| Wireless News Aggregation |
|
Welcome Back To The Wireless |
|
|||||
| If you are using a Glenayre Paging Terminal, I recommend that you contact Vaughan Bowden at Easy Solutions about a service contract. Vaughan's service is highly recommended. Tell him Brad sent you. | ||||||
This Week's Wireless News Headlines
|
NO POLITICS HERE This doesn't mean that nothing is ever published here that mentions a US political party—it just means that the editorial policy of this newsletter is to remain neutral on all political issues. We don't take sides.
A new issue of the Wireless Messaging Newsletter is posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon central US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the web. That way it doesn’t fill up your incoming e-mail account. There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world’s major Paging and Wireless Messaging companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers — so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It’s all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology. I regularly get readers’ comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the Paging, and Wireless Messaging communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my web site. I am very careful to protect the anonymity of those who request it. 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. |
|||||
What happens if you don't advertise? . . . NOTHING! Click on the image above for more info about advertising in this newsletter. |
HELP SUPPORT THE NEWSLETTER
There is not a lot of news about Paging these days but when anything significant comes out, you will probably see it here. I also cover text messaging to other devices and various articles about related technology. |
|||||
|
Subscribe Here IT'S FREE
|
 |
Advertiser Index
|
Service Monitors and Frequency Standards for Sale
(Images are typical units, not actual photos of items offered for sale here.)
|
Microsoft Outlook will make you think twice before sending your next e-mail By Joel Khalili Outlook tone detector should spare a few blushes
Microsoft is building a new feature for Outlook that should minimize the opportunity for miscommunications over e-mail. According to a new entry in the company’s product roadmap, the Outlook web client will soon be equipped with a tone detector. “Microsoft Editor in Outlook on the web will now offer writing refinements and suggest conversation tone,” the post explains.
Microsoft is still putting finishing touches on the new feature, which should become available to users next month. Microsoft Outlook updateWith the rise of remote working during the pandemic, the ability to communicate effectively over email and text-based chat has become a vital attribute for employees. But for many people, this is easier said than done. Without voice intonation, body language and facial prompts to add context to interactions, nuances are often lost and intended tone misinterpreted. Sarcasm, for example, is much more difficult to communicate over virtual channels, and feedback is difficult to frame without appearing overly critical. Although details remain scant, it appears the new Outlook feature will intervene when someone is about to fire off a message that is likely to be misinterpreted in one way or another, as well as policing for errors of grammar and spelling. In theory, the Outlook tone detector will give users a chance to revisit messages, which may have been composed in a hurry or in a state of frustration, and make revisions if necessary - for the sake of diplomacy. Microsoft has said nothing about the underlying technology that will make the new Outlook feature possible, but TechRadar Pro has asked for further clarification.
|
| Source: | Tech Radar |
| Leavitt Communications |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cable TV Lost 1.1 Million Subscribers Last Quarter. They Went Here.The pace of customer attrition slowed down, but only because fewer people are left to cut the cord. James Brumley (TMFjbrumley)
Key Points
U.S. consumers continue to cancel their conventional cable services. The nation's six biggest names in the business (which Leichtman Research says accounts for about 95% of the market) collectively lost a little over 1.1 million customers during the three-month stretch ending in June, slowing down Q1's cord-cutting pace of more than 1.5 million, but continuing the bigger-picture cord-cutting cadence that's been a problem for the industry since 2014.
AT&T (NYSE:T) led the way with its loss of 443,000 subscribers as its flagship platform DirecTV undergoes the major disruption of changing ownership hands, although the satellite-based service was bleeding customers well before the sale of DirecTV was even considered. No outfit gained subscribers, though, even including the better-established cable television brands like Comcast's (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Xfinity and Charter Communications' (NASDAQ:CHTR) Spectrum. It's becoming crystal clear, however, these cord-cutters aren't giving up on TV. They're just watching it in a different way. An undeniable migrationThe graphic below plots the country's biggest six cable names' collective customer base going all the way back to early 2018. It was then that 83.1 million U.S. consumers were paying for conventional cable. Now, only 65.5 million households are doing so. We saw a clear bump in cord-cutting when the pandemic took hold last year, although the streak of losses has actually been pretty consistent when considering the entirety of the past 3.5 years.
