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Welcome Back To The Wireless Messaging News Want to hear a funny story? Well it's about me and it is embarrassing and humiliating. I am an espresso junkie. I buy my coffee beans unroasted (green) and I have a roaster in my kitchen. Espresso or coffee (they are different) just tastes better when made from freshly roasted coffee beans. I installed the roaster with a little chimney — through the wall — to vent the smoke outdoors. It had been working very well for two or three years when all of a sudden the heater started turning off half-way through the cycle. When I finally got around to repairing it, the job was much more difficult than I had imagined. I won't bore you with all the details but as I researched the problem on the Internet I would find various ideas about which internal part had failed and needed to be replaced. So I replaced the electric heater and two temperature sensors with new parts. Seems like that should fix it right? NO! I finally found that there was nothing at all wrong with my roaster. A bird had built a nest inside of the chimney with pine needles and twigs and that was blocking the ventilation and causing the machine to overheat and then shut down. I am glad it has that protection circuit or my house might have burned down. Life-lesson learned: Sometimes the perceived problem is not the real problem. |
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. We are having a cold spell in Southern, Illinois 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.
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. We need your help. This is the only remaining news source dedicated to information about Paging and Wireless Messaging.
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The Internet of Things (IoT) is starting to become a reality, even if some sources claim otherwise. Here’s my top 6 list to explain how one-way communication technologies are helping to keep us grounded while still realizing IoT applications — today!
#1: Reliable, inexpensive, and immediate energy solutionStromnetz Berlin GmbH, a company in the Vattenfall Group and Germany’s largest citywide distribution grid operator, needed to find a reliable, inexpensive, and immediate solution for managing all of its many affiliated energy consumers, including small-scale producing facilities – in order to switch them as needed. The NP2M network from e*Message was in place, and in a very short time, Bosch Software Innovations and e*Message were able to immediately find a smart grid solution and put it in motion — it’s been in operation in Germany’s capital since September 2014. Three months later, the solution received the Berlin Brandenburg Innovation Award: it was the only innovation to be recognized in both the IT and energy categories. Stromnetz Berlin stressed that, instead of spending considerable sums just to upgrade the conventional technology in one section of Berlin’s Neukölln district, they were able to implement a solution throughout the entire city for just a fraction of the cost. In this situation, a web-based control solution was ruled out for various reasons: the immediate availability required, the cost, and the burden placed on the system by a steep increase in the number of facilities to be controlled were all factors. However, a web-based control solution will gradually be made available for additional services. NP2M solutions — already available. The telecommunications networks they need — rolled out nationwide. They supplement IoT solutions — starting now. Where they provide the most benefit.
This picture shows a member of the Stromnetz Berlin staff in the control room, looking at monitors. Source: Stromnetz Berlin — Vattenfall #2: Chances to become a commodityLet’s look at Vattenfall Stromnetz and switches for the new energy grid (Berlin smart grid). If you miniaturize and scale it, the StromPager technology used there has a chance to become a real commodity, in the same way NP2M did. For instance, by using it in radio chips on IP boards. Maybe they won’t be used immediately or everywhere, but they’re ready to go for future applications. NP2M offers up at least one good example of how this might work: Back at the beginning of the 2010s, a new market for personal weather stations emerged, driven by good design and good sales management, and fantastic value for the money. Millions of units were used in interface boards. These weather stations delivered forecasts and warnings transmitted using national infrastructure. And all of these existing devices, found in millions of households across Europe, rely on an NP2M interface. Further refined, this interface is now part of the e*Nergy solution. Provided the batch size is large enough, the additional protection offered by non-IP technology on an IP receiver board still costs (almost) nothing. #3: Everything should contain complementary technologiesA few years back, Siemens manufactured cell phones. Themselves. Well, not everything themselves, but under their brand name. Even in the final weeks of Siemens Mobile’s existence, no one saw any reason to even talk about this device’s available technologies, other than the usual GSM technology (and to some degree, WLAN). Today, every smartphone has GSM, GPRS, LTE, Bluetooth, and of course WiFi. And yet some people still cling to the idea that each device, each receiver, can be connected to only one infrastructure. Sure, some infrastructure providers would love that. But does it make sense? One device, one receiver board, one chip set — everything can and should contain complementary technologies. It makes everything more secure. Think hybrid solutions. #4: Complementary one-way technologies can provide added valueThe more connected things are, the more information they create. And of course the more everyday objects that get connected, the more important data protection becomes. The data produced make users more transparent, especially information gleaned