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BUSINESS NEWS DECEMBER 20, 2018 / 4:33 PM FCC fines Swarm $900,000 for unauthorized satellite launchDavid Shepardson 3 MIN READ WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Swarm Technologies Inc will pay a $900,000 fine for launching and operating four small experimental communications satellites that risked “satellite collisions” and threatened “critical commercial and government satellite operations,” the Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday.
The California-based start-up founded by former Google and Apple engineers in 2016 also agreed to enhanced FCC oversight and a requirement of pre-launch notices to the FCC for three years. Swarm launched the satellites in India last January after the FCC rejected its application to deploy and operate them, citing concerns about the company’s tracking ability. It said Swarm had unlawfully transmitted signals between earth stations in the state of Georgia and the satellites for over a week. The investigation also found that Swarm performed unauthorized weather balloon-to-ground station tests and other unauthorized equipment tests prior to the satellites’ launch. Swarm aims to provide low-cost space-based Internet service and plans eventually to use a constellation of 100 satellites. Swarm won permission in August from the FCC to reactivate the satellites and said then it is “fully committed to complying with all regulations and has been working closely with the FCC,” noting that its satellites are “100 percent trackable.” Swarm co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Sara Spangelo said in a statement on Thursday that the company accepts the FCC decision “and appreciates the FCC’s ongoing support for Swarm’s mission.” Earlier this month, SpaceX launched three more satellites for Swarm on a Falcon 9 rocket after winning FCC approval. FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said the size of the penalty “is probably not significant enough to deter future behavior, but the negative press coverage is likely to prevent this company and others from attempting to do this again.” O’Rielly said an initial fine negotiated by FCC staff was rejected by some commissioners, which led to reopening settlement talks. Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Dan Grebler [source]
This newsletter has been published almost every Friday for over sixteen years. If you like it, or if you have benefited from any of the news that has been re-published here, a donation or a new advertisement to help cover expenses would be sincerely appreciated. This would be a good time to use up the rest of this year's advertising budget. Please click on the Donate button in the right-hand column and send what you can. Support has lessened considerably. Please click on the Donate button in the right-hand column and send what you can.
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NO POLITICS HERE
This doesn't mean that nothing is ever published here that mentions a US political party—it just means that the editorial policy of this newsletter is to remain neutral on all political issues. We don't take sides.
A new issue of the Wireless Messaging Newsletter is posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon central US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the web. That way it doesn’t fill up your incoming e-mail account. There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world’s major Paging and Wireless Messaging companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers — so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It’s all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology.
I regularly get readers’ comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the Paging, and Wireless Messaging communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my web site. I am very careful to protect the anonymity of those who request it.
TIME TO HUDDLE UP
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.
We need your help. This is probably the only weekly news source about paging and wireless messaging.
Editorial Opinion pieces present only the opinions of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of any of advertisers or supporters. This newsletter is independent of any trade association. I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings, but I do freely express my own opinions.
Prism-IPX Systems is growing and they are looking for more good software developers with communications experience. Additional information is available on their web site. Click here .
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FCC Releases Plan in the Event of a Partial Government Shutdown12/19/2018
The FCC has released its Plan for Orderly Shutdown in case funds become unavailable to continue operation. “If a potential lapse in appropriations is imminent, the FCC will determine whether and for how long prior-year funds are available to continue agency operations during a lapse,” the FCC said in its plan. According to the plan, if prior-year funds are available, the FCC will remain open beyond a lapse. If prior-year funds are unavailable or exhausted during the lapse in appropriations, the FCC will commence a shutdown. ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said in such situations, the FCC website goes offline, which includes the Universal Licensing System (ULS) and the registration system (CORES). “This means all electronic license transactions would stop,” Somma said. “FRN registrations would be unavailable and even the search engines would be unavailable.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has introduced a short-term spending bill to fund the government through February 8, 2019, in an effort to avert a partial government shutdown this week. The FCC said that, in general, during such a shutdown, all FCC activities will cease other than those immediately necessary for the protection of life or property, performing other excepted activities or those funded through a source other than lapsed appropriations. |
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Paging Transmitters 150/900 MHz The RFI High Performance Paging Transmitter is designed for use in campus, city, state and country-wide paging systems. Designed for use where reliable simulcast systems where RF signal overlap coverage is critical.
Built-in custom interface for Prism-IPX ipBSC Base Controller for remote control, management and alarm reporting.