And don't look for the downtrend to abate anytime soon. Market research company eMarketer estimates the number of conventional cable customers in the U.S. will continue to slide at least through 2024 when the number of non-pay-TV households is likely to eclipse the number of pay-TV households. As was noted, though, people aren't spending less time in front of their television sets. They're just watching in a different way. Streaming is quickly becoming the preferred way of consuming video. That comes as no surprise to anyone that's kept their finger on the pulse of this market. Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) began making a noticeable dent in cable's resilient growth back in 2013, just a few years after it began offering programs via streaming in addition to DVDs by mail. The 2008 launch of Hulu, now mostly owned by Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS), helped Netflix chip away at the idea of how TV programming can be marketed and consumed. It's not a stretch to say, however, the streaming industry's been through an enormous evolution in just the past couple of years. Disney+, AT&T's HBO Max, and Comcast's Peacock are all newcomers, while ViacomCBS (NASDAQ:VIAC) (NASDAQ:VIAC.A) has of course offered Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access) for some time but is also behind young cable-like streaming platform Pluto TV. Fox (NASDAQ:FOX) (NASDAQ:FOXA) owns ad-supported streaming service Tubi, and regularly serves around 40 million viewers. Even Discovery Communications (NASDAQ:DISC.A) (NASDAQ:DISCK) and AMC Networks (NASDAQ:AMCX) are now wading in streaming waters. And they're all finding a shocking degree of success with these efforts. Last quarter, streaming services of all ilks added on the order of 44.7 million active users/subscribers.
Take that number with a grain of salt for a couple of reasons, the biggest of which is it's a worldwide number and not just a U.S. figure. The other reason to not read too much into this number is it requires multiple streaming services to fully replace a canceled cable package. Recent data from Parks Associates indicates around half the U.S. households that have cut the cord now pay for four or more streaming options. Still, in that the United States remains the key market for most of these streaming brands — like Disney+, Discovery+, Pluto TV, and HBO Max — it's difficult to not connect the clear demise of conventional cable television with popularization of streaming alternatives. Change has to happenIt still doesn't point to the inevitable end of cable television. Curiously, Dish Networks' (NASDAQ:DISH) skinny streaming bundle, SlingTV priced between $35 and $50 per month, added 70,000 paying customers last quarter. Sports-oriented fuboTV's (NYSE:FUBO) streaming cable service picked up another 91,291 paying customers during the second quarter despite its monthly cost of between $65 and $80. Consumers will obviously pay something of a premium for the right cable package, even if it's one they've pieced together. The aforementioned Parks Associates survey points out that consumers who have cut the cord are spending about $85 per month on streaming services, more or less in line with the typical monthly cost of traditional cable service. Whatever the case, there's no way of denying the advent of streaming isn't at least a major disruption for the traditional cable media model. There's also no reason to think the trends indicated in the two charts above won't persist until the major cable players like Charter's Spectrum and Comcast's Xfinity rethink their current bundling and pricing approach. Networks and cable channels are also going to have to get on board and stop forcing cable platforms to cram all of their content together in one package. Should you invest $1,000 in Comcast Corporation right now?Before you consider Comcast Corporation, you'll want to hear this. Our award-winning analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now ... and Comcast Corporation wasn't one of them. The online investing service they've run for nearly two decades, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has beaten the stock market by over 4X.* And right now, they think there are 10 stocks that are better buys.
* Stock Advisor returns as of August 9, 2021 This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the “official” recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. We’re motley! Questioning an investing thesis — even one of our own — helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer. James Brumley owns shares of AT&T. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends CuriosityStream Inc., Netflix, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool recommends Comcast, Discovery (C shares), and fuboTV, Inc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. |
| Source: |
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
|
The Wireless Messaging News
The Board of Advisor members are people with whom I have developed a special rapport, and have met personally. They are not obligated to support the newsletter in any way, except with advice, and maybe an occasional letter to the editor.
