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Welcome Back To The Wireless Messaging News There are a lot more fake news articles coming out lately about Paging Technology being obsolete, inefficient, unreliable, and a waste of money. I have enclosed one such article “NHS* spends over £6M every year on pagers” that was prompted by a report from CommonTime, a company that sells apps for smartphones, tablets, and desktops. This report goes to great lengths to lambaste pagers and to promote CommonTime products as the solution to this imaginary problem. They did include one dissenting opinion that defended the use of pagers. We never say that pagers should be the only wireless device used to keep people in touch — just that due to their simplicity and reliability, they should be used by everyone who must stay in contact during emergencies. [Even if as a secondary backup to another wireless device.] We maintain that cellphones — because they work so well all the time — give us all an unfortunate false sense of security that they will continue to do so during a catastrophic event like a terrorist bombing, a hurricane, a tornado, or any other event that causes many people to try to communicate at the same time. That is when cellphones will not work! * The National Health Service (NHS) is the publicly funded national healthcare system for England. Please take notice of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update headline about “Discontinuance of Operation” and how “License Savers” or “Channel Keepers” (i.e., a device which only transmits test signals, tones, color bars or some combination) does not constitute station operation, and will therefore result in the start of discontinuance of operation time period. I think some paging companies have tried to hold on to licenses that they don't use to keep a competitor from gaining access to them. Spok Holdings Inc. (SPOK) Settles Into New 52-Week Low on September 07 SessionEquities Staff 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 $14.75 yesterday after opening at $15.75. By the closing bell, the company's stock was at $14.80 a share for a loss of 6.33%. 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 281,579 shares of its stock trade hands, that's out of 19.98 million shares outstand. The stock has an average daily volume of 126,054 shares. After hitting a new 52-week low, Spok Holdings Inc. enters the new trading day with a market cap of 295.66 million, a 50-day SMA of $16.79 and a 200-day SMA of $18.09 Spok Holdings Inc. now has a P/E ratio of 34.3. 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. [source] Now on to more news and views. |
Wayne County, Illinois
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. Subscribe IT'S FREE * required field If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter just fill in the blanks in the form above, and then click on the “Subscribe” button. There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. It’s all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology. The Wireless Messaging News
The Board of Advisor members are people with whom I have developed a special rapport, and have met personally. They are not obligated to support the newsletter in any way, except with advice, and maybe an occasional letter to the editor. |
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| Source: | IWCE's Urgent Communications | Thanks to Jim Nelson. |
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| Web Site: | http://www.stiengineering.com.au | E-mail: | sales@stiengineering.com.au |
NHS spends over £6M every year on pagersby Reece Armstrong The NHS is spending millions of pounds on out-dated, limited and inefficient pagers every year, according to a new report by digital solutions company, CommonTime.
The report, Pagers in the NHS: The Cost of Ageing Comms Channels in Healthcare, looks at how prominent the usage of pagers is by the NHS. The report reveals that the NHS is one of the biggest users of the devices, with 138 Trusts estimated to be using over 10% of all pagers in circulation worldwide. Despite a global decline of the technology, the NHS is still spending over £6 million every year on pagers, the report states. The report highlights the limitations of the devices, such as being unable to support vital two-way communication between NHS professionals and a lack of auditing capabilities. More so, with key suppliers such as Vodafone having now left the pager market, it’s expected that NHS staff may turn to other methods for communication such as WhatsApp and Snapchat. By moving from pagers to smartphones and other mobile devices, the document states that the NHS could save over £2.7 million from the direct costs associated with the technology, as well as network maintenance costs. However, some digitally progressive trusts were already found to be moving away from pagers, even though 97.8% of hospitals still relied on the devices. Commenting in the report, Rowan Pritchard Jones, a consultant plastic reconstructive surgeon and chief clinical information officer at St. Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Pagers represent 20th Century technology and are a blunt instrument for communication. Apart from a ‘fast bleep’ doctors have no sense of the urgency or priority of a call, end up writing down messages that can be lost, and often find a telephone number engaged when they do answer it. “There has to be a more refined, accountable, reliable way to communicate. Doubtless a task the smartphone could cope with provided we are assured of the wifi or signal coverage in modern day hospitals.” Dr. Johan Waktare, a consultant cardiologist, who serves as director and health informatics consultant at ITEH, also commented in the report: “Pagers are a technology that have very much stood still. There is always a strong case for having a resilient way of being able to contact people, classically for crash alerts. But, for many of the other tasks that pager technology is used for, they’re not very efficient and clinical time is wasted. Pagers are so much part of the wallpaper in the NHS, nobody is really thinking about how we could best meet our workflow needs in 2017.” Geoff Hall, CCIO & Associate Medical Director — Infomatics Leeds Cancer Centre and Dave Moody, Data & Telecoms Infrastructure manager Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, defended the use of pagers, saying: “Pagers seem like old technology, but they still exist purely for their inherent high levels of resilience. They are simple to use i.e. calls can be pushed out by ringing one number, there is an audit trail, the device is easy to carry, and the battery lasts months, not hours. They do only one task, but they do it well. They provide a last line of defense. Internally we operate on our own radio infrastructure. The paging networks have few points of failure unlike Wi-Fi infrastructures, operate on dedicated frequencies, and can easily be ring fenced to ensure continued service during power outages. In terms of radio technology, they operate at a much lower frequency to those used by mobile phones. The low frequency has the benefit of travelling further, therefore better coverage and has much better building penetration. The frequency is also considerably less congested, so in times of peak demand, e.g. New Year’s Eve, or during a major incident, the message will still get through.” [Please see Brad's editorial comments above.] |
| Source: | Medical Plastics News |
sales@wirelessmessaging.com Contact Us for OEM Requests BluTrac (Bluetooth Tracking and Control)
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Apple iPhone 8 event: what to expectiPhone, iPhone, Watch, TV, iPhone by Lauren Goode
Apple’s upcoming September 12th event is more than just its annual hardware event: it marks 10 years of iPhone launches, which first shipped in June 2007 and is undeniably Apple’s most important product. So, it’s not surprising that many of the early reports and rumors about this event have been focused on the iPhone. Will it have an OLED display? Will there will be a “pro” version of the phone? And just how much will it cost? But over the past decade, there have been just as many other notable product developments for Apple, on its path to becoming the world’s most valuable tech company. It created the App Store, and the app economy. It shipped the long-rumored iPad. It got into wearable computing and health and fitness tracking with the launch of the Apple Watch. Its “services” business became one of the fastest-growing areas for the company. So this event could very well be about other products and services as much as it’s about a new iPhone. Here’s a rundown of what to expect from the event. NEW IPHONESOkay, with all of that said: this event is really about new iPhones. We are expecting as many as three different iPhones. First and most obviously, there should be updates to both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The cadence between a new, numbered iPhone and an "S" update is something Apple has been doing since the iPhone 3GS. All rumors point to that happening again this year. S models usually include faster processors and better cameras, so that's probably a safe bet, too.
As for naming, we still don’t know whether Apple will continue its tradition of affixing an “S” to an existing model number, or if it will be called iPhone 8. But our best guess is on the S model, because there’s another new iPhone that everybody's expecting, and this one could be a very good candidate for being called the “iPhone 8.” (Other guesses include iPhone X, iPhone Pro, and iPhone Edition — though those candidates don't seem as likely.) It’s widely expected that this will be some advanced version of the iPhone, one that could possibly ship later this year. Rumors and leaks point to an edge-to-edge OLED display, a new 3D face-scanning camera, wireless charging capabilities, and a nonexistent home button.
Many of the new iPhone headline features are new for Apple, but not new in the broader industry. Other high-end smartphones have bright, edge-to-edge OLED displays, are using biometric sensors like iris scanners, or have done away with a physical home button, opting instead for fingerprint sensors on the backs of phones. And inductive charging isn’t even entirely new for Apple, since the Apple Watch charges this way. What would set Apple’s phone apart is the way it integrates this new design with software features, or gesture or voice controls, since Apple’s distinct advantage is having control of the full stack in its products. We've also not yet seen a consumer phone with a face-unlock solution that wasn't insecure or slow (they're usually both). So if Apple has figured that out, it will be a genuinely new thing that it can claim to take the lead on. APPLE WATCH 3/LTEThe wearables business isn’t nearly as important for Apple right now as its phone business, but that hasn’t stopped the company from making vague claims about the Apple Watch being comparable to the size of a Fortune 500 company all on its own. And, according to recent data from IDC, Apple is now only second to Xiaomi in terms of worldwide wearable shipments. So it’s still a noteworthy product area for Apple.