from sensor data that has nothing to do with the device’s actual purpose. It’s out there in the world, and trying to control who has access to it today (or tomorrow) is often hard work. The best thing would be if unnecessary data were never created in the first place. Comparing one-way technologies (such as good old radio or TV) and streaming offers makes it clear: the value to the user is the same, but in the second case, information is created about how the user reacts. Sometimes this is desirable, sometimes less so. Sometimes it becomes a problem for the data protection club. When talking about special applications, complementary one-way technologies can provide added value. Still, it’s no secret that protection against unauthorized access could be easier to guarantee. #5: One-way technology can be woken up as neededIf a device is located somewhere outside, in some cases it makes sense for its default setting to be “asleep”. That is, it’s using virtually no electricity. It only “wakes up” when action is required. In the same way, in the case of a widespread power outage, StromPager could be used to activate smaller energy generators or sources. Or what about the smoke detector? We expect it to perch on the ceiling, ready to go at any point throughout its 10-year lifetime. And it should also sound the alarm in the case of a major catastrophe — even if there’s a power outage! Another example: a container locating system that is permanently installed, transmitting its coordinates in case of theft or loss. But until then, it should use as little energy as possible. Once again, a one-way technology can be woken up as needed. For some applications, the device should be woken up only when needed. This wake-up effect can be delivered by NP2M using the StromPager network. # 6: Complementing backup infrastructure ensures safetyEverything’s IP – the same infrastructure everywhere, all parts connected with and dependent on each other. Sure, this is convenient. But it’s a bit dangerous, too. And if the worst case scenario does happen, it can even be deadly. See also the article Seven enterprise risks to consider. Ministries of the interior used to have fax machines, vehicles equipped with loudspeakers, and analog telecommunication cables. Not to mention index cards and buzzers. These days, one IP conversion project chases the next. And what about that familiar virtue of the good German engineer: better to be redundant, two is better than one? My thinking is that, if I’m in a critical situation where I have to have light, I don’t turn on first one light and then the other — I turn both on at the same time. There aren’t that many things these days that, in the case of disaster, I can use as a secure backup other than the Internet. Most of them are broadcast-based, like TV or radio. Or NP2M. We should be glad that the infrastructure that complements IP networks is maintained, to some degree expanded, and used more often. Both because of the benefits of the Internet and because then we can use IP networks more or less without reservation.
This graphic shows that a low correlation of the components such as communication server, broadcast server, broadcast sender, and receiving components ensures a high availability of the whole system. The top 6 show that you can’t equate “smart” with the exclusive use of Internet technologies for communication. That’s good news, because complementing them with one-way communication technologies such as NP2M makes many things easier: NP2M solutions are cost-effective. They don’t use much in the way of resources. They offer additional security when it comes to availability, coverage, and even access security. In hybrid solutions, they are part of an ideal communication infrastructure for IoT applications. |
| Source: | Bosch Blog |
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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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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USING HAM RADIO IN AN OFF ROAD EMERGENCYMay 22, 2019 This past weekend I experienced first hand how Amateur Radio can be used in an emergency situation when other methods of communications fail. A routine off road trip turned into a rescue situation as I came across a rollover accident on a trail. Special thanks go to the Alford Memorial Radio Club and the participants of the “Turnip Truck Net” on their W4BOC repeater. An Evening Off RoadThis past weekend my girlfriend and I took an evening off road trip up into the mountains. Being an evening trip, I decided to stay to roads and trails that I was familiar with. The trail we took brought us close to the summit of one of the ridges, and another road led back down into the next town. While at the summit, I decided to test and see what kind of reception I had to nearby repeaters on the radio. I had great signal into several local 2 meter repeaters, and also managed to get a signal through to a D-STAR repeater. Since I was using an Icom 5100 with built-in GPS, this put my location on the APRS map. At the time, I didn’t realize how useful this would be. The road down to the next town is a very technical trail. Technically it’s an old county road, but it hasn’t been maintained in years. This trail requires a four-wheel drive vehicle with a relatively high clearance. It definitely gave my 4×4 a solid workout as we climbed from boulder to boulder down the road. I am not sure how often the road is traveled, but I am certain that this trail goes for weeks at a time without seeing any traffic. The WreckOur progress was halted exactly one mile down the road as we came across an overturned vehicle. I approached the vehicle to assess the damage. I assumed this was an older wreck that had been left until the driver could find a way to recover the vehicle, but I wanted to put my fears to rest that someone could have been lost to the accident. As I approached, I realized that the driver was still present at the scene, fortunately