Can You Help The Newsletter?
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 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. |
|||||||||||||||
| PRISM IPX Systems |
With PRISM IPX Systems, Your message is delivered Secure & Encrypted
|
|||||||||||
| Prism IPX Products | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Easy Solutions |
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.
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 Easy Solutions |
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. 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 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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
|
|||||||||||
Introducing Horizon Workrooms: Remote Collaboration ReimaginedAugust 19, 2021 The way we work is changing. More people are working remotely, more people want flexible work options, and more people are re-thinking what it means to be in an office. But without the right connective tools, remote work still has plenty of challenges. Working without colleagues around you can feel isolating at times, and brainstorming with other people just doesn’t feel the same if you’re not in the same room. So today, we’re excited to launch the open beta of Horizon Workrooms, available for free to download on Oculus Quest 2 in countries where Quest 2 is supported. Workrooms is our flagship collaboration experience that lets people come together to work in the same virtual room, regardless of physical distance. It works across both virtual reality and the web and is designed to improve your team’s ability to collaborate, communicate, and connect remotely, through the power of VR— whether that’s getting together to brainstorm or whiteboard an idea, work on a document, hear updates from your team, hang out and socialize, or simply have better conversations that flow more naturally. Workrooms brings some of our best new technologies together for the first time into one experience on Quest 2. Using features like mixed-reality desk and keyboard tracking, hand tracking, remote desktop streaming, video conferencing integration, spatial audio, and the new Oculus Avatars, we’ve created a different kind of productivity experience. We’ve been using Workrooms to collaborate here at Facebook already, and we think it’s one of the best ways to work if you can’t be physically together.
Product OverviewWorkrooms is a virtual meeting space where you and your colleagues can work better together from anywhere. You can join a meeting in VR as an avatar or dial into the virtual room from your computer by video call. You can use a huge virtual whiteboard to sketch out ideas together, bring your computer and keyboard into VR to work together with others, or just have expressive conversations that feel more like you’re together in person. Here’s a look at all the new features in detail:
Getting StartedIf you’re the first of your colleagues to try Workrooms, you can sign up to create a new Workrooms team at workrooms.com. And if your colleagues are already using Workrooms, they can send you an email invite to join their existing Workrooms team. You’ll need to agree to the terms, confirm that you’re 18 years or older, and choose a name to display in Workrooms. Once you’ve created an account, you can download and install Horizon Workrooms from the Oculus Store on your Quest 2, then follow the instructions in the app to pair your headset to your account and get started. For more information on how to set up your account and get started, you can see our FAQ here. Safety and Privacy in WorkroomsWhen you choose to collaborate with your coworkers in Workrooms, you should feel in control of your experience, and we built Workrooms with privacy and safety in mind. Workrooms will not use your work conversations and materials to inform ads on Facebook. Additionally, Pass-through processes images and videos of your physical environment from the device sensors locally. Facebook and third-party apps do not access, view or use these images or videos to target ads. Finally, other people are not able to see your computer screen in Workrooms unless you choose to share it, and the permissions you grant for the Oculus Remote Desktop app are only used for the purposes of allowing streaming from your computer to your headset. In addition to keeping your information secure, we want everyone to feel safe while collaborating in Workrooms. That’s why anyone who signs up for Workrooms must agree to follow our Facebook Community Standards and Conduct in VR Policy. If other members or content in the workroom violate these policies, you can always contact the team admin who can take action such as removing someone from the Workrooms team. You can also report an entire Workrooms team if you think it’s not following our policies. And If you’re in VR with people who are bothering you, you can report them using the Oculus reporting tool and include evidence for us to review. If someone records and sends us a clip of the audio content of your meetings as part of a report, we’ll use the information to take appropriate action and then delete the recordings.