That’s why it’s not surprising that we may see another update to the Apple Watch, one that adds an LTE modem to the device. This means that certain features that currently require having your phone nearby — like making phone calls, sending text messages, streaming music, or even installing new software — could work on the Watch independently of the phone. Other smartwatch makers have tried this before, including LG and Samsung. But one thing that often suffers when you try to make a tiny smartwatch act like your phone, and not an accessory to your phone, is battery life. So it’s still TBD what LTE would do to Apple Watch’s 18-hour battery life. Apple’s new Watch software, watchOS 4, is also expected to roll out in the coming weeks. This will bring new features like a Siri-ready watchface, a tri-sport (or multisport) mode, and some direct integration with gym equipment. APPLE TVThis may be the year that Apple finally catches up with Amazon, Roku, and Chromecast by offering 4K support on its streaming media device. The next generation of the Apple TV, according to a Bloomberg report earlier this year, will stream videos in 4K and in more “vivid colors.” (We're hoping for both HDR10 and Dolby Vision.)
It’s a move that will likely help boost sales of the box, which were down in the 2016 holiday season from the previous year, because it’s a shiny new thing. But Apple TV has still been more expensive than many of its competitors, and it has an “app”-like interface rather than one that models a more traditional TV “channel” experience. Apple, unlike Amazon, has also struggled to make compelling original content that hooks people into its services the way it undoubtedly hoped it would. But if WWDC was any indication, Apple is also fully aware of that: the company said at the developers conference that the Amazon Prime Video app would come to Apple TV sometime this year. HOMEPOD, IMAC PRO, AND MAC PROAll three are products that Apple has announced, but has yet to ship. So whether they'll get stage time is anybody's guess. The HomePod's planned release date is December, and Apple has, so far, marketed it more as a high-quality speaker than a digital assistant. Apple will surely remind us that it's coming, but probably won't do much more with it. The iMac Pro is also slated for a December release, but there probably won't be time to touch on it during this month's event. As for the fully redesigned Mac Pro, that won't arrive until next year, and it's hard to imagine that Apple will unveil it now. Sorry, Mac fans. You'll have to wait a little longer. IOS 11, ARKIT, AND MACOS HIGH SIERRANew hardware is great, but Apple’s software rollouts are a lot more critical for people who aren’t planning on buying new Macs or iPhones in 2017. And this year, iPad users are arguably going to benefit the most: the new iOS 11 software could very well transform the iPad into an actual productivity device, with a redesigned dock, advanced multitasking, and new drag-and-drop features. And on both iPad and iPhone, iOS 11 brings a bigger, consolidated Control Center, a new, grid-like app switcher, and a new file-storage app called, simply, Files.
These are just a few of the features — there’s even more stuff to come around Siri, Notes, screengrabs, and file markups — but one of the biggest advancements that’s rolling out with iOS 11 is the launch of ARKit, Apple’s new app platform for augmented reality apps. We’ve already seen a bunch of AR apps on iPhone and Android (the tremendously popular Pokémon Go is a favored example), but most AR mobile apps to date have been basic, 2D or “flat” imagery. ARKit, on the other hand, lets developers build advanced, 3D AR apps without requiring months of work or computer imaging expertise. It’s expected to be a Big Deal in the AR world — especially since Google has also just rolled out its own version of this, ARCore, for Android devs.
We still don’t know exactly when Apple’s newest software will roll out — it happened in mid-September last year — but it’s safe to guess that it will likely coincide with when the new hardware goes on sale. STEVE JOBS THEATERThere’s another new product out there that most of the world hasn’t seen yet, and that’s Apple’s new $5 billion campus in Cupertino, California. (In fact, most Apple employees still haven’t been inside of it yet.) The September 12th event will mark the first public event taking place in the Steve Jobs theater, a brand-new, 1,000-seat auditorium named after the late co-founder and CEO of Apple. The auditorium is also underground, according to floor plans, which hopefully won’t impact Wi-Fi signals. As always, The Verge will be on the ground (under the ground?) bringing you all of the latest news. |
| Source: | The Verge |
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Virgin Island Gov. Signs Confiscation Order Ahead of Hurricane Irmaby S.H. BLANNELBERRY on SEPTEMBER 5, 2017 The governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands signed an order Monday instructing law enforcement personnel to confiscate firearms and ammunition from residents before the arrival of Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 tempest. Under the order, Gov. Kenneth Mapp activated the National Guard and gave authorities the green light to “restore public order, and to guarantee the safety of life and property.” That also includes the seizure of “arms ammunition, explosives, incendiary material, and any other property that may be required by the military forces for the performance of this emergency mission,” as approved by the territory’s Department of Justice, The Hill Reports. Confiscation by the state during a time of crisis should sound familiar. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin issued a similar decree calling on police to round up guns from law-abiding folk. However, this extra-constitutional abuse of power by the government did not go unchecked. The National Rifle Association stepped in, filed a lawsuit, and won. The immediate result of this effort was a cessation of confiscation in The Big Easy, and down the road it led to a federal bill, signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2006, prohibiting the seizure of firearms during states of emergency.
