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Welcome Back To The Wireless Messaging News Ascom Lands Contract for Hundreds of Smartphones to Replace PagersSource: The Critical Communications Review
Ascom UK has won a contract to supply more than 300 of its next-generation smartphones to replace pagers at a leading hospital Trust in the north of England. Clinicians believe the move will allow them to spend more time with patients and give better care. Ascom will deploy 330 of its new Myco 3 smartphone, 45 Myco 2 and its Unite AlertTrac critical messaging software at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, which employs 4,500 staff across Harrogate and Ripon hospitals and the wider community. The contract comes as Health Secretary Matt Hancock has pledged to phase out the use of pagers in the NHS by 2021. The technology, being deployed across all clinical areas including outpatients, will enable the Trust to send customised alerts and critical messages to clinical and support staff on the move so that they can respond more quickly to emergency calls. It means that the right staff and equipment can be dispatched to each incident. The Ascom technology will enable access to WebV, the Trust’s own electronic patient record system, and integration with Patientrack, an electronic observations system that will send alerts and crucial clinical information to the Myco devices when patients are showing signs of deterioration. The devices will also be linked to the Trust’s telephone system, so calls can be put straight through to clinicians.
Parent pagers helping young patientsSunday, 12 May 2019 - Health
Anxious parents waiting while their child has surgery at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust (RUH) are now being given pagers to alert them when all is well. What began as a trial in the Recovery Unit has proved so successful, that it is now being extended to other areas across the hospital. Instead of being contacted by their mobile phone, parents are now given a pager, which bleeps to let them know when their child is waking up. Consultant anaesthetist Fiona Kelly, who helped set up the initiative, said: “Mobile phones aren’t always reliable – some parents have their phone turned off or turned down, and some might not have a mobile. We have shown that a personal pager is a much more reliable way of contacting them when they are needed. “A pager gives parents or carers a sense of reassurance and lets them have a break. They also guarantee that parents can be easily called when they are needed, meaning they can be quickly reunited with their child in recovery. This gives them a greater sense of control.” Some 3,000 children from two months to eighteen-years-old are anaesthetised each year at the RUH. A 2017 survey showed that, before the pager system was introduced, it took an average of 23 minutes for a parent to rejoin their child in the Recovery Unit, and 70% of children waited for more than fifteen minutes. Using the pagers has cut that time to an average 2.8 minutes, with no child waiting more than eleven minutes. Fiona Kelly said: “The feedback has been really positive, with parents saying how big a benefit the pagers are, improving their child’s experience and making it much less stressful for them.” Kerry and Neil Sidwick were given a parent pager when their son Charlie had an operation to have four teeth removed. Kerry said: “The pager gave us reassurance that we would not miss Charlie waking up. It meant we could pop and get a coffee without risking not being there for him.” The pagers were funded by the Friends of the RUH charity and the Trust’s Innovation Panel, where staff pitch for funding for ideas that improve patient care and experience and efficiency. Identical pagers have been successfully introduced in the Intensive Care Unit for family and friends of patients, and it is now hoped to roll out pagers in Pharmacy and in other wards and hospital areas. The pager programme is supported by the Trust’s Patient Experience Team. [source] |
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.
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Passive Audio Amps For Smart Phones Small Brass Horn — Wood Base This is an acoustic amplifier for a smartphone. It doesn't need electric power to operate and there are no moving parts. I works like a megaphone (speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loudhailer). Everyone that I have shown it to has said something like “Wow, I want one of those!” So I am building a few of them. Of course there are more “Hi-Fi” ways to listen to audio on your smartphone but who would want to plug an elegant smartphone into some cheap, plastic gadget? Or even use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, which are a pain in the neck to set up, even on a smartphone. These will be made with hardwood bases and some of them will be exotic hardwoods with interesting grain patterns. The horns are polished brass — made from mostly old horns that had rubber bulbs on the ends and were used in “times gone by” by taxis and even clowns in circuses. These horns have been re-purposed, reshaped, and re-polished. Of course when not listening to music or other interesting audio, you can appreciate it for its beauty, it looks just plain cool. This is a work of art. Sorry to say that I didn't design this myself. It was designed by Daniel Jansson in Sweden. He is a graduate of Umeå Institute of Design with an MFA degree in Interactive Design. |
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This Zebrawood wood veneer trombone player is beautiful.
