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Dr. Anthony Fauci says Americans who don’t wear masks may ‘propagate the further spread of infection’

PUBLISHED FRI, JUN 5 20201:09 PM EDT

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Friday, April 17, 2020, in Washington. Alex Brandon | AP

White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said he has “no doubt” that Americans who aren’t wearing face masks, especially in large crowds, are increasing the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

“When you have crowds of people together and you have the lack of wearing a mask that increases the risk of there being transmissibility. I have no doubt about that,” he said during an interview Friday on CNBC’s “Halftime Report.” “When we see that not happening, there is a concern that that may actually propagate the further spread of infection.”

The comment came a day after CDC Director Robert Redfield told lawmakers he was worried Americans aren’t following the agency’s advice as states begin to reopen after shuttering businesses and limiting activities as part of social distancing measures intended to curb the spread of the virus.

Crowds of people, some without masks, have been seen in recent weeks at protests, over the Memorial Day holiday and, Redfield noted, at the SpaceX launch over the weekend.

The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.

“We will continue to message as well we can,” Redfield told the House Appropriations Committee during a hearing on the coronavirus. “We’re going to encourage people that have the ability to require to wear masks when they are in their environment to continue to do that.”

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also said Friday that the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. appears to be going in “the right direction” despite a few “blips.”

The coronavirus, which emerged about five months ago, has sickened more than 1.8 million people and killed at least 108,211 across the United States, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. While cases are slowing in hot spots such as New York, they have been on the rise in places such as Florida, Texas and Arizona.

The National Institutes of Health has been fast-tracking work with biotech firm Moderna on a potential vaccine to prevent Covid-19.

Fauci said earlier this week that there are at least four trials for potential vaccines that he is either directly or indirectly involved in. He said that by the beginning of 2021 “we hope to have” a couple million doses.

On Friday, Fauci said he hopes Americans won’t be “reluctant” to take the vaccine that could be potentially lifesaving.

“Unfortunately there’s ... kind of a trend of anti-science and with that anti-vaccine in this country, which is really unfortunate, because for the most part it’s really based on misinformation,” he said. “But I would hope that as we get a vaccine available for us here in the United States and even worldwide, that given the potential and real seriousness of this outbreak now and in the future, that people will not be reluctant to take a vaccine that’s potential is lifesaving for them.”

[Source]

“Mi Tierra Veracruzana”

This week's music video was sent in by my friend and former colleague Enrique Llaca of Mexico City. Don't miss it — it's really good. I have added the lyrics in both Spanish and English. ¡Muchas gracias Enrique!

Emergency Radio Communications Wireless Messaging Critical Messaging Two-way Radio Technology Telemetry Science Paging Wi-Fi

Wireless Messaging

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Service Monitors and Frequency Standards for Sale

Motorola Service Monitor

IFR Service Monitor

Efratom Rubidium Standard

(Images are typical units, not actual photos of items offered for sale here.)

Buy An Amp today

Oh come on they are cool.

These are acoustic amplifiers for smartphones. They don't need electric power to operate and there are no moving parts. They work like a megaphone (speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, or loudhailer). Everyone that I have shown one to has said something like “Wow, I want one of those!” So I have built 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 have been made with hardwood bases and some of them are 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, soldered, and polished.

They horns are now on display and for sale at:

The two large horns — the trombone and the gramophone — are difficult to pack and ship to they are for local pickup only. The remainder can be sent to you. I have the cowboy horn and the rest are in stock at the Colorado coffee shop.

Please call for pricing and availability or stop in for a demo and a great cup of espresso.

P.S. Allan, Virginia and I worked together at WebLink Wireless in Dallas.

50 years experience providing and supporting radio and paging customers worldwide. Call us anytime we can be useful!

			Minitor VI
Leavitt sells and supports most pager brands. We stock Unication G1, G5, Secure and some Elegant pagers. Call or e-mail for price and availability.

iPhone looters find devices disabled, with a warning they’re being tracked

Apple has long used digital anti-theft measures in its stores.