uninjured. I spoke to the driver of the vehicle, who stated that he was uninjured and that no one else was in the vehicle. He also said the wreck had happened only 20 minutes prior to me coming across it. There was no cell signal available, but I could faintly hear activity on one of the local club repeaters (Alford Memorial Radio Club). The incident happened around 11:30 PM, but fortunately the repeater operates a late-night net on the weekends. I told the driver that I was going to get back to the summit to get help, and he decided to wait with the vehicle. Calling For HelpAs I climbed back up the trail, I listened until the signal from the active repeater was clearer. Once we had a good signal, I made the call: “Break, break, WX4WCS, emergency.” The net control operator paused the net and took the emergency traffic. I let him know where I was (using the GPS coordinates of the summit), that there had been a rollover accident on an off road trail, and that we needed assistance. The net controller looked up the GPS coordinates, determined what county needed to be contacted, and designated another individual to relay the traffic to the local sheriff’s office in my area. At this point, I remembered that I had hit a D-Star repeater from the summit earlier, and let him know that my location was also available on the APRS map to confirm the coordinates. This allowed other individuals monitoring the situation to keep tabs on where this was located. The ResponseUp until now was the easy part, but it turned out that the summit was the line for three different counties. The entrance to the road we came up was in one county, the overturned vehicle was in another county, and the other end of that road was in a third county. After the other amateur radio operator (I’ll refer to him as the liaison) relayed the information to the first county, they said they would send out a deputy. However, the deputy informed his dispatcher as he neared the site that he had reached the county line, and was returning. At this point, the call was transferred to a second county. Their dispatcher was informed that I was on the summit, and that the vehicle was down a rough 4×4 only road. The liaison let me know that the dispatcher had told him that they were sending a deputy in a 4×4 truck. Several hours passed with no updates, and we found out that the dispatcher had sent the deputy up the mountain using the wrong road, so he had to drive back down the mountain, and then around to come back up. During this, he had to drive back to the nearest town to refuel. Five hours after the initial call, two deputies finally arrived at the summit. While they did arrive in an SUV, it was a rear-wheel drive pursuit vehicle with street tires. Hardly equipped to make it down the next road. One of the deputies looked down the road and stated that the wreck would be in a third county, and called their dispatcher. Since the deputies radios were not programmed to listen to the third county, I was able to key the third county’s frequency into my radio so we could listen. Several times the deputies on scene had to radio their dispatcher to relay information to the other county, as we listened to the other county’s dispatcher repeatedly try to send their deputies up the wrong roads. Finally we heard the third county’s deputies state that the road was impassable, and that they would have to call in search-and-rescue. As the two departments continued to go back and forth about who’s responsibility it was to get the driver and assess the wreck, I volunteered to drive one of the deputies down the road to the scene, examine the wreck, and retrieve the driver. When we finally made it down, the deputy took photos of the vehicle and of the driver to give to the deputies from the other county. We loaded up the driver and drove him back to the summit. He stated that his GPS told him that the unmaintained county road was the way home, and he overturned after hitting a rock at a decent rate of speed. When we finally returned to the summit with the driver, it was close to 6:30 AM, roughly 7 hours after the start of the incident. He was placed in the deputy’s SUV, and they went to meet with the deputies from the other county to determine what to do from there. ConclusionThere are several lessons that can be learned from this incident. First and foremost, always be prepared for anything, especially when traveling off road. Have recovery gear, emergency supplies, first-aid kits, food, and water. Even if you don’t have an emergency yourself, you never know what you will come across in your travels. Second, when in a remote location, don’t rely on an immediate response time from law enforcement or rescue personnel. Depending on your location, it may take several hours for emergency responders to reach you. However, while a long response time should be expected, 7 hours to retrieve the driver is absurd. The fact that the various departments spent more time arguing over jurisdiction instead of worrying about the condition of the drivers was extremely concerning. Ham radio, APRS/DPRS, an active repeater, and hams willing to be of service in an emergency situation really did save the day. Being in a location with limited cell reception, the only other option for getting help would have been driving back down the mountain and into the nearest town. It’s 2019, and most people think that if they have a cell phone they will always be able to call for help, but that’s not always the case. |
| Source: | WX4WCS blog | Thanks to Barry Kanne, W4TGA |
Click on the image above for more info about advertising here. |
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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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 |
Wireless Network Planners
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06.08.19 The birth of the electronic beep, the most ubiquitous sound design in the worldThe story behind the sound that rules our lives.
