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Firefighters get money for critical paging system

Communication system that alerts firefighters at 'end of life,' chief says

CBC News · Posted: Feb 22, 2019 10:24 AM ET

Fire Chief Kim Ayotte said the aging alert system is in desperate need of replacement. (Stu Mills/CBC)

Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) is getting nearly $1.8 million to replace a critical communication system that the chief says is barely hanging on.

The department's proposed capital budget set aside $632,000 this year and an additional $1.161 million next year for a new paging system to alert fire stations whenever someone calls 911.

Fire Chief Kim Ayotte said the system, along with a similar one for rural firefighters, desperately needs replaced.

"That service is quite frankly end of life.

We can't get parts for it anymore," Ayotte said.

Scrounging for spare parts

Scrounging for spare parts The alert system includes loudspeakers inside fire halls that tell crews where they're going and what the emergency is.

The paging system also alerts volunteer firefighters when there are calls in their area.

Ayotte said OFS has been buying up spare parts when other fire department decommission similar systems, but that won't last.

Ayotte said it will take time to get the replacement system up and running.

"It is going to take us two or three years," he said. [source]

One of the 2020 iPhone’s best features just leaked, and it’s something you won’t even see

Zach Epstein @zacharye February 22nd, 2019 at 8:21 AM

It might seem crazy to suggest that a company can pile up $84.3 billion in revenue in a single quarter and have that be a disappointment, but that’s exactly what happened to Apple during the holiday quarter last year. Why would such a staggering sum be disappointing, you ask? Because it was a significant decline of 5% compared to the same quarter a year earlier. What’s more, the reason for that sizeable decline is quite worrisome: iPhone sales are down. Way, way down, with Apple saying that revenue from iPhone sales plummeted 15% compared to the year-ago quarter.

Apple no longer shares iPhone unit sales with the public, which in itself is a troubling sign, but the company blamed troubles in China for the majority of the iPhone revenue dip. China undoubtedly played a role, but anyone paying attention knows that China isn’t the only reason iPhone sales are slowing. Apple’s current-generation iPhone models simultaneously represent Apple’s most boring iPhone upgrade ever and Apple’s most expensive iPhone upgrade ever. That is not a recipe for success, and it means that even more pressure will fall on Apple’s next iPhone upgrades in 2019 and 2020.

We started to see a few leaks surrounding Apple’s iPhone 11 lineup begin to trickle in a couple of months ago, but things really started to heat up earlier this week. The world’s top Apple insider issued his first big report on Apple’s 2019 iPhone lineup, revealing plenty of key details in the process. Apple definitely has some intriguing new features planned for its iPhone 11 lineup, but rumor has it they’ll be packed inside a smartphone with a design that is largely unchanged. 2019 is a year of evolution, and every major Android phone vendor is working on exciting new all-screen designs. Meanwhile, apart from the rear camera being moved from the top corner to the middle area on top of the iPhone 11, Apple is expected to use the same iPhone design for the third consecutive year.

As for Apple’s 2020 iPhone lineup — presumably the iPhone 11s series — nothing about the phones has been confirmed. There are barely even any rumors for the time being. All we know for sure is that Apple had better learn from the mistakes it made with the iPhone XS series. Namely, no one wants to pay over $1,000 for a smartphone that introduces no exciting new features whatsoever.

While it will undoubtedly be quite some time before we learn about Apple’s plans for next year’s new iPhones, a new report on Friday does shed some light on one feature of the phone. What’s more, it actually may turn out to be one of the 2020 iPhone series’ best features. Since we’re looking at an “S” upgrade for 2020, speed and performance improvements are going to be a big deal. And according to a new report from Digitimes, the iPhone 11s series will pack next-generation A series processors based on 5 nanometer process technology.

Apple’s A12 Bionic SoC in the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR is based on 7 nanometer process tech, and it was the first smartphone to launch globally with a 7nm processor. The A12 offers performance and efficiency that are still unmatched among available smartphones right now, and it looks like Qualcomm’s new 7nm Snapdragon 855 and Samsung’s latest 8nm Exynos chip still can’t match Apple’s A12 from last year. If Apple moves to 5nm chips in next year’s iPhone 11s, as stated in this report, that means the chips will cram even more transistors into and even smaller space. The end result is processors, and therefore iPhones, that are faster and more power efficient than ever before.  [source]

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Wireless Messaging

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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.