To that end, the NRA promised Tuesday to fight Gov. Mapp on this front just as it did Gov. Nagin during Katrina. “People need the ability to protect themselves during times of natural disaster,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director, NRA-ILA, in a press release. “This dangerous order violates the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens and puts their lives at risk.” “When 911 is non-existent and law enforcement personnel are overwhelmed with search-and-rescue missions and other emergency duties, law-abiding American citizens must be able to protect their families and loved ones. The NRA is prepared to pursue legal action to halt Gov. Mapp’s dangerous and unconstitutional order,” continued Cox. The number one reason people own firearms is for self-defense. Stripping that right away from citizens when they are the most vulnerable is not only unconstitutional, it’s downright diabolical. |
| Source: | Guns America |
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Why North America Needs a New Messaging EcosystemText messaging today is over-complicated and unable to meet evolving demands. Marco Lafrentz The current enterprise messaging framework is under pressure to fulfill consumer demand for new mobile messaging use cases, including appointment confirmations, customer care dialogues, conversational commerce, among others. In North America today, text messaging (SMS and MMS) is over-complicated for operators and enterprises and unable to meet the evolving demands of enterprise-to-consumer communication.
What's needed is a new messaging framework that provides a common, interconnected global messaging ecosystem that will fill the gap between person-to-person (P2P) messaging and application-to-person (A2P) messaging over short codes — while providing a simpler, faster, and safer two-way communication channel for enterprises and consumers. Current Landscape The issue for today is that enterprises (and their CPaaS vendors) only have two main options: short codes or long codes. Unfortunately, the limited supply of short codes — coupled with a lengthy, complex process of acquiring a code — is inadequate to meet growing enterprise requirements. Currently, the maximum number of short codes available for use by all enterprises in the U.S. at a given time is approximately 880,000. This number is determined by the number of digits and total combinations possible in the short codes. And, the enterprise needs to set aside weeks for all participating wireless carriers to approve and provision a campaign. Unlike short codes, there are plenty of long codes to go around. However, long codes were primarily designed for P2P messaging with almost zero cost for the users. For this reason, A2P messages sent over long codes are frequently blocked to avoid exploitation by rogue players. CPaaS-Optimized Two-Way A2P Messaging Ecosystem In an ideal situation, when an enterprise decides to use mobile messaging to communicate with its customers or employees, it would be able to do so using a single Web dashboard — similar to management of many cloud solutions these days. Within the dashboard, an enterprise would create a company profile and register phone numbers (fixed line or mobile) for two-way texting use cases with an independently managed system. Once an enterprise registers, the system would ping two parties that can approve or disapprove the use case: the operator and the DID provider. A neutral Web administrator would run this independently managed system, with network access provided by interconnection hubs that abide by FCC and CTIA rules and guidelines. This fast and streamlined process would allow an enterprise to speed up its communications and related transactions, providing a way to integrate A2P messaging easily. Operators would be able to support enterprise-to-consumer messaging — and the system would also make it easy for end consumers to look up the enterprise sender's identity — fostering end-to-end transparency. New Way Forward It's time for the North American messaging community to seize this opportunity and help enterprises connect with today's consumers in the way they want. The industry is ready for a new system that builds on the established messaging ecosystem, while extending the current limits in scale, speed, and convenience and bringing about a simple online process for both operators and enterprises.
