caller ID information in the limited case of threatening calls as an aid to law enforcement investigations. Accordingly, comments are due August 21, and reply comments are due September 19.

Specifically, the Commission proposes amending § 64.1601 of its rules to recognize an exemption to §64.1601(b)’s of its rules prohibition on overriding a privacy indicator associated with an interstate call when such call contains a threat of a serious nature. For purposes of this context, the Commission proposes defining a ‘‘threatening call’’ as any call that includes a threat of serious and imminent unlawful action posing a substantial risk to property, life, safety, or health. The Commission seeks comment on this definition and on any alternatives.

Section 64.1601 of the FCC’s rules provides that no common carrier subscribing to or offering any service that delivers the Calling Party Number (CPN) may override the privacy indicator associate with an interstate call. The Commission has concluded, however, that that to the extent CPN-based services are used to deliver emergency services, privacy requirements should not apply to delivery of CPN to a public agency’s emergency lines, a poison control line, or in conjunction with 911 emergency services. In these instances, the Commission concluded that Caller ID blocking mechanisms could jeopardize emergency services and therefore pose a serious threat to the safety of life and property.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Gerry Duffy.

Law & Regulation

Licensee Fined for EAS Violations, Other Infractions

On July 19, the FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability against Kenai Educational Media, Inc. (KEMI), licensee of Station KIBH-FM, Seward, Alaska, for apparently violating multiple Commission rules, including the Emergency Alert System (EAS) rules. The NAL proposed a fine of $66,000.

According to the NAL, and FCC Field Agent’s inspection of the KEMI facilities revealed a number of apparent violations of the Part 11 EAS rules: first, KEMI did not have a copy of the EAS Operating Handbook in the required locations; second, KEMI failed to have its EAS Encoders, EAS Decoders, Attention Signal generating and receiving equipment, and Intermediate Devices used as part of the EAS to decode and/or encode messages in the EAS Protocol and/or the Common Alerting Protocol correctly installed; third, KEMI was monitoring only one source for EAS messaging (the rules require two).

The field inspection also revealed apparent violations of a number of the Commission’s broadcast rules. For example, KEMI failed to post a valid license; failed to maintain a station public inspection file; failed to retain the logs required by Section 73.1840 of the Commission’s rules.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast, Cary Mitchell, and Sal Taillefer.

House of Representatives to Hold Open Internet Hearing

On July 25, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) announced a Full Committee hearing entitled, “Ground Rules for the Internet Ecosystem” on Thursday, September 7. According to a press release, the Committee sent invitations to CEOs of leading tech companies, including Facebook, Alphabet, Amazon, and Netflix and broadband providers including Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, and Charter Communications, requesting they testify before the full committee.

“A strong consensus is forming across party lines and across industries that it’s time for Congress to call a halt on the back-and-forth and set clear net neutrality ground rules for the internet,” said Chairman Walden. “In some form or another, we have been working for at least 20 years on the intertwined goals of incentivizing the huge investments needed to connect Americans, while keeping the internet open and protecting consumer privacy. With almost everyone in agreement about fundamental principles to prevent anti-competitive behavior such as throttling and blocking, I think we are closer than ever to achieving a lasting resolution. The time has come to get everyone to the table and get this figured out.”

Chairman Blackburn agreed adding, “The last FCC, at the behest of President Obama, pushed far beyond its legal authority to create an unstable set of mandates and a mountain of unanswered questions. The ensuing drama has benefited certain interest groups but has been detrimental for American innovators and consumers, whose experience and reliance on the Internet are diminished by the lack of clear and predictable rules. Like Title II classification, the inflammatory rhetoric is unsustainable, so it has been encouraging to see a change in tone from some quarters and willingness to work with Congress to bring needed certainty to all participants in the internet economy. I expect this hearing will create an opportunity for fruitful discussions and a real solution.”

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, Mary Sisak, and Sal Taillefer.