SAMUEL AXON — 6/3/2020, 1:43 PM

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Along with other retailers big and small, Apple Stores have been subject to looting by opportunists amid the ongoing protests around the United States. In response, Apple has again closed all of its stores in the US. Stores had only recently reopened after closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But looters who brought stolen iPhones home, or people who end up buying those phones in person-to-person transactions, are in for what may be a surprise: it appears that the stolen iPhones don't work and may even be tracked by Apple or authorities. This could pose a challenge for regular consumers who buy second-hand iPhones—as well as repair shops—in the coming weeks and months.

Individuals with iPhones allegedly looted from Apple stores found that the phones were automatically disabled and had messages like the following (via Twitter) displayed on-screen:

Please return to Apple Walnut Street. This device has been disabled and is being tracked. Local authorities will be alerted.

A few examples of these messages have surfaced on Reddit and Twitter over the past day or two. That said, we don't know how many iPhones have been taken from Apple Stores and put in circulation.

Apple has been known in the past to use special images of iOS on demo unit iPhones, and those demo iPhones have a sort of kill switch that disables the phones as soon as they are out of range of the store's Wi-Fi network. So none of this is surprising. Also, Apple already offers a service to users called FindMy that allows tracking of lost or stolen iPhones via the user's iCloud account. There's no apparent reason related tools and services couldn't be used by Apple itself.

Anti-theft measures are not Apple's only focus amid civil unrest, though. Bloomberg acquired a memo sent by Apple CEO Tim Cook to employees that constitutes the company's official response to the killing of George Floyd and the protests in response to that killing. Among other things, Cook wrote:

That painful past is still present today—not only in the form of violence, but in the everyday experience of deeply rooted discrimination. We see it in our criminal justice system, in the disproportionate toll of disease on Black and Brown communities, in the inequalities in neighborhood services and the educations our children receive. While our laws have changed, the reality is that their protections are still not universally applied.

He added:

Today, Apple is making donations to a number of groups, including the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit committed to challenging racial injustice, ending mass incarceration, and protecting the human rights of the most vulnerable people in American society. For the month of June, and in honor of the Juneteenth holiday, we’ll also be matching two-for-one all employee donations via Benevity.

The New York Times reported that the environment around the protests was more peaceful last night than other recent nights, with fewer instances of looting. But it is not known when Apple might again reopen its stores.

In Reference to The Three Products Above

One of the catchy phrases composed by Rob Lockhart to promote diversification in paging was:

• People Paging People
• People Paging Things
• Things Paging People
• Things Paging Things

The last three have long been my favorite for "non-traditional" use of paging channels for machine communication. These can be used for:

• Machine alarms sent to people
• People sending commands to remote machines
  • Remote server resets
  • Electrical grid load shedding (hot water heaters, etc.)
  • Turning sprinkler and other systems off/on
• And even machine to machine communication without human intervention

So if this got you thinking about new applications, I draw your attention to the telemetry products from Wex International Limited. These are basically the "guts" of a pager including the radio receiver and/or the protocol decoder. There are both POCSAG and FLEX™ products available. Making a new product with these devices is not a major technical issue. Please see the ad following.

One good example that I heard was this: An on-call technician gets a phone call late at night. An important server has crashed or frozen. He or she has to get out of bed, get dressed, drive to the server location, unlock the building and push the reset button on the server. All of this could be done with one telephone call to a paging system that would then send a simple tone-only page to the Wex telemetry device and "push" the reset button (electrically).

Another cool application is sending text messages to scrolling LED signs with many different uses:

• Amber alerts (missing children)
• Public Safety emergencies
• Traffic jams and rerouting information
• Various types of commercial advertising
• Evacuations

More application information here.

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

The Wireless Messaging News
Board of Advisors

The Board of Advisor members are people with whom I have developed a special rapport, and have met personally. They are not obligated to support the newsletter in any way, except with advice, and maybe an occasional letter to the editor.