BY CHARLES FISHMAN This is the eighth in an exclusive series of 50 articles, one published each day until July 20, exploring the 50th anniversary of the first-ever Moon landing. You can check out 50 Days to the Moon here every day. The electronic beep is everywhere. When you don’t fasten your seatbelt, your car beeps. When your microwave has finished reheating your leftover Chinese takeout, it beeps. The dishwasher beeps; the smoke detector beeps; when the coffee maker turns itself off automatically, it beeps. If you misplace your iPhone, you can make it beep, by remote control. Decades in advance of Siri and Alexa, the beep became the universal way for our inanimate objects to get our attention. But the electronic beep was born before the digital age of which it is the hallmark. The first time most of the world heard the beep was from space–from the very first human-made object launched into space, Sputnik 1. Because that’s what Sputnik did: It beeped, and it orbited the Earth. And the beep was front and center. The CBS News special devoted to the launch and impact of Sputnik opened with 18 seconds of the recorded beep. “Until two days ago,” said anchor Douglas Edwards, “that sound had never been heard on this Earth. Suddenly, it has become as much a part of 20th century life as the whirr of your vacuum cleaner.”
The sensation that Sputnik caused across the country, and around the world, is hard to overstate. Newspapers, including the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune, ran Sputnik timetables each day: schedules showing at what time Sputnik was passing over various cities around the world. The New York Times, among its saturation coverage, ran a story explaining that ordinary household AM radios didn’t have the range to pick up Sputnik’s beeps. Sputnik didn’t do any science: It simply represented Russia’s technical and engineering prowess. By contrast, the first U.S. satellite launched successfully, Explorer 1, came four months later, and in its compact 18-pound package carried an array of scientific instruments, and made the first major discovery of the space age–the existence of the Van Allen radiation belt encircling the Earth. Sputnik’s beep, though, became representative of both Russia’s achievement, and its ominous overtones. Life magazine wasn’t satisfied with calling Sputnik’s sound a “beep.” Its first story on Sputnik opened: “An eerie, intermittent croak–it sounded like a cricket with a cold–was picked up by radio receivers around the world last week . . . . ” In a story on the geopolitical impact of Sputnik, headlined “The Beeper’s Message,” Time magazine said, “What was immediate and sure was the beeper’s psychological impact . . . . Its message, said the London Economist last week, was a simple one: ‘We Russians, a backward people ourselves less than a lifetime ago, can now do even more spectacular things than the rich and pompous West–thanks to Communism.’ ” It was, in fact, an eloquent “beep,” as the Economist translated it. For virtually everyone in the United States, and in the rest of the world, Sputnik’s distinctive chirping was the first time they’d ever heard an electronic beep. The word “beep” itself was first used to describe the sound of a car horn, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, in 1929. So as a word, it wasn’t even 30 years old when Sputnik started beeping. Arthur C. Clarke, the science fiction author who went on to write 2001: A Space Odyssey, is credited with the first use of “beep” to describe the electronic tone from a computer, in his first novel, The Sands of Mars, in 1951. Sputnik went silent 21 days after launch when, the Russians reported, its batteries ran out of power. The beep itself has become so ubiquitous that in some settings–especially hospitals–there are studies showing that “alarm fatigue” reduces the quality of medical care that nurses, doctors, and technicians can deliver. One 2014 analysis of computer warning beeps from medical devices at Johns Hopkins University Hospital showed that there were 350 alarms per patient bed per day, so many it was all but impossible for personnel to distinguish the important beeps from the trivial. The evening of Sputnik’s launch on October 5, 1957, an announcer for NBC News got it much more correct than he could have imagined. Introducing a recording of Sputnik’s beep, he said, “Listen now for the sound which forever more separates the old from the new.” Charles Fishman, who has written for Fast Company since its inception, has spent the last four years researching and writing One Giant Leap, a book about how it took 400,000 people, 20,000 companies, and one federal government to get 27 people to the Moon. (You can pre-order it here.) For each of the next 50 days, we’ll be posting a new story from Fishman–one you’ve likely never heard before–about the first effort to get to the Moon that illuminates both the historical effort and the current ones. New posts will appear here daily as well as be distributed via Fast Company’s social media. (Follow along at #50DaysToTheMoon). |
| Source: | Fast Company |
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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 |
| Leavitt Communications |