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

		Motorola SOLUTIONS
	WE ARE STILL STOCKING AND SELLING THE UNICATION ELEGANT PAGERS Contact us for price and availability please

Hummelstown Fire Department officials voice safety concerns with Dauphin County paging system

POSTED 6:54 PM, FEBRUARY 21, 2019
BY JOSSIE CARBONARE

Watch the video here.

HUMMELSTOWN, DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — Fire officials in Dauphin County are questioning how safe their paging systems are.

Deputy Fire Chief of Hummelstown Fire Department, Leland Blough, says the pagers they use, requires them to look down and read fire calls, sometimes while driving, making them unsafe.

The pagers were a 35 million dollar investment, purchased in 2010 by Dauphin County.

"You’re not allowed to text and drive which is great, but that’s putting us at risk, we gotta pick up our pagers and look at them, to me that was a step backwards," said Blough.

Blough says the paging system his department uses, doesn’t have a voice command the way the old one’s did.

“Alerts used to go out when you opened it up as a box forty six one box such and such with the address, I could hear it," said Blough.

He says there isn’t always an option to pull over when a fire comes through. “When we get a call and go out, we want to come back alive," said Blough. According to Blough, he has voiced his concerns to the county in the past with no luck.

FOX43 reached out to Dauphin County officials for comment and they replied with the following statement:

“With input from fire, police and EMS providers, Dauphin County implemented a new radio system in 2010 — an investment of $35 million, 50% of which funded the cost of the radios and pagers. While the current system is working well, we’re always looking for ways to make enhancements as technology changes. Recently, Dauphin County began offering a free service that allows first responders to receive pager texts on their cell phones so they can get messages on multiple devices and use the voice option if they choose. Hummelstown Fire Company uses this service. A new voice alert system would be an additional significant investment by the county and municipalities for the equipment — about $700 per pager. Public safety is a priority for us, and we’ll continue to look at viable options to enhance our system.”

— Steve Libhart, Dauphin County Public Safety Department Director.

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.

• Commercial Paging systems.
• Healthcare Paging systems.
• Public Safety Emergency Services Paging systems.
• Demand Response Energy Grid Management.

Built-in custom interface for Prism-IPX ipBSC Base Controller for remote control, management and alarm reporting.

• Use as a stand-alone unit or in wide area network.
• Mix with other transmitter brands in an existing paging network.
• Adjustable from 20-250 watts.
• 110/240 VAC or 48VDC.
• Absolute Delay Correction.
• Remote Diagnostics.
• Configurable alarm thresholds.
• Integrated Isolator.
• Superb Reliability.
• Improved amplifier efficiency.
• Most reliable high-powered paging transmitter available.

Prism-IPX Systems LLC.

11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022
Ph: 678-242-5290 Email: sales@prism-ipx.com
prism-ipx.com

Back To Paging

Still The Most Reliable Protocol For Wireless Messaging!

If you are reading this, your potential customers are reading it as well. Please click here to find out about our advertising options.

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Providing Expert Support and Service Contracts for all Glenayre Paging Systems.

The GL3000 is the most prolific paging system in the world and Easy Solutions gladly welcomes you to join us in providing reliable support to the paging industry for many more decades in the future.

Easy Solutions provides cost effective computer and wireless solutions at affordable prices. We can help in most any situation with your communications systems. We have many years of experience and a vast network of resources to support the industry, your system and an ever changing completive landscape.

• 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

• Glenayre, Motorola, Unipage, etc.
• Excellent Service Contracts
• Full Service—Beyond Factory Support
• Making systems More Reliable and MORE PROFITABLE for over 30 years.

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.

GLENAYRE INFRASTRUCTURE

Service Contracts

I 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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Who We Are

Prism-IPX is a leader in providing reliable communications systems using modern designs to meet today’s demands for critical message alerting and delivery. Prism-IPX designs versatile and robust Critical Message Management systems using paging and other wireless technologies for high performance and dependable communications.