FCC Provides Language for Wireless Microphone Consumer Disclosure

On July 24, the FCC issued an Order provide the specific language that must be used in the Consumer Disclosure required by the Wireless Microphones R&O, which is applicable to persons who manufacture, sell, lease, or offer for sale or lease, wireless microphone or video assist devices — either (a) wireless microphones or other low power auxiliary stations (“wireless microphones”) or video assist devices, authorized pursuant to Part 74, Subpart H of the Commission’s rules, or (b) unlicensed wireless microphones authorized pursuant to Section 15.236 — to the extent that these devices are capable of operating in the 600 MHz service band (617-652 MHz / 663-698 MHz).

The disclosure must read:

This particular wireless microphone device operates in portions of the 617-652 MHz or 663-698 MHz frequencies. Beginning in 2017, these frequencies are being transitioned by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to the 600 MHz service to meet increasing demand for wireless broadband services. Users of this device must cease operating on these frequencies no later than July 13, 2020. In addition, users of this device may be required to cease operations earlier than that date if their operations could cause harmful interference to a 600 MHz service licensee’s wireless operations on these frequencies. For more information, visit the FCC’s wireless microphone website at www.fcc.gov/wireless-microphones-guide or call the FCC at 1-888-CALL-FCC (TTY: 1-888-TELL-FCC).

On August 5, 2015, the Commission adopted the Wireless Microphones R&O, which established various rules applicable to wireless microphones (and other low power auxiliary stations) that operate on a licensed basis in the TV bands (which at that time included TV channels 2-51 except channel 37). Anticipating the repurposing of a portion of the TV bands for new 600 MHz wireless services after the close of the broadcast television incentive auction, the Commission took several actions to ensure that the use of wireless microphones does not cause harmful interference to new 600 MHz service licensees’ wireless operations. Among other actions, the Commission adopted the Consumer Disclosure requirement set forth in Sections 74.851(k) and 15.37(k), which is the subject of the instant order.

In adopting a Consumer Disclosure requirement, the Commission explained that consumers will need to be informed of the changes that will affect their use of wireless microphones in the portion of the TV bands that is being repurposed following the broadcast television incentive auction, the conditions associated with their continued use of the 600 MHz service band during the 39-month post-auction transition period, and their need to cease operations in the 600 MHz service band no later than the end of this transition period.

BloostonLaw Comments: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino.

Industry

CenturyLink Sued by Attorneys General over Internet Billing Practices

Earlier this month, Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson filed a complaint against CenturyLink alleging that CenturyLink “fraudulently charged some Minnesota consumers more than the price the company quoted to them at the time of sale” and “refused to honor its quoted rates after consumers bring the price misrepresentations to the company’s attention.”

During an investigation into CenturyLink’s practices, the complaint further alleges, pricing documents reviewed by the Attorney General’s office “reveal[ed] a complex and elaborate pricing system in which layers of conditions and exceptions can affect the rates paid by consumers.” First, the State focused on the “thousands” of promotional packages CenturyLink makes available, then the “dozens of fees” the company adds on top of its base rates, such as equipment, activation, shipping and handling, installation, and an “Internet Cost Recovery Fee”, the purpose of which the State described as “not readily apparent.”

The complaint relays a statement from a CenturyLink employee that, “maybe 1 out of 5 [price quotes] are quoted correctly or close enough. I have one today quoted $39 and its over $100 monthly.” It also includes a number of consumer horror-stories; in one, CenturyLink allegedly offered the consumer basic Internet service for $19.95, then sent him a bill for $367 (including $71 for basic Internet service).

CenturyLink is also involved in several private class action suits for similar practices in Arizona, Colorado, and Washington.

Deadlines

JULY 31: FCC FORM 507, UNIVERSAL SERVICE QUARTERLY LINE COUNT UPDATE. Line count updates are required to recalculate a carrier's per line universal service support, and is filed with the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). This information must be submitted on July 31 each year by all rate-of-return incumbent carriers, and on a quarterly basis if a competitive eligible telecommunications carrier (CETC) has initiated service in the rate-of-return incumbent carrier’s service area and reported line count data to USAC in the rate-of-return incumbent carrier’s service area, in order for the incumbent carrier to be eligible to receive Interstate Common Line Support (ICLS). This quarterly filing is due July 31 and covers lines served as of December 31, 2013. Incumbent carriers filing on a quarterly basis must also file on September 30 (for lines served as of March 31, 2014); December 30 (for lines served as of June 30, 2014), and March 31, 2015, for lines served as of September 30, 2014).