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Pai Lauds ATC for Cell Sites in IndiaFCC Chairman Ajit Pai highlighted American Tower Corporation when he spoke to the U.S.-India Business Council late Wednesday on strategies for successful digital infrastructure deployment. American Tower Chairman, President and CEO Jim Taiclet moderated a panel Pai took part in. Pai described his trip to the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi last October. Outside New Delhi, the FCC Chairman checked out an American Tower cell site. “This cell site provides wireless coverage to thousands of people for whom a mobile phone is their only digital access to the outside world,” said Pai. “And the fiber that feeds the site is used for Internet kiosks for teaching math and reading to kids in impoverished areas.” Pai stressed that as a person of South Asian descent, he couldn’t describe, “what it meant to see Indian kids eager for the opportunity to learn and improve their lives.” Pai continued: “To me, this site visit perfectly captures the value of the U.S.-India Business Council and the collaboration it promotes. American Tower benefits from the opportunity to expand its business to a new market. And the people of India benefit from expanded access to modern communications. Everyone is better off.” On his first international trip as FCC Chairman, Pai met with his Indian counterpart, the Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, R.S. Sharma. They signed a Letter of Intent for enhanced cooperation between the two agencies. Since then, they’ve increased their cooperation, regularly exchanging information and sharing ideas on topics of mutual interest, like advancing broadband deployment, according to Pai. He praised Indian Prime Minister Modi and the Indian government for their goals of universal Internet access by 2022, and fixed broadband access to 50 percent of households by 2022. To meet these targets, they’re installing two million public WiFi hotspots in rural areas and redesigning and expanding the Universal Service Obligation Fund, the Chairman explained. |
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| Source: | Inside Towers newsletter | Courtesy of the editor of Inside Towers. It is daily by subscription. Check it out. |
| BloostonLaw Newsletter |
Selected portions [sometimes more — sometimes less — sometimes the whole updates] 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 Extends A-CAM II Election Deadline to July 17On June 5, the FCC released a Public Notice correcting certain A-CAM II offers originally made on May 2 and, importantly, extending the deadline to accept A-CAM II offers to July 17. Please note, although only certain offers were corrected, the deadline extension applies to all offers. The corrections to the offer primarily involved the model improperly deeming census blocks ineligible because the carrier’s own facilities (or that of an affiliate) were not properly associated with it on FCC Form 477, making it appear that the census blocks were served by an unsubsidized competitor. In two instances, the corrections were made to accurately reflect the common control or ownership (or lack thereof) of study areas in a state. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and Sal Taillefer. HeadlinesFCC Adopts Call Blocking Declaratory Ruling, Seeks Comment on SHAKEN/STIR ImplementationAt its June 6 Open Meeting, the FCC adopted a Declaratory Ruling and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking clarifying how carriers may go about blocking calls without running afoul of the FCC’s rules, and seeking comment on proposals to ensure that important calls are not blocked, and to require voice service providers to implement the SHAKEN/STIR Caller ID authentication framework in the event that major voice service providers have not met Chairman’s Pai’s deadline for doing so by the end of 2019. Comment deadlines for the FNPRM have not yet been established. In the Declaratory Ruling the FCC found that voice service providers that offer consumers programs to block unwanted calls through analytics (call-blocking programs) may rely on “any reasonable analytics designed to identify unwanted calls,” but if the program is opt-out the voice service provider must offer sufficient information so that consumers can make an informed choice as to whether they wish to remain in the program or opt out. Although the FCC also cautioned voice service providers to avoid blocking calls from “public safety entities, including PSAPs, emergency operations centers, or law enforcement agencies,” it stated only that “all feasible efforts” should be made to avoid blocking emergency calls. Other aspects of a reasonable call-blocking program instituted would, according to the FCC, include a point of contact for legitimate callers to report what they believe to be erroneous blocking, as well as a mechanism for such complaints to be resolved. The FCC also found that programs that block calls from numbers not in a consumer’s contact list (white-list programs) are not prohibited by the Communications Act or the FCC’s rules, as long as voice service providers clearly disclose to consumers the risks of blocking wanted calls and the scope of information disclosed in a manner that is clear and easy