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Apple invites press to WWDC 2019 keynote, iOS 13 and macOS 10.15 unveil expectedZac Hall - May. 22nd 2019 9:06 am PT
Apple has confirmed with press that its next media event — the opening keynote of WWDC — will take place on June 3rd at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. The keynote will be held in San Jose, California, at the McEnery Convention Center where Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference is held. We don’t expect this keynote to be hardware-packed like WWDC 2017, but we do anticipate a major hardware teaser. WWDC 2019 runs June 3rd through 7th with developer sessions on Apple’s latest platform technology scheduled throughout the week, and the opening keynote is where Apple first debuts its latest platform changes. iOS 13, macOS 10.15, tvOS 13, watchOS 6, and major developments about bringing iPad apps to the Mac are expected. Apple may also preview its all-new Mac Pro hardware and pro Apple display. Apple typically releases developer betas of its new iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV software the same day, followed by public beta versions a few weeks later and final releases later in September. Apple also released new hardware two weeks prior to WWDC week with updated MacBook Pros including the first 8-core processor model with 40% faster performance and improved butterfly keyboards that use new materials internally. Apple also expanded its keyboard repair program to include 2018 MacBook Pros and the current MacBook Air. 9to5Mac will have full coverage of the event so stay tuned! Apple will also be live streaming the keynote for viewers around the world. |
| Source: | 9 to 5 mac |
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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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 |
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Remote AB Switches ABX-1 switches are often used at remote transmitter sites to convert from old, outdated and unsupported controllers to the new modern Prism-IPX ipBSC base station controllers. Remotely switch to new controllers with GUI commands. ABX-1 ABX-3 switches are widely used for enabling or disabling remote equipment and switching I/O connections between redundant messaging systems. ABX-3 Common Features:
Prism-IPX Systems LLC. 11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
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Tower Tech Dies in Fall From Iowa TowerPolk County Sheriff’s officials say a man has died in a fall from a broadcast tower near Alleman, IA Wednesday morning, according to KCCI-FM. Lt. Heath Osberg confirmed one person died when he fell from a section of the tower, about 1,000 feet above ground level. The man was approximately 50 years old and was an employee of PCI Communications, according to the Des Moines Register. The cause of the fall is unknown. KDSM FOX 17 said in a Facebook post, the worker was one of the contractors making repairs to its antenna. There were two workers on the tower at 2nd Avenue and NW 142nd in Alleman, owned by KDSM-TV in Des Moines, KCCI reported.
Streamlined Pole Attachment Rules Now in PlaceThe FCC’s revised pole attachment rules went into effect this week. The agency voted on the changes in August 2018. At the time, Commissioners said the changes would speed safe and affordable broadband deployment. The agency adopted a new framework for the vast majority of pole attachments governed by federal law by instituting a ‘‘one-touch make-ready’’ (OTMR) regime, in which a new attacher, usually the last, may choose to perform all simple work to prepare a pole for new wireline attachments in the communications space. The new framework includes safeguards to promote coordination among parties and ensures that new attachers perform the work safely and reliably. Additionally, it provides for a remedy if an original attacher is unhappy with the outcome. The Commission retained the existing multi-party pole attachment process for other new attachments that are complex or above the communications space of a pole. But the agency made significant modifications to speed deployment, promote accurate billing, and expand the use of self-help for new attachers when attachment deadlines are missed. The item allows “pole overlashing” so all existing pole space is used. It ensures telecoms pay rates comparable to cable and other industries for pole use. Considered by many to be a key element, the item bans state and local moratoria preventing wireless infrastructure deployment. Federal Register publication triggered the May 20 effective date. Senate Passes Anti-Robocall BillThe Senate Thursday approved a bill to bolster the FCC’s ability to stop illegal robocalls. The Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act gives regulators more time to find scammers, increases civil forfeiture penalties for those who are caught, promotes call authentication and blocking adoption, and brings relevant federal agencies and state attorneys general together to address impediments to criminal prosecution of robocallers who intentionally flout laws. U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-SD), a member and former chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee and current chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, and Ed Markey (D-MA), also a member of the Commerce Committee, wrote the measure (S. 151). “This bipartisan, common-sense bill puts a bullseye on the scam artists and criminals who are