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Gerry Duffy.

JULY 31: CARRIER IDENTIFICATION CODE (CIC) REPORTS. Carrier Identification Code (CIC) Reports must be filed by the last business day of July (this year, July 31). These reports are required of all carriers who have been assigned a CIC code by NANPA. Failure to file could result in an effort by NANPA to reclaim it, although according to the Guidelines this process is initiated with a letter from NANPA regarding the apparent non-use of the CIC code. The assignee can then respond with an explanation. (Guidelines Section 6.2). The CIC Reporting Requirement is included in the CIC Assignment Guidelines, produced by ATIS. According to section 1.4 of that document: At the direction of the NANPA, the access providers and the entities who are assigned CICs will be requested to provide access and usage information to the NANPA, on a semi-annual basis to ensure effective management of the CIC resource. (Holders of codes may respond to the request at their own election). Access provider and entity reports must be submitted to NANPA no later than January 31 for the period ending December 31, and no later than July 31 for the period ending June 30. It is also referenced in the NANPA Technical Requirements Document, which states at 7.18.6: CIC holders must provide a usage report to the NANPA per the industry CIC guidelines … The NAS must be capable of accepting CIC usage reports per guideline requirements on January 31 for the period ending December 31 and no later than July 31 for the period ending June 30. These reports may also be mailed and accepted by the NANPA in paper form. Finally, according to the NANPA website, if no local exchange carrier reports access or usage for a given CIC, NANPA is obliged to reclaim it. The semi-annual utilization and access reporting mechanism is described at length in the guidelines.

BloostonLaw contacts: Ben Dickens and Gerry Duffy.

AUGUST 1: LIVE 911 CALL DATA REPORTS FOR NON-NATIONWIDE PROVIDERS. Non-Nationwide Providers that do not provide coverage in any of the Test Cities must collect and report aggregate data based on the largest county within its footprint to APCO, NENA, and NASNA on the location technologies used for live 911 calls in those areas. Carriers should obtain spreadsheets with their company’s compliance data from their E911 service provider (e.g., Intrado / West). This is a recurring report due every six months — on first business day of second month after the six month period for which data is reported.

BloostonLaw Contact: Cary Mitchell.

AUGUST 1: FCC FORM 499-Q, TELECOMMUNICATIONS REPORTING WORKSHEET. All telecommunications common carriers that expect to contribute more than $10,000 to federal Universal Service Fund (USF) support mechanisms must file this quarterly form. The FCC has modified this form in light of its recent decision to establish interim measures for USF contribution assessments. The form contains revenue information from the prior quarter plus projections for the next quarter. Form 499-Q relates only to USF contributions. It does not relate to the cost recovery mechanisms for the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund, the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA), and the shared costs of local number portability (LNP), which are covered in the annual form (Form 499-A) that was due April 1.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Gerry Duffy.

AUGUST 1: FCC FORM 502, NUMBER UTILIZATION AND FORECAST REPORT: Any wireless or wireline carrier (including paging companies) that have received number blocks--including 100, 1,000, or 10,000 number blocks—from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA), a Pooling Administrator, or from another carrier, must file Form 502 by August 1. Carriers porting numbers for the purpose of transferring an established customer’s service to another service provider must also report, but the carrier receiving numbers through porting does not. Resold services should also be treated like ported numbers, meaning the carrier transferring the resold service to another carrier is required to report those numbers but the carrier receiving such numbers should not report them. Reporting carriers file utilization and forecast reports semiannually on or before February 1 for the preceding six-month reporting period ending December 31, and on or before August 1 for the preceding six-month reporting period ending June 30. [emphasis added]

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Gerry Duffy.

AUGUST 3: E911 Indoor Location Accuracy — Initial Implementation Plan and First Progress Report. All CMRS service providers must prepare and submit to the FCC an Initial Implementation Plan which describes their company’s plans for meeting the FCC’s improved indoor location accuracy requirements, as well as a related First Progress Report which describes their efforts to date toward meeting the plan. The FCC has not specified a particular format for these filings, so we are preparing a template that will combine both into a single report. Please contact us if you want us to prepare these filings on your company’s behalf.