What We Make

Prism-IPX Systems products include full-featured radio paging systems with VoIP input, IP based transmitter control systems and paging message encryption. Other options include e-mail messaging, remote switch controllers, Off-The-Air paging message decoders and logging systems.

Contact Us  

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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

• Database of up to 5000 subscribers.
• 4 serial ports on board.
• Up to 8 phone lines (DID or POTS).
• Can be configured for auto-fail-over to hot swap standby.
• 1RU rack mount unit appliance—no moving parts.
• Easily secure legacy system messages leaving site for HIPAA compliance.
• Only purchase the protocols/options you need.
• Add Paging Encryption for HIPAA compliance on site.

Prism-IPX Systems LLC.

11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022
Ph: 678-242-5290 e-mail: sales@prism-ipx.com
prism-ipx.com

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.

• Option—decode capcode list or all messages.
• Large capcode capacity.
• Serial, USB and Ethernet output.
• POCSAG or FLEX page decoding, special SA protocols.
• Receivers for paging bands in VHF, UHF, 900 MHz.
• Message activated Alarm Output.
• 8 programmable relay outputs.
• Send notifications of a system problem.

• Synthesized Receiver Tuning.
• Selectivity better than 60 dB.
• Frequencies 148-174, 450-470, 929-932 MHz.
• Image Rejection better than 55 dB.
• Spurious Rejection better than 55 dB.
• Channel Spacing 12.5 or 25 kHz.
• Power 5VDC.
• Receiving Sensitivity 5µV at 1200 bps.

Prism-IPX Systems LLC.

11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022
Ph: 678-242-5290 e-mail: sales@prism-ipx.com
prism-ipx.com

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

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.

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

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:

• RJ45 for A, B and Common connectors.
• Manual push button or use Prism IP commands to switch one or more relays.
• Single or Dual Port Control card for IP or Serial connection.
• Form C relay—control local connection.
• Power Loss Indicator.
• Rear Panel Connector for controlling the switch externally.
• Power Source: 5VDC for ABX-1; 12VDC for ABX-3.

Prism-IPX Systems LLC.

11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022
Ph: 678-242-5290 e-mail: sales@prism-ipx.com
prism-ipx.com

Fourth Amendment Rights Not Violated By “Tower Dump”

A federal appeals court ruled last week that law enforcement authorities did not overstep their bounds by accepting information from a carrier about the location of a robbery suspect’s cell phone. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the 2015 conviction of Lawrence Adkinson and his sentence for conspiracy to commit robbery, according to Indiana Lawyer.

Adkinson and others were charged and convicted of robbing, at gunpoint, approximately 100 cell phones from T-Mobile and Verizon stores in Indiana and Kentucky. In response, T-Mobile took data, i.e., “tower dumps,” from cell sites nearest to the respective stores, to identify who may have been within close proximity of the crimes. They found that only one T-Mobile phone was near both robberies with Adkinson’s name on the account.

T-Mobile turned the information over to the FBI, which used the data to obtain a court order under the Stored Communications Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2703, granting the FBI access to additional cell site data, the Lawyer reported.

Adkinson’s lawyers said the move violated their client’s Fourth Amendment rights but the argument was eventually overruled by the 7th Circuit Court, saying Adkinson consented to T-Mobile collecting and sharing his cell site information. The court’s ruling stated: “First, T-Mobile is a private party, and Adkinson has not shown that it was the government’s agent. . . Second, regardless of agency, Adkinson’s Fourth Amendment rights were still not violated because Adkinson consented to T-Mobile collecting and sharing his cell-site information. . .

Third, (Carpenter v. United States, 138 S. Ct. 2206 (2018)) itself does not help Adkinson,” the order said. “The case did not invalidate warrantless tower dumps which identified phones near one location (the victim stores) at one time (during the robberies) because the Supreme Court declined to rule that these dumps were searches requiring warrants.”

“Finally, even if Adkinson sought to challenge the cell-site location data that the government later collected through the order it obtained under the Stored Communications Act, the challenge would be meritless,” the court said. “Adkinson did not challenge the admission of such data below and cannot do so now.

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.