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| Source: | no jitter |
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| Swissphone |
Disaster-Proven Paging for Public SafetyPaging 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
Pager
Dispatching:
Swissphone provides a proven solution at an affordable cost. Do you want to learn more? |
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| Source: | Inside Towers newsletter | Courtesy of the editor of Inside Towers. |
Wireless Communication Solutions USB Paging Encoder
Paging Data Receiver (PDR)
Other products Please see our web site for other products including Internet Messaging Gateways, Unified Messaging Servers, test equipment, and Paging Terminals.
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A ProblemThe 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 . 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 ]
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| BloostonLaw Newsletter |
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 kind permission from the firm. The firm's contact information is included at the end of this section of the newsletter.
FCC Releases Regulatory Fee Order — Fees Due September 26, 2017Earlier this afternoon, the FCC released its regulatory fee order for FY2017. Regulatory fees will be due by 11:59 PM on September 26, 2017. In this regard, the FCC has opened its Fee Filer System in order to facilitate the payment of the annual regulatory fees. One substantial change is the FCC’s definition of de minimis. Previously, the threshold amount was $500.00. This year, the FCC has increased the threshold to $1,000. Thus, if the total regulatory fee liability for a particular entity is less than $1,000, it will be exempt from the payment of regulatory fees. In that case, we recommend that a letter be filed with the FCC that demonstrates the regulated entity is exempt from the payment of the fee so that further inquiry from the FCC can be avoided. We will be providing more detailed information to you in a memorandum which describes the regulatory fee program and any changes for this year. BloostonLaw Contact: Richard Rubino HeadlinesNew FCC Rules for License Renewals and Discontinuance of Operation Will Require CMRS Licensees to Have Unrelated CustomersAs we previously reported, the FCC has adopted its long awaited order adopting new rules which define (a) the requirements for renewal of wireless licenses and (b) when a station is deemed to have permanently discontinued operation for the for the Wireless Radio Services (WRS), which encompass most of our CMRS and private user licensee clients. On September 1, the FCC published in the Federal Register its Second Report and Order governing license renewal and service continuity rules. The new rules are effective October 2, 2017, except for §§ 1.949, 1.950, and 1.953, which are subject to further approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). These three sections govern application for renewal under the new WRS standard; geographic partitioning and spectrum disaggregation, and discontinuance of service or operations. Once OMB approval is received, the FCC will publish a further notice in the Federal Register which announces the effective date of these rules. However, the FCC is delaying the implementation of the new renewal procedures for licenses in the Common Carrier Fixed Point-to-Point Microwave Service (Part 101) until October 1, 2018; and certain commercial geographic auction licenses will have until January 1, 2023 before the new renewal process applies. NOTE: This delay will NOT apply to licenses in the 700 MHz, AWS-3, AWS-4, H-Block and 600 MHz services, since these auctioned services were already subject to the renewal standard that has just now been adopted in the WRS order. Discontinuance of Operation Rule Will Start the Clock Ticking on Loss of any License Not in Use The FCC has revised its rules concerning the permanent discontinuance of operation of commercial wireless systems such as cellular, PCS, 700 MHz fixed microwave, SMR, paging and other for-profit services. The FCC’s uniform discontinuance rule now encompasses services such as PCS, which were previously not subject to any discontinuance restriction. For CMRS providers, the FCC has defined the time-line for a permanent discontinuance of operation, as follows:
In order for a commercial service provider to be considered operational, it must be providing commercial service to at least one unaffiliated subscriber. Thus, the FCC could conclude that a commercial station has permanently discontinued operation if it is not providing service to at least one unaffiliated customer, even though the station was fully operational and the licensee was ready, willing and able to provide service if requested. Any for-profit licensee, and anyone holding a license classified as “CMRS” must be ready to meet this additional requirement. If despite a CMRS status the company only uses its station for private, internal communications, it may be advisable to convert to “PMRS” status, so that the customer requirement and other common carrier reporting requirements do not apply to the station. We can assist clients with this process. The FCC’s rules concerning permanent discontinuances of operation remain largely unchanged for private internal radio operations. For site-based licenses (which are the vast majority of the private radio licenses held by our clients), a licensed facility will be deemed to have permanently discontinued operation if it has not operated a transmitter for a period of 365 consecutive days. As discussed above, for those of our clients who operate under geographic area licenses (e.g., auction licenses), the time period is 180 days. If you find yourself in a situation where due to a lengthy equipment failure or other issue, it is possible that you may exceed the applicable