making it difficult for many Americans to answer the phone with any bit of confidence about who’s on the other end of the line,” said Thune. “The Senate is telling robocallers that their days are numbered,” added Markey. “We would welcome these additional tools to fight this scourge,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in response to the Senate action. “Further powers like increased fines, longer statutes of limitations, and removing citation requirements which obligate us to warn some robocallers before penalizing them, will significantly improve our already strong robocall enforcement efforts.” USTelecom leads the Industry Traceback Group, nearly 30 participants from across the wireline, wireless, VoIP and cable industries that trace and identify the source of illegal robocalls and coordinates with federal and state law enforcement agencies to bring perpetrators to justice. USTelecom President/CEO Jonathan Spalter called the Senate passage, “a very big deal for industry’s multi-pronged effort to battle back against illegal robocalls.” The Senate, he said, “delivered a loud and clear message to the criminals who scam and spoof consumers: more blocking, more fines and more criminal enforcement is coming.” |
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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] 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.
One-Touch-Make-Ready Pole Attachment Rules Effective May 20On May 20, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing that the FCC’s updated pole attachment access rules, including adoption of a new “one-touch-make-ready” (OTMR) regime for the vast majority of pole attachments governed by federal law, would be effective May 20, 2019. The OTMR rules retain the current multi-party pole attachment process for attachments that are complex or above the communications space of a pole, but makes significant modifications to speed deployment, promote accurate billing, expanded the use of self-help for new attachers when attachment deadlines are missed. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Mary Sisak, and Sal Taillefer. HeadlinesFCC Announces Tentative Agenda for June Open MeetingOn May 16, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the following items are tentatively on the agenda for the June Open Commission Meeting, which is currently scheduled for June 6:
The links included in the descriptions of these items are to public drafts that are not final and may differ from what the FCC ultimately considers. Open Meetings are streamed live at www.fcc.gov/live and can be followed on social media with #OpenMtgFCC. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and John Prendergast. AT&T Proposes Higher Power 3.5 GHz CBRS Operations to Promote Flexible 5G Deployments5G deployments using 3.5 GHz “small cells” may soon be complimented by wider-area Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) operations under certain conditions, if the FCC adopts an AT&T proposal. Technical and regulatory staff of AT&T last week met with FCC Wireless Bureau staff to discuss a new category of 3.5 GHz CBRS devices (CBSDs) that would operate using increased power. A presentation included with AT&T’s ex parte filing outlines the nationwide carrier’s proposal for a new Category C CBSD that would be authorized at a maximum allowable EIRP of 62 dBm/10 MHz. According to AT&T, higher power enables greater 5G use cases for CBRS as a mid-band anchor for 5G NR (New Radio). Under appropriate conditions, and as determined by the Spectrum Access System (SAS) database, the Category C devices “can take advantage of mid band propagation characteristics.” The current power limit for Category A (indoor) CBSDs is 30 dBm/10 MHz and for Category B (outdoor) CBRS devices, it’s 47 dBm/10 MHz. At the same time, CBSD end user devices are authorized for an EIRP of 23 dBm/10 MHz. AT&T believes its proposal would not require any change in protection to incumbents, as well as no added complexities for sharing the band among PAL or GAA users. Operation of higher power CBSDs would be conditioned upon the SAS authorizing the spectrum for lower power use. To the extent the FCC staff determines AT&T’s proposal may be feasible, and is in the public interest, the FCC would still need to seek public comment on a petition for rulemaking before it could modify its CBRS rules and authorize higher powered operations. Higher power CBSDs could give 5G systems at 3.5 GHz greater range, and could make county-based 3.5 GHz PALs more valuable for our clients when such licenses are made available at auction, likely next year. SAS lab testing is still being conducted by the FCC. Assuming all goes well, initial commercial deployments by SAS Administrators (confirming that the SAS complies with FCC rules using real-world scenarios) should start in Late Q2 or early Q3. Commercial operation of CBRS systems (using access to shared-use GAA channels) will not be authorized until early 2020, when these testing steps are complete. BloostonLaw Contacts: Cary Mitchell and John Prendergast. FCC To Consider Permitting Carriers to Block Robocalls By DefaultOn May 15, the FCC issued a Press Release announcing that the FCC will consider at item at its June Open Meeting that would, if adopted, allow phone companies to block unwanted calls to their customers by default. In addition, companies could allow consumers to block calls not on their own contact list. The item also includes draft Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would propose a safe harbor for providers that implement network-wide blocking of calls that fail caller authentication under the SHAKEN/STIR framework once it is implemented. “Allowing call blocking by default could be a big benefit for consumers who are sick and tired of robocalls. By making it clear that such call blocking is allowed, the FCC will give voice service providers the legal certainty they need to block unwanted calls from the outset so that consumers never have to get them,” said Chairman Pai. “And, if this decision is adopted, I strongly encourage carriers to begin providing these services by default—for free—to their current and future customers. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this latest attack on unwanted robocalls and spoofing” BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Mary Sisak, and Sal Taillefer. Sprint Recommends Elimination of All Access ChargesOn May 16, Sprint met with members of the Wireline Competition Bureau and the Office of Economics and Analysis to endorse elimination of all access charges as “the only sure way to achieve the FCC’s goal of eliminating access arbitrage.” According to Sprint, the FCC must take the following actions:
Carriers interested in submitting their own ex parte filings regarding access arbitrage or Sprint’s proposal in particular should contact the firm for more information. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Mary Sisak, and Sal Taillefer. Law & RegulationTrump Administration Issues Executive Order on Transactions with “Foreign Adversaries”On May 15, President Trump issued an executive order that prohibits the government from any transaction or use of technology that poses a national security risk. Specifically, the order prohibits transactions in the communications or information technology sectors designed, developed, or manufactured by individuals who are connected to or controlled by “foreign adversaries.” Per the executive order, a foreign adversary is defined as any foreign government or foreign non-government person engaged in a long‑term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States or security and safety of United States persons. Prohibited transactions include acquisition, importation, transfer, installation, dealing in, or use of any information and communications technology or service, where the Secretary of Commerce has determined that the transaction involves a foreign adversary and poses an “undue risk” of sabotage or subversion. The order does not specifically mention any countries or companies by name, but many news outlets have indicated Huawei will feel the bite and some companies, such as Google, are already reacting. See the article in this week’s edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update for more on that action. “Foreign adversaries are increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in information and communications technology and services, which store and communicate vast amounts of sensitive information, facilitate the digital economy, and support critical infrastructure and vital emergency services, in order to commit malicious cyber-enabled actions, including economic and industrial espionage against the United States and its people,” Trump said in a statement. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, John Prendergast, and Sal Taillefer. Comment Sought on Google Fiber Petition for WaiverOn May 16, the FCC issued a Public Notice seeking comment on a petition for waiver filed by Google Fiber Inc. (Google Fiber). Comments are due June 17, and reply comments are due July 1. Specifically, Google Fiber requests a limited waiver of Section 79.108 of the FCC’s rules for certain video programming functions that cannot be made accessible through Google Fiber’s offered accessibility solution for a limited time period. Section 79.108 of the rules requires that on-screen text menus and guides provided by navigation devices for the display or selection of multichannel video programming must be audibly accessible in real time upon request by individuals who are blind or visually impaired, if achievable. Multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) that lease or sell navigation devices, as well as navigation device manufacturers, are responsible for compliance with these rules. Google Fiber claims that it is unable to comply with the FCC’s accessible user interfaces requirements because its “Fiber TV” app has four functions for which it does not provide audible accessibility—(1) activating video description (for certain programming); (2) adjusting the presentation and display of closed captioning; (3) display of current configuration options; and (4) activating set-top box configuration options. Google Fiber has determined that it can provide accessibility for the first two of these functions – activating video description and adjusting closed captioning display – by updating its “Fiber TV” app “likely within a matter of months, but no later than by the end of 2019,” and it “continues to investigate the steps necessary to make audibly accessible to its customers the remaining two functions.” BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer. 3.7-4.2 GHz Band Certifications, Information Collection Due May 28On May 20, the FCC announced the deadline and other details for filing the certifications and information required by the FCC's Order of July 13, 2018, regarding the collection of information on satellite usage for the 3.7-4.2 GHz bands. The requisite information is due May 28. As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, the