Form 499-A and 499-Q for 2019 Now Available

On February 14, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing the release of the (1) annual Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet, FCC Form 499-A (FCC Form 499-A) and accompanying instructions (FCC Form 499-A Instructions) to be used in 2019 to report 2018 revenues, and (2) quarterly Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet, FCC Form 499-Q (FCC Form 499-Q) and accompanying instructions (FCC Form 499-Q Instructions) to be used in 2019 to report projected and collected revenues on a quarterly basis.

According to the Public Notice, the revised FCC Forms and the accompanying instructions will be available soon on Universal Service Administrative Company’s (USAC) website . The Form 499-A falls due on April 1.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Gerry Duffy, John Prendergast, and Sal Taillefer.

Headlines

FCC Adopts Items at February Open Meeting

Last week, the FCC adopted the following items at its monthly Open Meetings:

Transitioning to CAF Phase II Auction Support in Price Cap Areas: In this Report and Order, the FCC established “the rules of the road” for the upcoming transition between legacy Connect America Fund support in certain price cap areas, and new, auction-based support for voice and broadband. Specifically, this item provides as follows:

• Where the price cap carrier bid in the auction and won, legacy support is converted to auction-based support when Phase II support is authorized in that area.
• In areas where a carrier other than the incumbent price cap carrier won in the auction, legacy support to the price cap carrier ceases when Phase II support for that winning bidder is authorized in that area.
• In auction-eligible areas with no winning bidder, interim legacy support for existing price cap carriers will continue until further Commission action.
• In areas that were ineligible for the auction, legacy support ceases when the first Phase II Auction support is authorized nationwide.
• In areas where a competitive provider is receiving legacy support, it will be phased down over two years.

Licensing Noncommercial Educational Broadcast and Low Power FM Stations: In this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking , the FCC proposed the following revisions to its NCE and LPFM comparative processing and licensing rules:

• Eliminate the current requirement that NCE applicants amend their governing documents to pledge that localism/diversity be maintained in order to receive points as “established local applicants” and for “diversity of ownership”
• Improve the NCE tie-breaker process and reduce the need for mandatory time-sharing
• Clarify aspects of the “holding period” rule by which NCE permittees must maintain the characteristics for which they received comparative preferences and points
• Reclassify as “minor” gradual changes in governing boards with respect to non-stock and membership LPFM and NCE applicants
• Extend the LPFM construction period from 18-months to a full three years
• Allow the assignment/transfer of LPFM construction permits after an 18-month holding period and eliminate the three-year holding period on assigning LPFM licenses.

Elimination of Form 397: This Report and Order eliminates the requirement in Section 73.2080(f)(2) of the FCC's rules that certain broadcast television and radio stations file the Broadcast Mid-Term Report (Form 397).

Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS): In this Report and Order, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Order, the FCC is integrating IP CTS into the TRS User Registration Database, a centralized system of records currently used in the Video Relay Service (VRS) program. The FCC also proposes requiring IP CTS providers to add user account identifiers to call records submitted for compensation, and to simplify the handling of 911 calls by no longer requiring IP CTS providers to serve as an unnecessary intermediary in connecting 911 call centers and IP CTS users.

Anti-Spoofing Provisions of RAY BAUM'S Act: In this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the FCC proposes to implement the anti-spoofing provisions of RAY BAUM'S Act by extending the rules adopted to implement the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009 to cover short message service (SMS) and multimedia message service (MMS) text messages, calls originating from outside the United States to recipients within the United States, and additional types of voice calls, such as one-way interconnected VoIP calls.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and John Prendergast.

Rate of Return Order Effective March 21

On February 19, the FCC published in the Federal Register its Report and Order making changes to the Connect America Fund programs for rate-of-return carriers. These changes will be effective March 21, except for revisions to sections 54.313 and 54.316, which contain information collection requirements that have not been approved by Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Those revisions, which amend the reporting requirement rules to reflect new 25/3 speed requirements, will become effective upon OMB approval.

As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, the Report and Order increased deployment requirements to 25/3 for almost all recipients of high cost support in exchange for funding increases for A-CAM recipients and re-budgeted legacy support mechanisms. It also reduces the maximum per-line subsidy in the legacy program, eliminates the capital expenditures allowance rule, and adopts a to-be-implemented market-based auction to eliminate support to areas that are entirely or almost entirely overlapped by unsubsidized providers.