discontinuance period, a request for a longer discontinuance period must be filed no later than 30 days prior to the end of the applicable 180-day or 365-day discontinuance deadline. The filing of the extension request will automatically extend the discontinuance period for the later of 30 calendar days, or to the date upon which the Commission has acted on the request. Of course, once such extension request is filed, the FCC is on notice of that your operation is off the air, so you will want to take the steps necessary to timely meet the extended deadline. License Savers It is important to note that the operation of a “Channel Keeper” (i.e., a device which only transmits test signals, tones, color bars or some combination) does not constitute station operation, and will therefore not stop a discontinuance of operation clock. Instead, the FCC expects bona fide operation of radio facilities featuring the sending of actual communications. Reporting Requirement The FCC has made it clear that licensees must submit licenses for cancellation within 10 days of a permanent discontinuance of operation. A failure to make such a filing could potentially result in enforcement action. In addition, depending on the nature and scope of any discontinuance, the FCC’s outage reporting rule may be triggered, again creating the risk of a fine for non-compliance. Affected clients should consult with us if they may fall under such obligations. License Renewal The FCC has adopted a license renewal standard which is purportedly designed to ensure standardized review of license applications without placing an undue burden on licensees. As a result, the FCC has created different safe harbors for site-based and geographic area licensees, which will require certifications regarding license operations over the prior license term:
For a licensee in its initial term with an interim construction performance requirement, the applicant must certify as follows:
For any licensee in an initial license term without an interim construction performance requirement, the applicant must certify as follows:
For any licensee in any subsequent license term, the licensee must certify as follows:
For a licensee in its initial term with an interim performance requirement, the applicant must certify as follows:
For a licensee in any subsequent license term, the licensee must certify as follows:
In the case of a license partition or disaggregation that does not involve a construction performance requirement (e.g., the partitioner already built enough coverage to meet the build out for the entire license), the licensee will be required to certify, as follows:
Regulatory Compliance Certification In addition to certifications concerning the physical operation of the license to be renewed, the FCC is also requiring all license renewal applicants to certify that it has “substantially” complied with all applicable FCC rules, policies and the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. Importantly, the FCC dropped its proposal to require each renewal applicant to report every violation or fine it has ever received, which BloostonLaw objected to as onerous. What Happens if I Cannot Make a Certification? The FCC will require an alternative demonstration of compliance, if a licensee cannot make an appropriate safe-harbor showing or the regulatory compliance showing. Any client who is unable to make the appropriate showing should contact our office as soon as possible so that we can work with you to develop the necessary information. In this regard, the FCC’s staff has informally indicated that special showings should be the exception to the rule, and that most license renewal applications should be covered by safe-harbor certifications. Keep Your Licenses Up-to-Date Because the FCC is focused on the construction status of licensed facilities, it will become even more important for you to notify us when you have removed a licensed radio facility from operation. This is because these facilities need to be removed from your license so that you can make accurate certifications at the time of license renewal. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino DIRS Deactivated in Louisiana and Certain Counties in TexasOn September 2, the FCC announced that it has deactivated the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) for Hurricane Harvey for all counties in Louisiana and Texas, except the Texas counties of Aransas, Calhoun, Chambers, Hardin, Harris, Jefferson, Matagorda, Nueces, Orange, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria, and Wharton. For those counties where DIRS remains activated, the Commission requests that communications providers expeditiously submit and update information through DIRS regarding, inter alia, the status of their communications equipment, restoration efforts, power (i.e., whether they are using commercial power, generator or battery), and access to fuel, if they provide service to any areas listed. Communications providers can accomplish this by accessing DIRS at https://www.fcc.gov/nors/disaster/ or PSHSB webpage (www.fcc.gov/pshs). Reports are requested by 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 3 and every day after that by 10:00 a.m. until DIRS is deactivated. Note that NORS reporting obligations are suspended when companies report in DIRS. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell. Law & RegulationSenate Committee Announces Hearing on Lifeline Waste, Fraud, and AbuseOn September 6, U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, convened a hearing titled, “Addressing the Risk of Waste, Fraud and Abuse in the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline Program.” Witnesses for the hearing were: Mr. Seto Bagdoyan, Director, Audit Services, Forensic Audits & Investigative Service at the Government Accountability Office (GAO); Commissioner Chris Nelson, Commissioner, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission; Ms. Deborah Collier, Director of Technology and Telecommunications Policy, Citizens Against Government Waste; Dr. Jeffrey Eisenach, Visiting Scholar, American Enterprise Institute and Adjunct Professor, George Mason University School of Law; and Ms. Jessica J. González, Deputy Director & Senior Counsel, Free Press. Witness testimony, opening statements, and a live video of the hearing will be available at https://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2017/8/committee-announces-hearing-addressing-the-risk-of-waste-fraud-and-abuse-in-the-federal-communications-commission-s-lifeline-program later this week. Readers will recall that the Lifeline program was recently the subject of a report conducted by the GAO, which found “recurring failures of evaluation and oversight creating persistent risk of waste, fraud, and abuse and threatening the ability of Lifeline to serve its intended purpose.” BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and Mary Sisak. FCC Postpones Filing Window for Biennial Form 323On September 1, the FCC issued an Order, on its own motion, postponing the opening of the 2017 biennial filing window for the submission of broadcast ownership reports on FCC Forms 323 and 323-E. The filing window will now open on December 1, 2017, and close on March 2, 2018. According to the Order, the FCC is postponing the start of the filing window “to provide sufficient time to properly implement the electronic versions of the revised Forms 323 and 323-E in the Licensing and Management System (LMS).” Extending the window will “ensure that filers have sufficient time to complete and submit their reports.” The FCC further encouraged to complete and submit their Form 323 and Form 323-E filings as early as possible during the window and well in advance of the extended deadline. This extension applies only to the 2017 biennial filing, and the Order only impacts the timing and duration of the 2017 biennial ownership report filing window, not the “as-of” date of the data contained on the reports. Information contained on the reports will continue to be required to be current as of October 1, 2017. BloostonLaw Contacts: Gerry Duffy. IndustryFCC To Host CAF Phase II Auction Webinar On September 1, the FCC’s Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force announced that the Wireless Telecommunications and Wireline Competition Bureaus will host a webinar about the proposed auction process on September 11, 2017, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET.
The webinar will be available live over the Internet and participants will have an opportunity to submit questions before and during the webinar. Additional details, including how to register, how to view the workshop remotely, and how to obtain reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities will be released at a later date. On August 4, 2017, the Commission released the Connect America Fund Phase II (CAF II) Auction Comment Public Notice, seeking comment on detailed proposals for conducting the Phase II reverse auction designated as Auction 903. While many of the pre-auction and bidding procedures and processes proposed for this auction are similar to those used in other Commission auctions, the proposals include some new procedures and processes. DeadlinesSEPTEMBER 30: FCC FORM 396-C, MVPD EEO PROGRAM REPORTING FORM. Each year on September 30, multi-channel video program distributors (“MVPDs”) must file with the FCC an FCC Form 396-C, Multi-Channel Video Programming Distributor EEO Program Annual Report, for employment units with six or more full-time employees. Users must access the FCC’s electronic filing system via the Internet in order to submit the form; it will not be accepted if filed on paper unless accompanied by an appropriate request for waiver of the electronic filing requirement. Certain MVPDs also will be required to complete portions of the Supplemental Investigation Sheet (“SIS”) located at the end of the Form. These MVPDs are specifically identified in a Public Notice each year by the FCC. BloostonLaw Contacts: Gerry Duffy and Sal Taillefer. OCTOBER 16: 911 RELIABILITY CERTIFICATION. Covered 911 Service Providers, which are defined as entities that “[p]rovide[] 911, E911, or NG911 capabilities such as call routing, automatic location information (ALI), automatic number identification (ANI), or the functional equivalent of those capabilities, directly to a public safety answering point (PSAP), statewide default answering point, or appropriate local emergency authority,” or that “[o]perate[] one or more central offices that directly serve a PSAP,” are required certify that they have taken reasonable measures to provide reliable 911 service with respect to three substantive requirements: (i) 911 circuit diversity; (ii) central office backup power; and (iii) diverse network monitoring by October 15. Certifications must be made through the FCC’s portal. BloostonLaw Contacts: Gerry Duffy, Mary Sisak and Sal Taillefer. NOVEMBER 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 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 499-A that is due BloostonLaw Contacts: Gerry Duffy and Sal Taillefer. Calendar At-A-GlanceSeptember October November
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Amateur Radio Preparations Ramp Up as Irma Strengthens to Category 5Hurricane Irma — the most powerful hurricane in more than a decade to threaten the Atlantic coast — has been making its way through the Caribbean with the likelihood of affecting Florida by late this weekend. Evacuations already were under way by midweek in several Florida counties. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has called Irma "an extremely dangerous category 5 hurricane." Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the storm's center.