BloostonLaw Contact: Cary Mitchell.

AUGUST 29: COPYRIGHT STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS. The Copyright Statement of Accounts form plus royalty payment for the first half of calendar year 2014 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.

1. Facilities-based Providers of Broadband Connections to End User Locations: Entities that are facilities-based providers of broadband connections – which are wired “lines” or wireless “channels” that enable the end user to receive information from and/or send information to the Internet at information transfer rates exceeding 200 kbps in at least one direction – must complete and file the applicable portions of this form for each state in which the entity provides one or more such connections to end user locations. For the purposes of Form 477, an entity is a “facilities-based” provider of broadband connections to end user locations if it owns the portion of the physical facility that terminates at the end user location, if it obtains unbundled network elements (UNEs), special access lines, or other leased facilities that terminate at the end user location and provisions/equips them as broadband, or if it provisions/equips a broadband wireless channel to the end user location over licensed or unlicensed spectrum. Such entities include incumbent and competitive local exchange carriers (LECs), cable system operators, fixed wireless service providers (including “wireless ISPs”), terrestrial and satellite mobile wireless service providers, MMDS providers, electric utilities, municipalities, and other entities. (Such entities do not include equipment suppliers unless the equipment supplier uses the equipment to provision a broadband connection that it offers to the public for sale. Such entities also do not include providers of fixed wireless services (e.g., “Wi-Fi” and other wireless ethernet, or wireless local area network, applications) that only enable local distribution and sharing of a premises broadband facility.)
2. Providers of Wired or Fixed Wireless Local Telephone Services: Incumbent and competitive LECs must complete and file the applicable portions of the form for each state in which they provide local exchange service to one or more end user customers (which may include “dial-up” ISPs).
3. Providers of Interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Service: Interconnected VoIP service is a service that enables real-time, two-way voice communications; requires a broadband connection from the user’s location; requires Internet-protocol compatible customer premises equipment; and permits users generally to receive calls that originate on the public switched telephone network and to terminate calls to the public switched telephone network. Interconnected VoIP providers must complete and file the applicable portions of the form for each state in which they provide interconnected VoIP service to one or more subscribers, with the state determined for reporting purposes by the location of the subscriber’s broadband connection or the subscriber’s “Registered Location” as of the data-collection date. “Registered Location” is the most recent information obtained by an interconnected VoIP service provider that identifies the physical location of an end user.
4. Providers of Mobile Telephony Services: Facilities-based providers of mobile telephony services must complete and file the applicable portions of this form for each state in which they serve one or more mobile telephony subscribers. A mobile telephony service is a real-time, two-way switched voice service that is interconnected with the public switched network using an in-network switching facility that enables the provider to reuse frequencies and accomplish seamless handoff of subscriber calls. A mobile telephony service provider is considered “facilities-based” if it serves a subscriber using spectrum for which the entity holds a license that it manages, or for which it has obtained the right to use via lease or other arrangement with a Band Manager.

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 Commission 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.

Calendar At-A-Glance

July
Jul. 31 – FCC Form 507 (Universal Service Quarterly Line Count Update) is due.
Jul. 31 – Carrier Identification Code (CIC) Report is due.
Jul. 31 – International Traffic Data Report is due. (Subject to Temporary Waiver).
Jul. 31 – Deadline for comments refreshing the record on Toll Free Calling Access Charges.
Jul. 31 – Reply comments are due on Robocall Blocking proceeding.

August
Aug. 1 – FCC Form 502 due (North American Numbering Plan Utilization and Forecast Report).
Aug. 1 – FCC Form 499-Q (Quarterly Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet) is due.
Aug. 1 - Live 911 Call Data Reports for Non-Nationwide Providers due.
Aug. 3 – E911 Indoor Location Accuracy Initial implementation plan / first progress reports due.
Aug. 7 – Deadline to file for 3.65-3.7 GHz Grandfathered Protection Zone.
Aug. 15 – Deadline for reply comments refreshing the record on Toll Free Calling Access Charges.
Aug. 16 – Reply comments are due on Broadband Title I Reclassification NPRM.
Aug. 29 – Copyright Statement of Accounts is due.