Prism-IPX Systems LLC.
11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022
Back To Paging
Still The Most Reliable Protocol For Wireless Messaging!
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Windows 10 will make it easier to:
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GLENAYRE INFRASTRUCTUREI would like to recommend Easy Solutions for Support of all Glenayre Paging Equipment. This Texas company is owned and operated by Vaughan Bowden. I have known Vaughan for over 35 years. Without going into a long list of his experience and qualifications, let me just say that he was the V.P. of Engineering at PageNet which was—at that time—the largest paging company in the world. So Vaughan knows Paging. GTES is no longer offering support contracts. GTES was the original group from Vancouver that was setup to offer support to customers that wanted to continue with the legacy Glenayre support. Many U.S. customers chose not to use this service because of the price and the original requirement to upgrade to version 8.0 software (which required expensive hardware upgrades, etc.). Most contracts ended as of February 2018. If you are at all concerned about future support of Glenayre products, especially the “king of the hill” the GL3000 paging control terminal, I encourage you to talk to Vaughan about a service contract and please tell him about my recommendation.
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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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Critical Messaging that works
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INTERNET Protocol Terminal
The IPT accepts INTERNET or serial messaging using various protocols and can easily convert them to different protocols, or send them out as paging messages. An ideal platform for hospitals, on-site paging applications, or converting legacy systems to modern protocols.
Additional/Optional Features
Prism-IPX Systems LLC.
11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022
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| Leavitt Communications |
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Paging Data Receiver PDR-4 The PDR-4 is a multi-function paging data receiver that decodes paging messages and outputs them via the serial port, USB or Ethernet connectors. Designed for use with Prism-IPX ECHO software Message Logging Software to receive messages and log the information for proof of transmission over the air, and if the data was error free.
Prism-IPX Systems LLC.
11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022
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Wireless Network Planners
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Remote AB Switches ABX-1 switches are often used at remote transmitter sites to convert from old, outdated and unsupported controllers to the new modern Prism-IPX ipBSC base station controllers. Remotely switch to new controllers with GUI commands. ABX-1
ABX-3 switches are widely used for enabling or disabling remote equipment and switching I/O connections between redundant messaging systems. ABX-3
Common Features:
Prism-IPX Systems LLC.
11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022
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#TBT: . . . this week in 1996 By RCR Wireless News on DECEMBER 20, 2018Downfall of MobileMedia PAGENET COMPOUNDS MOBILEMEDIA’S WOESBy Reily Gregson on DECEMBER 16, 1996 Financial catastrophe has MobileMedia Corp. in the news almost daily with talk of corruption, stockholder lawsuits and bankruptcy. But the company now faces heightened pressure from competitor Paging Network Inc., which aims to expose MobileMedia’s violations of Federal Communications Commission rules. PageNet petitioned the FCC to disclose and open for public comment MobileMedia’s rule violations, based on the premise that the violations-if deliberate-place PageNet and other paging carriers at a competitive disadvantage. MobileMedia issued a prompt reply to PageNet’s request, asking the FCC to deny the petition. In its opposition statement, prepared by counsel Latham & Watkins, Washington, D.C., MobileMedia says information submitted to the FCC about its violations is confidential, and PageNet’s petition is “little more than a transparent attempt to prolong and publicize a competitor’s regulatory problems.” The FCC has not addressed the petition publicly. In September, MobileMedia announced it discovered that, under prior management, the construction status of between 400 and 500 local paging stations were falsely reported. For about half of these stations the Form 489s, which indicate a station is built, were filed late. For the other half, the Form 489s were filed prior to completion of the stations, said MobileMedia’s Laura Wilker. First news of the FCC violations came concurrent with MobileMedia’s public disclosure of financial and operational troubles stemming from the unification of MobileMedia’s and MobileComm’s operations. MobileMedia said it commenced an internal investigation of the filing errors and the findings were handed to the FCC. In its petition, PageNet suggests MobileMedia’s violations were calculated. “There appears to have been an unprecedented level of violations which could not be the result of error or inadvertence.” Certain facts “suggest a deliberate scheme to evade the rules, one which almost of necessity must have been a matter of corporate policy,” states PageNet’s petition, compiled by counsel Reed Smith Shaw & McClay, Washington, D.C. “If MobileMedia were able to serve customers by installing facilities without proper authorization or increasing station coverage beyond the limits prescribed in the rules or to retain control of spectrum in certain areas without actually constructing facilities, it would have a huge advantage over its more law-abiding competitors, at least until it was caught,” reads PageNet’s petition. MobileMedia maintains in its statement to the FCC that “granting PageNet’s request is neither necessary nor in the public interest.” FCC rules and practice allow the commission to keep the “explicitly commercial and financial information” confidential. PageNet’s and other competitors’ interests in the violations are self-serving, says MobileMedia. Public disclosure of the violations would impair the FCC’s investigative abilities, cause delays and set a precedent discouraging voluntary self-disclosure of rule violations. Further, there is no reason that making the information public “will in fact illuminate potential competitive harms that are not already obvious,” added the company. In its petition, PageNet outlines what it says are potential effects of MobileMedia’s violations:
Since compliance with regulations is costly, MobileMedia could indirectly benefit by not complying. Since-calling only on available facts-PageNet describes for the FCC how the 489 filing process could be manipulated for competitive advantage, PageNet’s “cogent description thus disproves its claimed need for more details and a public comment period to evaluate the harm done by the Company’s inaccurate filings,” counters MobileMedia. “Site-specific information will not change the nature of PageNet’s alleged competitive harms.” “The company’s whole point in coming forward was to make clear that new management did not intend to countenance rules violations or retain any competitive advantage that might have been gained improperly,” added MobileMedia. |
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FCC Chairman Calls 911 Fee Diversion “Outrageous”States diverted nearly ten percent of the $2.9 billion in 911 fee revenue collected, for other uses in calendar year 2017, according to the FCC. The 911 fee is collected via consumers' phone bills, and is supposed to support 911 services. But in its annual report, the agency said six states — Montana, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Rhode Island, and West Virginia, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands — used the fees for unrelated purposes, though some involved public safety. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai called the fee diversion “outrageous,” and said it undermines public safety. There is some good news, however. This is the first time that every jurisdiction has responded to the FCC’s annual 911 fee survey. Pai credited Commissioner Michael O’Rielly’s efforts to shine a light on the issue of 911 fee diversion, as well as the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau’s ongoing work, for the change. O’Rielly calls 911 fee diversion, “completely objectionable.” He said: “This harmful behavior short-changes call centers and prevents necessary upgrades, thereby threatening the public’s safety at their most vulnerable time, or it deceives consumers by stealing their money for other spending purposes.” This year’s report highlights how much work “remains and how it is clear that some repeat offenders cannot be shamed (e.g., NY, NJ, RI),” he added. The Commissioner is hopeful that Congress will step in, and explore legislative ways to end 911 fee diversion. The report contains detailed state-by-state data on other aspects of 911 deployment, including the number and type of 911 calls, the number of 911 call centers and telecommunicators, and investment in Next Generation 911. Programs to support cybersecurity for 911 systems, and the extent of state-level oversight and auditing of the collection and use of 911 fees, are discussed as well. The Vespucci Satellite Will Benefit MilitaryTuesday, from Cape Canaveral, the U.S. Air Force launched Vespucci, the first advanced GPS III satellite, into space on a Falcon 9 rocket. Raytheon announced on its website that the company’s GPS Next-Generation Operational Control System will maneuver the satellite into orbit at about 12,500 miles into space. GPS III will join 31 other operational GPS II satellites already in orbit, delivering positioning, navigation and timing services for GPS users. Once the GPS III constellation becomes fully operational in 2021, it will boast a host of new features. A new civilian signal called L1C will increase interoperability with other global GPS systems and the new GPS III’s M-code signal for military use will provide increased anti-jam capability and better penetration into hard-to-reach locations. Vespucci is the first in a series of GPS-III satellites planned for launch over the next several years, delivering three times greater accuracy and up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities over the previous generation of satellites. “We’re breaking new ground in a number of areas,” said Jayson Cowley, Raytheon’s GPS OCX mission readiness campaign senior manager. Additionally, Raytheon says its ground system—GPS OCS Block 0—has achieved the highest level of cybersecurity protections of any U.S. Department of Defense space system, allowing it to adopt new capabilities and signals as they become available, ensuring continued protection against new cyber attacks. |
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| Source: | Inside Towers newsletter | Courtesy of the editor of Inside Towers. |
| BloostonLaw Newsletter |
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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.
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Current member or former member of these organizations.
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| THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK |
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Old Times “Old times never come back and I suppose it's just as well. What comes back is a new morning every day in the year, and that's better.” —George Edward Woodberry |
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