The NHC has warned that the combination of a life-threatening storm surge and large, breaking waves will cause above-normal tides and flood normally dry areas near the coast. Rainfall of up to 15 inches or — in isolated instances — 20 inches has been predicted. W1AW at ARRL HQ will be in monitoring mode through Saturday and will activate on Sunday. Ham Aid equipment has been deployed to the West Central Florida Section, where ARES teams in at least three counties are ready to support shelter communication. The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) activated on September 5, and by mid-week was watching three hurricanes — Category 5 Irma; Category 1 José, following behind Irma, and Category 1 Katia in the Gulf of Mexico. "It now looks like the Hurricane Watch Net will be working on two land-falling hurricanes," said HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV. "Over the next few days, Irma will affect Hispaniola, Cuba, the Bahamas, and Florida." "José could affect the northern Leeward Islands Saturday or Sunday as a Category 2 Hurricane. Katia is forecast to make landfall on the coast of Mexico as a Category 2 Hurricane late Friday evening or early Saturday morning. The HWN's primary frequency is 14.325 MHz, and its nighttime frequency is 7.268 MHz, although the net could operate on both frequencies simultaneously. Graves said the net, which marks its 52nd anniversary this week, would remain in continuous operation until further notice. The 5-day projected track of Hurricane Irma as of the morning of September 7. Click on graphic to update. [NOAA graphic]
The VoIP Hurricane Net activated on September 5 — as did WX4NHC at the NHC. Both the HWN and the VoIP Hurricane Network relay hurricane "ground-truth" information via WX4NHC to the NHC to assist forecasters. Any Amateur Radio operators in the affected area of Irma or with relays into the affected area of Irma are asked to provide surface and damage reports into the VoIP Hurricane Net for relay into WX4NHC. SKYWARN Nets active as Irma moves through the Caribbean can pass reports to the VoIP Hurricane Net for relay into WX4NHC and are asked to designate a net liaison or connect directly to the *WX_TALK* EchoLink conference node: 7203/IRLP 9219. Stations on AllStar can connect to the EchoLink side of the system by dialing *033007203. IARU Region 2 Emergency Coordinator Cesar Pio Santos, HR2P, compiled a list of emergency frequencies, subject to change, for use in the Caribbean in anticipation of Hurricane Irma. Radio amateurs not involved with the emergency should avoid these frequencies.
The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) encouraged its operators to start monitoring the HWN. On Wednesday, September 6, the International SATERN SSB Net moved to a Delta II (extended monitoring) status from 1400 until 2300 UTC. SATERN National Liaison Bill Feist, WB8BZH, said that schedule could hold through the end of the week. Stations on the net will seek information on emergency, priority, or health-and-welfare traffic, situation and hurricane damage, and communication disruptions. SATERN will not accept health-and-welfare inquiries. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that several FEMA Regions would activate the 5 MHz/60-meter interoperability frequencies in support of a possible response to Hurricane Irma. Direct communication between federal and amateur stations is permitted. FEMA stations are:
These suppressed-carrier reference frequencies — also known as dial frequencies or window frequencies — 5330.5 kHz (voice), 5346.5 kHz (data), 5357.0 kHz, 5371.5 kHz, and 5403.5 kHz, may be used as part of the event. The FEMA point of contact is Dave Adsit, KG4BIR, FEMA Spectrum Manager, (540) 272-4605. The FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) reminded licensees this week that FCC rules address operation during emergencies. "These rules allow licensees to provide emergency communications during a period of emergency in a manner or configuration not specified in the station authorization or in the rules governing such stations," the FCC said. The FCC contact for Part 97 (Amateur Service) rules is Mike Regiec, (717) 338-2603. During non-business hours, contact the FCC Operations Center, (202) 418-1122. Updates on storm-related Amateur Radio activity are posted on the ARRL Hurricane Irma page. |
| Source: | The ARRL Letter |
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| Source: | YouTube | Playing For Change |
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