for a consumer to understand. In the FNPRM, the FCC proposed a safe harbor for voice service providers that choose to block calls (or a subset of calls) that fail Caller ID authentication under the SHAKEN/STIR framework, and sought comment on whether it should create a safe harbor for blocking unsigned calls from particular categories of voice service providers. The FCC also proposed requiring any voice service provider that offers call-blocking to maintain a “Critical Calls List” of numbers it may not block. Such lists would include at least the outbound numbers of 911 call centers (i.e., PSAPs) and government emergency outbound numbers, but sought comment on what other numbers should be included. As we reported in previous editions of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, Chairman Pai has urged the major carriers to adopt SHAKEN/STIR on a voluntary basis, and there are indications that voluntary efforts have made substantial progress since the then. Nevertheless, the FCC also sought comment on the particulars of how to mandate the SHAKEN/STIR framework for major voice service providers, including how to define “major voice service providers,” and when an official implementation deadline should be set. The FCC further proposes to ultimately require all voice service providers to implement SHAKEN/STIR. If you would like more information on the FCC's order regarding analytics blocking or white-list blocking, please contact the firm. The firm also is available to provide guidance to voice service providers that wish to implement call blocking programs to ensure they meet FCC requirements. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, Mary Sisak, and Sal Taillefer. FCC Announces Second Wave of CAF Phase II Auction (903)On June 10, the FCC authorized another $166.8 million in funding over the next decade to support broadband to 60,850 locations in 22 states, representing the second wave of support from last year’s Connect America Fund Phase II auction (a.k.a. Auction 903). The FCC stated that providers will begin receiving funding this month. To date, the first two rounds of authorizations are providing $278.4 million over the next decade to expand service to 97,998 new locations. Over the coming months, the FCC will be authorizing additional funding as it approves the final applications of the winning bidders from the auction. The FCC highlighted the following funding applications approved in its Press Release:
A map of winning bids is available at https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research/maps/caf2-auction903-results/. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, Mary Sisak, and Sal Taillefer. Law & RegulationFCC Announces Carry-Forward of Unused Rural Healthcare Program FundsOn June 10, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing that $83.22 million in unused Rural Healthcare Program (HRC) funds is available for use in future funding years beginning in funding year (FY) 2019. USAC will carry-forward unused funds from prior funding years to the extent necessary to cover FY 2019 RHC Program demand as of the close of the FY 2019 filing window on June 30, 2019. In June 2018, the Commission adopted rules to address increasing demand in the RHC. Specifically, the Commission: (1) increased the annual RHC Program funding cap; (2) provided for the annual RHC Program funding cap to be adjusted for inflation; and (3) established a process to carry-forward unused funds from past funding years for use in future funding years. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, Mary Sisak, and Sal Taillefer. Comments on VRS FNPRM Due August 5On June 10, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing the comment and reply comment deadlines of its Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to improve video communications for people with disabilities and protect the video relay service (VRS) program against waste, fraud, and abuse. Comments are due August 5, and reply comments are due September 4. In the FNPRM, which was originally released on May 15, 2019, the FCC proposed to convert the pilot at-home interpreting program to a permanent program. To eliminate unnecessary inconvenience to VRS registrants, the FCC also proposed to permit VRS providers to commence service to new and porting VRS users for up to two weeks, pending Database verification of the user’s identity, with compensation to be paid only after the user’s identity is verified. Finally, the FCC sought further comment on whether to require consumers to log in to enterprise and public videophones before using them to place VRS calls, as a means to safeguard the TRS program from waste, fraud, and abuse involving such videophones. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and Sal Taillefer. FCC Seeks Commitment from Major Carriers to Meet Emergency Alert Geo-Targeting DeadlineOn June 5, the FCC sent a series of letters to major carriers participating in the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) alerts program to commit to meet the November 30 deadline to implement geo-targeting requirements adopted in January 2018. Specifically, these rules require CMRS provides to deliver geo-targeted WEA messages to 100% of the target area specified by an alerting official, with no more than a one-tenth of a mile overshoot. The enhanced geo-targeting rule applies to new mobile devices offered for sale and to existing devices that are capable of being upgraded to support this standard as of the target deadline. As of November 30, participating CMRS providers must also provide, at the point of sale, information about the benefits of enhanced geo-targeting and the extent of its availability on their networks. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell. IndustryStates Sue to Block T-Mobile / Sprint MergerTen state attorneys general, led by Letitia James of New York and Xavier Becerra of California, filed a lawsuit to block the T-Mobile/Sprint merger in federal court in New York. The deal is expected to be approved by the Department of Justice as early as this week. According to the complaint, the merger would cost subscribers at least $4.5 billion annually. Ms. James said in a statement that lower-income and minority communities would be hit especially hard, and called the deal “exactly the sort of consumer-harming, job-killing megamerger our antitrust laws were designed to prevent.” This claim comes despite recent commitments by the carriers to take steps to mitigate any harm to consumers, including a possible spin off of discount wireless service Boost Mobile. Mr. Becerra said that the attorneys general also intend to seek a preliminary injunction, which would require resolution of the lawsuit before to companies are able to complete the merger, even if the Justice Department approves. Even if the lawsuit fails, it will likely delay the merger substantially. As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, the Republicans at the FCC support the deal. “In light of the significant commitments made by T-Mobile and Sprint as well as the facts in the record to date, I believe that this transaction is in the public interest and intend to recommend to my colleagues that the FCC approve it.” Said Chairman Pai in a statement. “This is a unique opportunity to speed up the deployment of 5G throughout the United States and bring much faster mobile broadband to rural Americans. We should seize this opportunity.” Chairman Pai and Justice Department antitrust chief Makan Delrahim allegedly met last Friday to discuss the T-Mobile-Sprint merger over lunch. According to Fox Business, people with knowledge of the matter said the discussion focused on “how to keep the telecom space competitive and how the agencies can ensure T-Mobile and Sprint follow through on all promised divestitures and price commitments.” The article further indicated it was unclear if Mr. Delrahim was persuaded by Chairman Pai’s arguments in support of the merger. DeadlinesJULY 1: FCC FORM 481 (CARRIER ANNUAL REPORTING DATA COLLECTION FORM). All eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) must report the information required by Section 54.313, which includes information on the ETC’s holding company, operating companies, ETC affiliates and any branding in response to section 54.313(a)(8); its CAF-ICC certification, if applicable; its financial information, if a privately held rate-of-return carrier; and its satellite backhaul certification, if applicable. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and Sal Taillefer. JULY 1: MOBILITY FUND PHASE I ANNUAL REPORT. Winning bidders in Auction 901 that are authorized to receive Mobility Fund Phase I support are required to submit to the FCC an annual report each year on July 1 for the five years following authorization. Each annual report must be submitted to the Office of the Secretary, clearly referencing WT Docket No. 10-208; the Universal Service Administrator; and the relevant state commissions, relevant authority in a U.S. Territory, or Tribal governments, as appropriate. The information and certifications required to be included in the annual report are described in Section 54.1009 of the FCC’s rules. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Sal Taillefer. JULY 31: FCC FORM 507, UNIVERSAL SERVICE QUARTERLY LINE COUNT UPDATE. Line count updates are required to recalculate a carrier's per line universal service support, and is filed with the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). This information must be submitted on July 31 each year by all rate-of-return incumbent carriers, and on a quarterly basis if a competitive eligible telecommunications carrier (CETC) has initiated service in the rate-of-return incumbent carrier’s service area and reported line count data to USAC in the rate-of-return incumbent carrier’s service area, in order for the incumbent carrier to be eligible to receive Interstate Common Line Support (ICLS). This quarterly filing is due July 31 and covers lines served as of December 31, 2018. Incumbent carriers filing on a quarterly basis must also file on September 30 (for lines served as of March 31, 2019); December 30 (for lines served as of June 30, 2019), and March 31, 2020, for lines served as of September 30, 2019). BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and Mary Sisak. JULY 31: CARRIER IDENTIFICATION CODE (CIC) REPORTS. Carrier Identification Code (CIC) Reports must be filed by the last business day of July (this year, July 