September
Sep. 1 – FCC Form 477 due (Local Competition and Broadband Report).
Sep. 30 – FCC Form 396-C (MVPD EEO Program Annual Report).

SECURITY

Linux Malware’s Exploitation of Consumer IoT Devices on the Rise

A new report from security vendor WatchGuard finds a big increase in Linux malware, which researchers said stems from inherent weaknesses in consumer IoT devices.

Courtney Bjorlin | Jul 07, 2017

An increase in Linux-based malware is evidence that hackers are increasingly targeting IoT devices, according to a new quarterly security research report from cybersecurity vendor WatchGuard.

Linux malware made up more than a third of the top malware WatchGuard detected by analyzing anonymous threat data it gathered from tens of thousands of unified threat management appliances (its Firebox devices) globally. That’s three times more than it detected in its last quarterly report—growth that researchers attributed to hackers exploiting “systemic weakness” in an ever-expanding universe of connected devices.

Researchers said device manufacturers focus on usability and affordability over security and have released a “huge number of incredibly unsecure IoT devices” to consumers who have little security knowledge of how to protect them. Consumer IoT devices are often connected to the Internet without any firewall, allowing attackers easy access, and Open Telnet ports and SSH combined with weak passwords that consumers don’t (or can’t) change allow attackers to quickly infect.

“In the current state of the industry, IoT devices can’t yet be trusted,” researchers wrote. “While there are certainly exceptions, our research, as well as other industry research, suggests the vast majority of IoT devices have major security weaknesses and can pose a threat to the rest of your network.”

Researchers urged consumers to take steps to secure the IoT devices they purchase.

“You might presume criminals don’t care about your webcams, refrigerators or DVRs, but attackers know they can use these local devices to reach more important computers in your network,” researchers wrote. “Since manufacturers are shipping these devices with vulnerabilities, it’s up to you to secure them.”

Steps consumers can take include:

Protect IoT devices by firewalling them from the Internet, exposing only necessary services, and segment the internal network. Implement network firewall rules to block inbound Telnet and SSH access not only from the Internet, but from other internal networks as well (to prevent attack pivoting).

Change default passwords, and stay current on updates. IoT manufacturers often hard-code weak or non-existent passwords to make their products easier to use.

Avoid exposing command line interface (CLI) management interfaces to the Internet. Most IoT devices have no legitimate need for CLI access via Telnet or SSH, the researchers wrote, but consumers should take extra caution if it does, and implement network firewall rules to block inbound Telnet and SSH access not only from the Internet but from other internal networks, according to the report.

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 for a summary of their qualifications and experience. Each one has unique abilities. We would be happy to help you with a project, and maybe save you some time and money.

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.

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“If you would know the road ahead, ask someone who has traveled it.”
— Chinese Proverb

Wireless Network Planners
Wireless Specialists

R.H. (Ron) Mercer Consultant 217 First Street East Northport, NY 11731
Telephone: 631-786-9359
www.wirelessplanners.com
wirelessplannerron@gmail.com

“Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.”

—Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

• Ripple • Playing For Change •
• Song Around The World •

Published on Jul 5, 2015
We are proud to share with you an ALL NEW Song Around The World in honor of the Grateful Dead's 50th anniversary. Our friends at JamBase asked us to turn the Grateful Dead's 1970 classic, "Ripple" into a PFC Song Around the world as part of their "Songs Of Their Own" series (http://www.jambase.com/soto.aspx) and after many miles on planes, trains and automobiles we can finally share it with all of you!!

“Ripple” is in support of the Playing For Change Foundation's music schools and programs for children worldwide and we need your help. Watch the video and then let’s turn that inspiration we all share into something bigger. Join the “Ripple Effect” campaign so we can all leave the world better than we found it, one heart and one song at a time. As Jerry Garcia said, “Let there be songs to fill the air...”

Special Thanks to our Supporters: The Jerry Garcia Foundation (http://www.jerrygarciafoundation.org/), The Ripple Foundation, SeaChange (http://www.schange.com), Michael Klein and Judi Hunt.