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You can help support The Wireless Messaging News by clicking on the PayPal Donate button above. It is not necessary to be a member of PayPal to use this service.

Newspapers generally cost 75¢ $1.50 a copy and they hardly ever mention paging or wireless messaging, unless in a negative way. If you receive some benefit from this publication maybe you would like to help support it financially?

A donation of $50.00 would certainly help cover a one-year period. If you are wiling and able, please click on the PayPal Donate button above.

WSJT-X Version 2.2.0 is Now in General Release

Posted date: June 04, 2020

WSJT-X version 2.2.0 is now in general availability release, after a short stint in beta (or release candidate) status. WSJT-X version 2.2 offers 10 different protocols or modes — FT4, FT8, JT4, JT9, JT65, QRA64, ISCAT, MSK144, WSPR, and Echo. The first six are designed for reliable contacts under weak-signal conditions, and they use nearly identical message structure and source encoding. JT65 and QRA64 were designed for EME (“moonbounce”) on VHF/UHF bands but have also proven very effective for worldwide very low-power communication on HF bands.

“FT8 is operationally similar but four times faster (15-second T/R [transmit-receive] sequences) and less sensitive by a few decibels,” developer Joe Taylor, K1JT, explains in the version 2.2.0 User Guide. “FT4 is faster still (7.5-second T/R sequences) and especially well suited for contesting.”

Taylor noted that even with their shorter transmit-receive sequences, FT4 and FT8 are considered “slow modes,” because their message frames are sent only once per transmission. “All fast modes in WSJT-X send their message frames repeatedly, as many times as will fit into the [transmit] sequence length,” he explained.

Compared with FT8, FT4 is 3.5 dB less sensitive and requires 1.6 times the bandwidth, but it offers the potential for twice the contact rate.

New in WSJT-X version 2.2.0: FT8 decoding is now spread over three intervals, the first starting at 11.8 seconds into a receive sequence and typically yielding around 85% of the possible decodes. This means users see most decodes much sooner than with previous versions. A second processing step starts at 13.5 seconds, and a third at 14.7 seconds.

“Overall decoding yield on crowded bands is improved by 10% or more,” Taylor said.

Other changes: Signal-to-noise (SNR) estimates no longer saturate at +20 dB, and large signals in the passband no longer cause the SNR of weaker signals to be biased low. Times written to the ALL.TXT cumulative journal file are now correct, even when decoding occurs after the T/R sequence boundary.

Source:ARRL

• LIVE response possible to any program with Media 1 Live app from Android or Apple stores, summed up immediately for producer on web site media1live.com
• Propose LIVE broadcast on Internet with live response to reach youth with low cost quality education, seeking persons interested.
• Contact: ewtexas@att.net

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Ph: +64 (0)3 379 2298
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E-mail: sales@salcom.com

 

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.

Easy Solutions
3220 San Simeon Way
Plano, Texas 75023
Vaughan Bowden
Telephone: 972-898-1119
Telephone: 214 785-8255
Website: www.EasySolutions4You.com
E-mail: vaughan@easysolutions4you.com

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.

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

• 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

FCC extends deadline for ISPs to quit charging customers who use their own equipment

The companies can keep charging you for equipment you don’t have until December 20th

By Kim Lyons Jun 4, 2020, 10:09am EDT

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

US Internet service providers can continue to charge customers a device rental fee — even if they have their own equipment — at least until December 20th. A law barring the practice was set to go into effect on June 20th, but the Federal Communications Commission has extended the deadline for ISPs to comply due to the pandemic (via Ars Technica).

The “truth-in-billing” requirements of the Television Viewer Protection Act (TVPA) of 2019 state that ISPs must “refrain from charging a consumer for using equipment not provided by the service provider.”

The FCC said in its ruling that broadband ISPs are integral to efforts to “keep Americans informed and connected” during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was granting the six-month extension “so that these service providers may focus their resources on this critical effort.”