31). These reports are required of all carriers who have been assigned a CIC code by NANPA. Failure to file could result in an effort by NANPA to reclaim it, although according to the Guidelines this process is initiated with a letter from NANPA regarding the apparent non-use of the CIC code. The assignee can then respond with an explanation. (Guidelines Section 6.2). The CIC Reporting Requirement is included in the CIC Assignment Guidelines, produced by ATIS. According to section 1.4 of that document: At the direction of the NANPA, the access providers and the entities who are assigned CICs will be requested to provide access and usage information to the NANPA, on a semi-annual basis to ensure effective management of the CIC resource. (Holders of codes may respond to the request at their own election). Access provider and entity reports shall be submitted to NANPA no later than January 31 for the period ending December 31, and no later than July 31 for the period ending June 30. It is also referenced in the NANPA Technical Requirements Document, which states at 7.18.6: CIC holders shall provide a usage report to the NANPA per the industry CIC guidelines … The NAS shall be capable of accepting CIC usage reports per guideline requirements on January 31 for the period ending December 31 and no later than July 31 for the period ending June 30. These reports may also be mailed and accepted by the NANPA in paper form. Finally, according to the NANPA website, if no local exchange carrier reports access or usage for a given CIC, NANPA is obliged to reclaim it. The semi-annual utilization and access reporting mechanism is described at length in the guidelines. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Gerry Duffy. AUGUST 1: FCC FORM 499-Q, TELECOMMUNICATIONS REPORTING WORKSHEET. All telecommunications common carriers that expect to contribute more than $10,000 to federal Universal Service Fund (USF) support mechanisms must file this quarterly form. The FCC has modified this form in light of its recent decision to establish interim measures for USF contribution assessments. The form contains revenue information from the prior quarter plus projections for the next quarter. Form 499-Q relates only to USF contributions. It does not relate to the cost recovery mechanisms for the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund, the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA), and the shared costs of local number portability (LNP), which are covered in the annual form (Form 499-A) that was due April 1. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Gerry Duffy. AUGUST 1: FCC FORM 502, NUMBER UTILIZATION AND FORECAST REPORT: Any wireless or wireline carrier (including paging companies) that have received number blocks--including 100, 1,000, or 10,000 number blocks--from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA), a Pooling Administrator, or from another carrier, must file Form 502 by August 1. Carriers porting numbers for the purpose of transferring an established customer’s service to another service provider must also report, but the carrier receiving numbers through porting does not. Resold services should also be treated like ported numbers, meaning the carrier transferring the resold service to another carrier is required to report those numbers but the carrier receiving such numbers should not report them. Reporting carriers file utilization and forecast reports semiannually on or before February 1 for the preceding six-month reporting period ending December 31, and on or before August 1 for the preceding six-month reporting period ending June 30. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Gerry Duffy. AUGUST 1: Live 911 Call Data Reports: Non-Nationwide Providers that do not provide coverage in any of the Test Cities must collect and report aggregate data based on the largest county within its footprint to APCO, NENA, and NASNA on the location technologies used for live 911 calls in those areas. Clients should obtain spreadsheets with their company’s compliance data from their E911 service provider (e.g., Intrado / West). BloostonLaw Contacts: Cary Mitchell. AUGUST 29: COPYRIGHT STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS. The Copyright Statement of Accounts form plus royalty payment for the first half of calendar year 2019 is due to be filed August 29 at the Library of Congress’ Copyright Office by cable TV service providers. BloostonLaw Contact: Gerry Duffy. Calendar At-a-GlanceJune July August
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The above is just like the old men who have stickers on the rear window of their pickup trucks.
| THOUGHTS OF THE WEEK |
“The Seven Ages of Man”A monologue from William Shakespeare's pastoral comedy As You Like It, spoken by the melancholy Jaques in Act II Scene VII Line 138. The speech compares the world to a stage and life to a play and catalogues the seven stages of a man's life, sometimes referred to as the seven ages of man: infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, Pantalone, and old age, facing imminent death. It is one of Shakespeare's most frequently quoted passages. [source] (note: melancholy, read: depressed)
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