Using Workrooms requires a Workrooms account, which is separate from your Oculus or Facebook accounts, although your Oculus username may be visible to other users in some cases — for example if someone reports you for violating our policies and your username appears in the tool. And to experience Workrooms in VR, you’ll need to access the app on Quest 2, which requires a Facebook login. Your use of Workrooms will not make any updates to your Facebook profile or timeline unless you choose to do so. We’re committed to ensuring Horizon Workrooms is a safe and secure space to collaborate, and we’ll continue taking steps to protect your data and how it’s used to deliver powerful VR experiences. Bringing Workrooms Features to DevelopersWe hope that developers are excited to use many of the same features seen in Workrooms in their own apps, and we’re working hard to bring them to our platform as well. You can already start by using our hand tracking and spatial audio features in your own apps today. And we’re working to bring avatars, Pass-through, mixed-reality desk, and tracked keyboard capabilities to the platform too. We’re excited to continue growing the VR for work ecosystem, and we hope that Workrooms serves as inspiration for how these features can work together. We think VR will fundamentally transform the way we work as a new computing platform, defying distance to help people collaborate better from anywhere. Horizon Workrooms is a big first step towards this vision, and we look forward to hearing your feedback. Learn more about Workrooms on the Oculus blog or get started at workrooms.com. |
| Source: | about.fb.com |
Brad Dye, Ron Mercer, Allan Angus, Vic Jackson, and Ira Wiesenfeld are friends and colleagues who work both together and independently, on wireline and wireless communications projects. Click here 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:
Prism-IPX Systems LLC. 11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
| Leavitt Communications |
|
|||||||
| Inside Towers Newsletter |
Verizon Explores New Tech for Keeping Data Safe from HackersBy J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology EditorWith the massive hack of T-Mobile’s user database fresh in everyone’s minds, Verizon announced Thursday that it is testing new technology to protect data from hackers. Using a quantum-safe virtual private network (VPN), the carrier is looking to cryptographic ciphers to provide a higher level of protection, essentially, enhancing encryption methodologies to make them future proof. Quantum-safe cryptography refers to efforts to identify algorithms that are resistant to attacks by both classical and quantum computers, to keep information assets secure even if a large-scale quantum computer is built in the future, according to ETSI, the European standards organization. In a recent trial, Verizon tested how a quantum-safe VPN can replace the current public key encryption methods to establish encryption keys using post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Keys or ciphers were exchanged between two private 5G networks located in Verizon’s 5G Lab in London and its Executive Briefing Center in Ashburn, VA. Last year, Verizon piloted quantum key distribution using live video outside of three Verizon locations in the Washington, D.C. area, where the properties of quantum mechanics were used to prevent meaningful eavesdropping and to detect the presence of eavesdroppers. Cellular No Stranger to CyberhacksThe hack of 47.8 million records of current and former T-Mobile subscribers is just the latest data breach to hit the wireless industry, among others. The carrier logged two lesser data breaches in 2020, as well, according to CPO Magazine. “T-Mobile exposed customer and call-related information of 200,000 subscribers,” the publication reported. “The breach was the second in 2020, and the fourth to hit the company since 2018. Similarly, its partner company Sprint suffered two breaches in 2019, and two others in May and July 2020.” The 2018 T-Mobile data breach affected about two million customers, according to Newsweek, in what the company called “unauthorized capture” of personal data such as name, address and birthdate. UScellular suffered a data breach in January when hackers gained access to protected systems by installing malware on a computer at one of its retail stores, Forbes reported. You have to go back to 2015 to find news of an AT&T data breach. According to CNBC, about 280,000 U.S. customers’ names and full or partial Social Security numbers were exposed at call centers used by AT&T in Mexico, Colombia, and the Philippines. The carrier paid a $25 million fine to the FCC for consumer privacy violations. |
| Source: | Inside Towers newsletter | Courtesy of the editor of Inside Towers, Jim Fryer. Inside Towers is a daily newsletter by subscription. |
| BloostonLaw Newsletter |