Some Internet service providers charge a monthly Wi-Fi router fee, even when a customer uses their own router. In one instance, a customer who complained to the FCC never even received a router from his ISP, Ars Technica has reported.

Most ISPs in the US committed to the FCC’s Keep Americans Connected Pledge in March, agreeing not to terminate Internet service for residential and small business customers who may have difficulty paying bills due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The companies also agreed to waive late fees. Most carriers agreed to extend the pledge until June 30th, however, the FCC has received around 500 complaints involving “questions about billing or network issues or broadband access generally,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said last month.

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

FCC Grants Spectrum Licenses to T-Mobile, Others

Big winners punch their upper microwave flexible use tickets

JOHN EGGERTON, June 4, 2020

The FCC has granted the spectrum licenses to T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular Corp., Straight Path, ATI Sub LLC, FiberTower Spectrum Holdings, Window Wireless and Windstream.

Straight Path Spectrum was the top bidder in Auction 103 ($3,417,133,445), followed by FiberTower Spectrum Holdings ($2,379,103,897), and T-Mobile ($931,609,379).

The FCC's Spectrum Frontiers auction of high-band spectrum for 5G (auction 103) closed March 12, raising $7,558,703,201, with $3,084,172,898 going to pay off existing licensees and the FCC netting $4,474,530,303.

The 35 qualified bidders in the auction competed for a whopping 3,400 MHz of flexible use, millimeter-wave, spectrum (in the upper 37-gigahertz, 39-GHz and 47-GHz bands), the most spectrum the FCC has ever offered in an auction of any type. The spectrum — which was offered as 14,142 licenses — can be used for both fixed and mobile broadband and was auctioned in 100-megahertz blocks in partial economic areas (PEAs).

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

NATE Warns Wireless Workers About Planned 5G Protests

NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association

A Facebook post reads: “Take action to spread awareness about the dangers of wireless radiation and 5G, and to call for safe wired connections. Let’s keep the momentum going and protect the Earth and skies!!” Previous similar protests occurred in January, according to the message from stop5ginternational.org.

“NATE as an organization has heard through official channels that there are 5G Global Protest Day activities being planned throughout the country this Saturday, June 6,” the organization said in an advisory bulletin to member companies Thursday. “NATE member companies set themselves apart by embodying the characteristics of work ethic, professionalism, safety and quality on a daily basis. NATE reminds our member companies and their employees to remain safe, exercise vigilance and report any unusual or suspicious activities that they witness when traveling to and working at tower sites this weekend.”

Some conspiracy theorists mistakenly link 5G to the coronavirus. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, Wireless Infrastructure Association President/CEO Jonathan Adelstein and other industry leaders refute those claims, Inside Towers reported.

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's partners. The firm's contact information is included at the end of this section of the newsletter.

AT&T Terminating TTA and EAS Arrangements in 12 States as of June 30

AT&T has recently notified rural local exchange carriers (Rural LECs) in twelve states (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio. Michigan, Wisconsin, California, Nevada, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas) that it is terminating its Traffic Termination Agreements (TTAs) and Extended Area Service (EAS) arrangements with them as of June 30, 2020. The AT&T notices contain the curious statement that “AT&T intends to terminate all existing EAS and TTA agreements as of June 30, 2020 and to initiate negotiations to enter into a new single agreement that supersedes all current existing EAS/TTA arrangements. This unilateral termination action and statement may be wholly innocent, but raise several cautions and concern. See the full article below for more.

BloostonLaw has considerable experience dealing with AT&T and with negotiating interconnection and other traffic exchange arrangements, and stands ready to assist clients affected by the recent and future AT&T notices.

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

Headlines

AT&T Terminating TTA and EAS Arrangements in 12 States as of June 30

AT&T has recently notified rural local exchange carriers (Rural LECs) in twelve states (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio. Michigan, Wisconsin, California, Nevada, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas) that it is terminating its Traffic Termination Agreements (TTAs) and Extended Area Service (EAS) arrangements with them as of June 30, 2020. Its stated reason is that the transition of Rural LEC terminating switched access and reciprocal compensation rates to bill-and-keep will be completed as of July 1. AT&T claims that this change will affect reciprocal compensation rates for the termination of Section 251(b) Traffic, Non-Toll VoIPPSTN Traffic, and ISP Bound Traffic.