FCC issued an Order and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking last summer seeking to identify potential opportunities for additional terrestrial use— particularly for wireless broadband services—of 500 megahertz of mid-band spectrum between 3.7-4.2 GHz, while accommodating incumbent Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) and Fixed Service (FS) operations in the band. To that end, the FCC directed operators of FSS earth stations, including temporary fixed or transportable earth stations, in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band that are licensed or registered (authorized) in IBFS to certify the accuracy of all information reflected on their license or registration in IBFS (except those operators that filed between April 19, 2018, and October 17, 2018). Further, all such operations are required to submit the following additional information about their operations regardless of when they were licensed or registered:
FSS space station licensees or grantees in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band are required to provide the following information:
BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast. IndustryGoogle Cuts Ties with Huawei as Administration Acts on National Security ConcernsGoogle last night announced it was cutting business ties with Huawei and pulling its license for Android software. This is in response to the Trump Administration’s executive order last week putting Huawei on a trade blacklist and ordering American companies to stop doing business with any company that harms national security interests. News reports say that Google has suspended all business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware, software and technical services except those publicly available via open source licensing. Analysts believe the suspension could hobble Huawei’s smartphone business outside China because the company will lose access to updates to Google’s Android operating system. Future versions of Huawei smartphones that run on Android will also lose access to popular services, including the Google Play Store and Gmail and YouTube apps. Huawei said it would continue to provide security updates and after-sales services to all existing Huawei and Honor smartphone and tablet products, covering those that have been sold or are still in stock globally. “We will continue to build a safe and sustainable software ecosystem, in order to provide the best experience for all users globally, it added. The U.S. Department of Commerce last week announced it was adding Huawei and its 70 affiliates to the so-called “Entity List.” This effectively prevents the Company from buying parts and components from U.S. companies without approval from Washington. The Commerce Department is also adding Huawei’s non-U.S. affiliates to the Entity List “because they pose a significant risk of becoming involvement in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States due to their relationship with Huawei.” It is unclear what the Administration’s actions mean for rural service providers that use Huawei equipment in their company’s network. The FCC more than one year ago voted to ban the use of USF funds to purchase equipment from Chinese-based telecom companies. Huawei has said that the proposed rule exceeds the FCC’s statutory authority, and that the USF does not encompass national security concerns. The prohibition has yet to be approved by the full FCC. At that time, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said, “The money in the Universal Service Fund comes from fees paid by the American people, and I believe that the FCC has the responsibility to ensure that this money is not spent on equipment or services that pose a threat to national security.” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross sought to allay rural telcos in an interview with Bloomberg TV. “We do have a plan for providing a degree of relief for the rural area broadband companies,” Ross said. “For the first 90 days they will be able to do what they need to do for maintenance of their equipment. And we’ll be having discussions about narrowing somewhat the potential of the list in order to minimize the impact on those rural companies.” And Google isn't the only company cutting ties with Huawei. According to a Bloomberg reports, American chip makers such as Intel, Qualcomm and Broadcom have told their employees that they will stop supplying Huawei. And the Nikkei Asian Review has reported that the German chip maker Infineon has also stopped shipments to Huawei. Chairman Pai, Commissioner Carr Support T-Mobile/Sprint Transaction; Draft Order ForthcomingOn May 20, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Brendan Carr released separate statements expressing their support for the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint after the companies committed to a package of concessions regarding the transaction. According to a Press Release, Chairman Pai indicated he will circulate a draft order “that would resolve this matter.” Chairman Pai said: “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. 