Although the Report and Order is effective March 21, many of its revisions will roll out over time. Carriers with questions about the roll-out period for the various revisions made in the Report and Order should contact the firm for more information.

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

FCC Extends Deadlines for Comment on Electronic Carriage Notices Joint Proposal

On February 14, the FCC published in the Federal Register a Public Notice extending the deadline for comments on proposals to revise the carriage election notice process for television broadcast stations. Comments are now due March 18, and reply comments are now due March 26.

Currently, sections 76.64(h) and 76.66(d) of the FCC’s rules direct each television broadcast station to provide notice every three years, via certified mail, to each cable system or Direct Broadcast Satellite carrier serving its market regarding whether it is electing to demand carriage (“must carry” or “mandatory carriage”), or to withhold carriage pending negotiation (“retransmission consent”). On December 13, the FCC sought comment on a proposal by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and NCTA—The Internet and Television Association (NCTA) to update these rules.

Under the joint proposal, a commercial broadcast TV station would be required to send notice of its must carry or retransmission consent election to a cable operator only if the station changed its election status from its previous election. In those cases, the broadcaster would send its notice to an email address listed in the cable operator’s online public file or in the FCC’s Cable Operations and Licensing System (COALS) database, for cable operators that do not have an online public file.

Broadcast stations interested in commenting on the joint proposal should contact the firm for more information.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Gerry Duffy.

Comments on E-Rate Amortization Requirement NPRM Due March 18

On February 14, the FCC published in the Federal Register its NPRM seeking comment on the elimination of the E-Rate amortization requirement. Comments are due on March 18, and reply comments are due April 1. As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, the E-Rate amortization requirement requires E-Rate applicants to amortize over three years upfront, non-recurring category one charges of $500,000 or more.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer.

Law & Regulation

FCC Issues Reminder of March 1 Inmate Calling Data Collection Response Deadline

On February 14, the FCC issued a Public Notice reminding providers of inmate calling services (ICS) that the deadline for filing their responses to the second one-time mandatory data collection associated with the 2015 ICS Order (Mandatory Data Collection) is March 1.

In the 2015 ICS Order, the FCC adopted requirements designed to assist in monitoring the rates, fees, and practices of providers of ICS. These requirements include a consumer disclosure requirement, an annual reporting and certification requirement, and a one-time mandatory data collection. The FCC adopted a second, one-time mandatory data collection in 2017.

The forms and instructions for the data collection are available here . Carriers with questions should contact the firm for more information.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Mary Sisak and Sal Taillefer.

FCC Extends Grant Period for USTelecom Petition for Forbearance

On February 14, the FCC issued an Order extending by 90 days the date by which the petition requesting forbearance filed by USTelecom – The Broadband Association (USTelecom) will be deemed granted in the absence of an FCC decision that the petition fails to meet the standards for forbearance. Accordingly, the day on which the USTelecom Petition will be deemed granted in the absence of a Commission denial is now August 2, 2019.

As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, USTelecom’s Petition seeks forbearance from statutory provisions and regulations falling into three categories: (1) “[incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC)]-specific unbundling and resale mandates in Section 251(c)(3) and (4) and associated Section 251 and 252 obligations”; (2) “Section 272(e)(1)’s [Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC)]-specific time interval requirements for nondiscriminatory treatment of affiliates and non-affiliates regarding requests for service, and the long-standing separate affiliate requirement for independent ILECs set out in Section 64.1903 of the Commission’s rules”; and (3) Section 271(c)(2)(B)(iii)’s RBOC-specific competitive checklist item regarding access to poles, ducts, conduit, and rights-of-way.”

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

Industry

White House Announces American Broadband Initiative Report

On February 13, the White House announced the release of its American Broadband Initiative (ABI) report, which outlines “a vision for how the Federal Government can increase broadband access and actions that Agencies are taking to increase private-sector investment in broadband.” The report, which is prepared by the the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity, makes recommendations on streamlining Federal permitting processes to speed broadband deployment, leveraging Federal assets to lower the cost of broadband buildouts, and maximizing the impact of Federal funding.