To the extent that AT&T is only recognizing the completion of the 2011 USF/ICC Transformation Order’s scheduled transition of terminating access and reciprocal compensation charges to bill-and-keep, there is nothing new here nor anything that Rural LECs can do to delay or avoid the long-scheduled implementation of bill-and-keep. However, the AT&T notices contain the curious statement that “AT&T intends to terminate all existing EAS and TTA agreements as of June 30, 2020 and to initiate negotiations to enter into a new single agreement that supersedes all current existing EAS/TTA arrangements that is compliant with the above cited USF/FCC order [the USF/ICC Transformation Order] by taking all our inter-carrier arrangement(s) to B&K arrangement(s).” This unilateral termination action and statement may be wholly innocent, but raise several cautions and concerns. First, what right and authority does AT&T have to terminate unilaterally EAS arrangements that often have been negotiated with the participation of state commissions and/or approved by them, and why does the movement from $0.0007 per minute to bill-and-keep on July 1 require the termination of EAS arrangements? Second, does AT&T intend to use negotiation of the “new single agreement” that takes “all our inter-carrier arrangement(s) to B&K arrangement(s)” to achieve its oft-stated goal of moving all remaining originating switched access and transport charges to bill-and-keep? Third, does AT&T intend to use these same negotiations of “single new agreement(s)” to achieve another oft-stated goal: to change/eliminate current Rural LEC points of interconnection and network edges, so as to require Rural LECs to pay to bring their traffic to AT&T at a small number of designated and potentially distant urban locations (such as Chicago or Atlanta)?

We will be very interested to see the specific terms, conditions and language of the “new single agreement(s)” that will be proposed by AT&T. We hope that our concerns are unfounded, but will not be surprised if some or all of them are genuine issues. We have considerable experience dealing with AT&T and with negotiating interconnection and other traffic exchange arrangements, and stand ready to assist clients affected by the recent and future AT&T notices.

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

Repurposing of Satellite C-band for 5G to Move Forward on Accelerated Timeline

In a Public Notice released on June 1, the FCC said it had secured commitments from all eligible satellite operators to meet an accelerated clearing timeline that will make way for faster 5G deployment in the 3.7 GHz band, also called the C-band.

Eutelsat S.A. (Eutelsat), Intelsat US LLC (Intelsat), SES Americom Inc. (SES), Claro S.A. f/k/a Star One S.A. (Claro), and Telesat Canada (Telesat) have accepted, in the aggregate, relocation payments that exceed the minimum threshold (80%) established by the Commission in the 3.7 GHz Report and Order. This has triggered accelerated clearing of this band. Under the accelerated timeline, satellite operators must clear the lower 100 megahertz of the C-band in 46 of the top 50 PEAs by September 2021, and the remaining 180 megahertz of the C-band by September 2023.

In exchange for this accelerated clearing, 3.7 GHz band auction winners will be obligated to pay the satellite operators a $9.7 billion accelerated relocation fee. This “premium” is in addition to reasonable relocation costs, which are expected to range from $3 to $5 billion.

"This is a big day for American leadership in 5G and for American consumers and businesses," said Chairman Pai. "The acceptance of accelerated relocation by all eligible satellite operators vindicates the FCC's approach for making C-band spectrum available for 5G more quickly. Our initiative will enable this critical mid-band spectrum to be used for new and innovative wireless services that will be delivered to American consumers years ahead of schedule.”

This Commission's C-band auction is scheduled to begin on December 8, 2020. The Commission's efforts in this band will meet its key goals of making a large portion of the C-band available for 5G use, generating significant revenue for the U.S. Treasury, and protecting and preserving the satellite services currently delivered using this band. This effort is a component of Chairman Pai's comprehensive strategy to “Facilitate America's Superiority in 5G Technology” (the 5G FAST plan).