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.” Commissioner Carr said: “I support the combination of T-Mobile and Sprint because Americans across the country will see more competition and an accelerated buildout of fast, 5G services,” Carr said. “The proposed transaction will strengthen competition in the U.S. wireless market and provide mobile and in-home broadband access to communities that demand better coverage and more choices,” Carr added. DeadlinesMAY 31: FCC FORM 395, EMPLOYMENT REPORT. Common carriers, including wireless carriers, with 16 or more full-time employees must file their annual Common Carrier Employment Reports (FCC Form 395) by May 31. This report tracks carrier compliance with rules requiring recruitment of minority employees. Further, the FCC requires all common carriers to report any employment discrimination complaints they received during the past year. That information is also due on May 31. The FCC encourages carriers to complete the discrimination report requirement by filling out Section V of Form 395, rather than submitting a separate report. BloostonLaw Contact: Richard Rubino. JULY 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 outage, unfulfilled service request, and complaint data, broken out separately for voice and broadband services, 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. Form 481 must not only be filed with USAC, but also with the FCC and the relevant state commission and tribal authority, as appropriate. Although USAC treats the filing as confidential, filers must seek confidential treatment separately with the FCC and the relevant state commission and tribal authority if confidential treatment is desired. 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. Calendar At-a-GlanceMay June July
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| LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
Dear Brad, Thank you for publishing my email in your weekly newsletter. I have already had contact from a couple of interested parties. I must point out that I made an error of judgment when I added the name of my current paging supplier in my original e-mail. My intention was not to put down my current supplier but to solely obtain information of other suppliers which are able to fulfill our paging requirements. Once again, thank you. Kind regards, Gerald Gerald Perez Tel: +350 200 52200
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Hi Brad,
Hope all is well with you. I have a box of old and never used Infostream X5 pagers earmarked for recycling. It would be a shame to see them crushed! Not sure if you're familiar with the X5, but it was a very advanced pager for its time, colour screen etc. So before they head to the tip can you put a call out for anybody interested in taking the lot for the cost of shipping or can arrange collection. I cannot help with programming etc, as the pagers were managed via an online server. The offer is best suited to those familiar with the X5. The box contains pagers new and old parts, chargers and holsters.
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Current member or former member of these organizations.
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The above is just like the old men who have stickers on the rear window of their pickup trucks.
| LESSON OF THE WEEK |
Amateur Radio Emergency Service What do Amateur Radio operators do during and after disasters? Amateur Radio operators set up and operate organized communication networks locally for governmental and emergency officials, as well as non-commercial communication for private citizens affected by the disaster. Amateur Radio operators are most likely to be active after disasters that damage regular lines of communications due to power outages and destruction of telephone, cellular and other infrastructure-dependent systems. How do Amateur Radio operators help local officials? Many radio amateurs are active as communications volunteers with local public safety organizations. In addition, in some disasters, radio frequencies are not coordinated among relief officials and Amateur Radio operators step in to coordinate communication when radio towers and other elements in the communications infrastructure are damaged. What are the major Amateur Radio emergency organizations? Amateur Radio operators have informal and formal groups to coordinate communication during emergencies. At the local level, hams may participate in local emergency organizations, or organize local “traffic nets” using VHF (very high frequencies) and UHF (ultra high frequencies). At the state level, hams are often involved with state emergency management operations. In addition, hams operate at the national level through the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), which is coordinated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and through the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), which is coordinated through the American Radio Relay League and its field volunteers. Many hams are also involved in Skywarn, operating under the National Weather Service and provide emergency weather information to the NWS for analysis and dissemination to the public. Is Amateur Radio recognized as a resource by national relief organizations? Many national organizations have formal agreements with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and other Amateur Radio groups including:
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| Source: | ARRL.org |
| VIDEO LESSON OF THE WEEK |
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| Source: | YouTube |
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Former paediatrics nurse Robin Pitts, who is the Trust’s clinical IT and change manager said: “We chose Ascom because we need to move away from devices that perform only one task, to technology that improves and speeds up communication. 
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