Recommendations include:

• Launch $600 million in New Federal Investment in Rural Broadband. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is preparing to deploy a new congressional appropriation of $600 million for an innovative broadband pilot program, based on modern, effective strategies that will catalyze increased private-sector investment in broadband infrastructure.
• Leverage the Department of the Interior (DOI) Towers for Communications Use. Consistent with the Presidential Memorandum on “Supporting Broadband Tower Facilities in Rural America on Federal Properties Managed by the Department of the Interior,” the DOI inventoried and mapped over 7,000 tower locations and will make that information publicly available via a Geographical Information System (GIS) mapping tool. These towers, primarily located in rural areas, will be available to service providers looking to locate equipment on Federal property as they expand wireless and wireline broadband networks.
• Provide Tools for Expedited Access to Federal Assets in Priority Markets. The General Services Administration (GSA) has solicited input from the public on priority markets and assets needed to expand mobile access in underserved markets. GSA will pair that input with new and existing data sources, such as the map of DOI-managed land and towers, to identify and visualize Federal assets which can be leveraged by service providers to expand build-outs in these markets.
• Create One-Stop for Broadband Permitting Information. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will publish flow-charts reflecting current permitting workflows for the most common asset types providing a single location for information on Federal permitting of broadband infrastructure.
• Revise Common Application Form and Quarterly Metrics for Permit Requests. Consistent with Executive Order 13821 “Streamlining and Expediting Requests to Locate Broadband Facilities in Rural America,” GSA will revise the common application form for permit requests to be more responsive to stakeholder needs.

A full copy of the report can be found here .

FCC Releases Illegal Robocall Report

On February 14, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced the release of the FCC’s first report on illegal robocalls. According to a Press Release, the Robocall Report discusses implementation by providers of the proactive blocking of invalid, unallocated, and unused numbers and reports on progress made toward caller ID authentication through adoption and implementation of STIR/SHAKEN standards by networks. And the report explains agency development of a reassigned number database to help legitimate callers avoid accidentally calling the wrong consumer when trying to reach a customer who had signed up for the service.

The Robocall Report also provides information on the $245,923,500 of forfeitures proposed or imposed by the FCC against violators or apparent violators of either the Truth in Caller ID Act or the Telephone Consumer Protection Act since 2010, and explains FCC efforts to push for industry-wide cooperation with agency traceback efforts. The report also highlights work done by the Federal Trade Commission under its authority, including 140 enforcement actions against companies and telemarketers for abandoned-call, robocall, and Do Not Call Registry violations, recovering $50 million in civil penalties and $71 million in redress or disgorgement.

The full Robocall Report is available here .

Deadlines

MARCH 1: COPYRIGHT STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT FORM FOR CABLE COMPANIES. This form, plus royalty payment for the second half of calendar year 2018, is due March 1. The form covers the period July 1 to December 31, 2018, and is due to be mailed directly to cable TV operators by the Library of Congress’ Copyright Office. If you do not receive the form, please contact the firm.

BloostonLaw Contact: Gerry Duffy.

MARCH 1: CPNI ANNUAL CERTIFICATION. Carriers should modify (as necessary) and complete their “Annual Certification of CPNI Compliance” for 2019. The certification must be filed with the FCC by March 1. Note that the annual certification should include the following three required Exhibits: (a) a detailed Statement Explaining How The Company’s Operating Procedures Ensure Compliance With The FCC’S CPNI Rules to reflect the Company’s policies and information; (b) a Statement of Actions Taken Against Data Brokers; and (c) a Summary of Customer Complaints Regarding Unauthorized Release of CPNI. A company officer with personal knowledge that the company has established operating procedures adequate to ensure compliance with the rules must execute the Certification, place a copy of the Certification and accompanying Exhibits in the Company’s CPNI Compliance Records, and file the certification with the FCC in the correct fashion. Our clients can forward the original to BloostonLaw in time for the firm to make the filing with the FCC by March 1, if desired. BloostonLaw is prepared to help our clients meet this requirement, which we expect will be strictly enforced, by assisting with preparation of their certification filing; reviewing the filing to make sure that the required showings are made; filing the certification with the FCC, and obtaining a proof-of-filing copy for your records. Clients interested in obtaining BloostonLaw's CPNI compliance manual should contact the firm.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Gerry Duffy

MARCH 1: FCC FORM 477, LOCAL COMPETITION & BROADBAND REPORTING FORM. This annual form is due March 1 and September 1 annually. The FCC requires facilities-based wired, terrestrial fixed wireless, and satellite broadband service providers to report on FCC Form 477 the number of broadband subscribers they have in each census tract they serve. The Census Bureau changed the boundaries of some census tracts as part of the 2010 Census.