BloostonLaw Contacts: Cary Mitchell and John Prendergast.

FCC Delays Effective Date of Radiofrequency Exposure Limits Order

On June 2, the FCC announced that the effective date of its Second Report and Order amending its rules related to methods that may be used for determining and achieving compliance with the FCC's existing limits on human exposure to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic field would be delayed indefinitely, pending approval by the Office of Management and Budget. The Second Report and Order was originally published in the April 1 Federal Register, and would accordingly have been effective on June 1.

As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, in the Second Report and Order the FCC established uniform rules for determining compliance with RF standards. Specifically, it established a uniform set of guidelines, agnostic to the service or technology, using science-based metrics around frequency, distance, and power, to determine how entities assess whether they are in compliance with RF standards. In particular, the FCC sought to streamline its criteria for determining when a licensee is exempt from the RF exposure evaluation criteria, replacing the prior regime of service-based exemptions with a set of formulas for situations in which the risk of excessive RF exposure is minimal. For those licensees who do not qualify for an exemption, the Second Report and Order purports to provide more flexibility for licensees to establish compliance with the RF exposure limits. And it specifies methods that RF equipment operators can use to mitigate the risk of excess exposure, both to members of the public and trained workers (such as training, supervision, and signage).

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast.

Comment Sought on Termination of Certain Proceedings as Dormant

On June 2, the FCC issued a Public Notice seeking comment on whether 515 docketed FCC proceedings should be terminated as dormant. The full list of proceedings can be found here. Comment deadlines have not yet been established.

The FCC’s rules require the FCC to periodically review all open dockets and, in consultation with the responsible Bureaus or Offices, to identify those dockets that appear to be candidates for termination. The FCC stated that these candidates may include dockets in which no further action is required or contemplated as well as those in which no pleadings or other documents have been filed for several years, but it specified that proceedings in which petitions addressing the merits are pending should not be terminated, absent the parties’ consent. The termination of a dormant proceeding also includes dismissal as moot of any pending petition, motion, or other request for relief that is procedural in nature or otherwise does not address the merits of the proceeding.

BloostonLaw encourages all carriers to review the linked spreadsheet and to contact the firm for more information.

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

Law and Regulation

FCC Streamlines Lifeline Application for Tribes; Extends Current Waivers through August 2020.

On June 1, the FCC issued an Order granting a temporary waiver easing the Lifeline program application and enrollment process during the COVID-19 pandemic for low-income consumers living on rural Tribal lands until August 31, 2020. The Order also extends recent waivers of the Lifeline program’s recertification, reverification, general de-enrollment, usage, and income documentation requirements through August 31, 2020.

Specifically, under the waiver, a Lifeline carrier may choose to immediately begin providing Lifeline service to a consumer living in a rural Tribal area who applies for Lifeline but is unable to provide the necessary documentation to resolve a failed automated check at the time of application. Under FCC rules, if applicants fail an automated check used to confirm their qualification for the program (e.g., to confirm their identity or eligibility as a low-income consumer), they must normally provide supporting documentation to complete their application before receiving Lifeline service. With the waiver in place, the consumer will instead have 45 days from the time of application to submit the documentation, and a Lifeline carrier that chooses to provide service under this waiver may claim that subscriber for reimbursement from the Universal Service Fund after the subscriber has submitted the necessary documentation and received a positive eligibility determination. The carrier may claim Lifeline support for up to 45 days of service provided prior to the eligibility determination.

As we reported in previous editions of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, the FCC has waived the Lifeline program’s recertification and reverification rules to prevent the de-enrollment of any Lifeline subscribers who would otherwise have been required to certify their continued eligibility to the National Verifier during the waiver period; paused USAC’s periodic, targeted reviews to identify and de-enroll ineligible subscribers; and waived the requirement that consumers seeking to demonstrate income-based qualification for the Lifeline program must provide at least three consecutive months of documentation to confirm their income. These waivers have all be extended until August 31, 2020.

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

FCC Announces Auction 103 License Applications Accepted for Filing; Petitions to Deny Due June 8

On May 28, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing that certain long-form applications have been found, upon initial review, to be acceptable for filing. The list can be found here. The Commission may return or dismiss the applications, however, if upon further examination, they are found to be defective or not in conformance with the Commission’s rules. To this end, petitions to deny the applications approved in this Public Notice are due June 8.

These applications do not represent the entirety of approved applications, as the FCC’s review of the long-form applications of other winning bidders in Auction 103 is ongoing. Accordingly, we expect further Public Notices to be released on a continuing basis.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell.

Industry

FCC Grants Temporary Spectrum Access in Rural Kentucky

On June 2, the FCC announced that it has granted an emergency Special Temporary Authority request filed by Harlan 2-Way, Inc. to use spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band to provide wireless broadband service. Harlan 2-Way is located in Harlan County, Kentucky. The temporary grant of authority is effective for 60 days.

“We see the digital divide acutely in rural, low-income communities like Harlan County, and the Commission’s top priority is to do everything it can to help consumers in those communities access broadband services they need for work, education, health, and social interactions,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “During this pandemic, broadband connectivity has become even more important as so many stay at and work from home. I’m glad we could provide temporary access to this spectrum for the benefit of people in southeastern Kentucky.”

Deadlines

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 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: 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 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 year 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-Glance

June
Jun. 4 – Reply comments are due on Secure Networks Act implementation.
Jun. 8 – Deadline to file Petitions to Deny Auction 103 Long Form Applications.
Jun. 16 – 15-Day Access Tariff Filings are due.
Jun. 17 – Comments are due on Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Exposure NPRM.
Jun. 18 – Comments are due on Executive Branch Review Process.
Jun. 19 – Comments are due on One-Ring Phone Scam Prevention.
Jun. 19 – Upfront payments for Auction 105 due.
Jun. 23 – Petitions to Suspend or Reject 15-Day Access Tariff Filings are due.
Jun. 24 – 7-Day Access Tariff Filings are due.
Jun. 26 – Petitions to Suspend or Reject 7-Day Access Tariff Filings are due.
Jun. 26 – Replies to Petitions to Suspend or Reject 15-Day Access Tariff Filings are due.
Jun. 25 – Bidding begins in Auction 105.
Jun. 25 – Comments are due on 5G Fund for Rural America.
Jun. 29 – Replies to Petitions to Suspend or Reject 7-Day Access Tariff Filings are due.
Jun. 30 – Mobile Competitive ETC waiver expires.

July
Jul. 1 – FCC Form 481 (Carrier Annual Reporting Data Collection Form) is due.
Jul. 1 – FCC Form 690 (Mobility Fund Phase I Auction Winner Annual Report) is due.
Jul. 2 – Reply comments are due on Executive Branch Review Process.
Jul. 6 – Comments are due on End User Interstate Access Detariffing.
Jul. 6 – Reply comments are due on One-Ring Phone Scam Prevention.
Jul. 15 – Short forms for Auction 904 – Rural Digital Opportunity Fund are tentatively due.
Jul. 20 – Reply comments are due on Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Exposure NPRM.
Jul. 27 – Reply comments are due on 5G Fund for Rural America.
Jul. 31 – Carrier Identification Code (CIC) Report is due.

August
Aug. 1 – FCC Form 502 due (North American Numbering Plan Utilization and Forecast Report).
Aug. 1 – FCC Form 499-Q (Quarterly Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet) is due.
Aug. 1 – Live 911 Call Data Reports from Non-Nationwide Providers are due.
Aug. 4 – Reply comments are due on End User Interstate Access Detariffing.
Aug. 31 – Lifeline Income Documentation, De-Enrollment/Reverification Requirement waivers expire.

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