Specifically, 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, BRS 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 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.

APRIL 1: ANNUAL ACCESS TO ADVANCED SERVICES CERTIFICATION. All providers of telecommunications services and telecommunications carriers subject to Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act are required to file with the FCC an annual certification that

1. states the company has procedures in place to meet the recordkeeping requirements of Part 14 of the Rules;
2. states that the company has in fact kept records for the previous calendar year;
3. contains contact information for the individual or individuals handling customer complaints under Part 14;
4. contains contact information for the company’s designated agent; and
5. is supported by an affidavit or declaration under penalty of perjury signed by an officer of the company.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Gerry Duffy, Mary Sisak, Sal Taillefer.

Calendar At-a-Glance

February
Feb. 25 – Reply comments are due on State 911 Fee Report.
Feb. 25 – Reply comments on Wireless Resiliency are due.

March
Mar. 1 – Copyright Statement of Account Form for cable companies is due.
Mar. 1 – Annual CPNI Certification is due.
Mar. 1 – Final payments for Auction 101 are due (6 p.m. ET).
Mar. 1 – Inmate Calling Services Mandatory Data Collection due.
Mar. 8 – Comments are due on USF Overlap Auction NPRM.
Mar. 8 – FCC Form 477 (Local Competition & Broadband Reporting) is due.
Mar. 11 – Reply comments are due on Cable Rate Regulation Revision FNPRM.
Mar. 18 – Comments are due on Satellite Services Rules NPRM.
Mar. 18 – Comments are due on elimination of E-Rate amortization requirement for category one.
Mar. 25 – Comments are due on DBS Satellite System Licensing NPRM.
Mar. 31 – FCC Form 525 (Delayed Phasedown CETC Line Counts) is due.
Mar. 31 – FCC Form 508 (ICLS Projected Annual Common Line Requirement) is due.

April
Apr. 1 – FCC Form 499-A (Annual Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet) is due.
Apr. 1 – Annual Accessibility Certification is due.
Apr. 8 – Reply comments are due on USF Overlap Auction NPRM.
Apr. 16 – Reply comments are due on Satellite Services Rules NPRM.
Apr. 22 – Reply comments are due on DBS Satellite System Licensing NPRM.

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Best regards, Newsletter Editor 73 DE K9IQY Licensed since 1957	Brad Dye P.O. Box 266 Fairfield, IL 62837 USA	MENSA MEMBER If you are curious about why I joined Mensa, click here.	U.S. Navy Radioman Second Class Petty Officer	American Radio Relay League	A Public Library of Paging and Wireless Messaging Information Web Site
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“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.”

― Albert Einstein

Listen to the Music
Playing For Change
Song Around The World

Playing For Change Published on Apr 6, 2018 We kindly invite you to support Playing For Change and access free downloads and exclusive videos: http://bit.ly/JoinAndSupport PFC In music as in life, the things that make us different make us stronger. All the various instruments, tones, perspectives, and cultures in this recording combine to create a new version of this classic Song Around The World. The idea was born a few years ago during breakfast at the Byron Bay Bluesfest in Australia. Our friend and drummer, Peter Bunetta, introduced me to Tom Johnston of The Doobie Brothers and we talked about taking "Listen to the Music" around the world. We started the track with an acoustic guitar demo played to a click track and then added bass from Colombia, tablas and veena from India, and then headed to the Redwood Forest in Northern California to record and film Tom Johnston live outside. We then recorded and filmed Patrick Simmons and John McFee playing along to the track in a park in San Diego. The journey then continued throughout North and South America, Europe, The Middle East, Asia, and Africa. This final version features 30 musicians from 12 countries united through their love of music. Listen to the music and change the world! —Mark Johnson, PFC Co-Founder