RDOF Letter of Credit, Bankruptcy Opinion Due Aug. 27 for Letter RecipientsOn July 26, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing 1,460 winning bids in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction were ready to be authorized. As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, some of those winning bidders also received a letter discussing the possibility of defaulting on certain of the blocks in their winning bids. For recipients of these letters, the deadline for filing their letter of credit and bankruptcy opinion letters was extended to 6:00 p.m. ET on August 27. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer. HeadlinesFCC Ordered to Revisit RF Safety GuidelinesIn a ruling that is likely to embolden critics of wireless technology and antenna siting proposals, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit last Friday directed the FCC to reexamine its health and safety guidelines for 5G and other wireless-based technologies. The Court granted in part petitions for review filed by the Environmental Health Trust and several other groups of a 2019 FCC order terminating a Notice of Inquiry regarding the adequacy of its RF exposure guidelines (ET Docket No. 13-84), which were adopted in 1996. The FCC had previously concluded that the best available scientific evidence, including opinions provided by expert U.S. federal health agencies, supported maintaining the existing RF exposure limits. However, the Court disagreed, finding that the FCC’s 2019 dismissal of the NOI was arbitrary and capricious and not evidence based. The court also found that the FDA’s analysis – upon which the FCC’s analysis relied – was not evidence based. Specifically, the Court found that the FCC "failed to provide a reasoned explanation for its determination that its guidelines adequately protect against the harmful effects of exposure to radio-frequency radiation unrelated to cancer," and that this failure undermined the FCC’s conclusions relating to the adequacy of its testing procedures, particularly as they relate to children. Children’s Health Defense lead attorney Scott McCollough applauded the ruling as an historic win. “The FCC will have to re-open the proceeding and for the first time meaningfully and responsibly confront the vast amount of scientific and medical evidence showing that current guidelines do not adequately protect health and the environment.” However, the Court was careful in not taking a position in the scientific debate regarding health and environmental effects of RF radiation. “We merely conclude that the Commission’s cursory analysis of material record evidence was insufficient as a matter of law,” wrote the Court. On remand, the FCC must now either provide a reasoned explanation for its decision to retain the 1996 RF guidelines, or to revisit and potentially revise the guidelines in the context of a rulemaking. Such a proceeding is certain to be politically charged regardless of its outcome. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell. Winning Bidders for Auction 109 AnnouncedOn August 12, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing the winning bidders for Auction 109 of AM and FM broadcast construction permits. According to the Public Notice, Auction 109, raised in net bids a total of $12,344,110, with 67 bidders winning a total of 97 construction permits. The Public Notice also established the following deadlines:
Specific payment instructions can be found in the Public Notice here. A list of winning bidders, along with the amounts due by the deadlines above, can be found here. BloostonLaw Contact: Cary Mitchell. Law and Regulation911 Reliability Certification Portal Open; Filings Due October 15On August 16, the FCC announced that its 911 Reliability Certification System is now open for filing annual reliability certifications. The filing deadline is October 15. Covered 911 service providers must certify that they have taken reasonable measures to provide 911 service, or alternative measures thereto, with respect to the following:
This rule applies to any entities that provide 911, E911, or NG911 capabilities (such as call routing, automatic location information (ALI), automatic number identification (ANI), or the functional equivalent of those capabilities) directly to a public safety answering point (PSAP), statewide default answering point, or appropriate local emergency authority. It also applies to any entities that operate one or more central offices that directly serve a PSAP. A central office directly serves a PSAP if it (1) hosts a selective router or ALI/ANI database, (2) provides equivalent NG911 capabilities, or (3) is the last service-provider facility through which a 911 trunk or 10-digit administrative line passes before connecting to a PSAP. BloostonLaw attorneys are prepared to answer questions and assist in drafting the certification documents. BloostonLaw Contact: Sal Taillefer. Company Surrenders FCC Authorizations and Pays $24,000 to Settle Unauthorized Transfer of Control InvestigationOn August 13, the FCC entered into a consent decree with Vertex Telecom, Inc. and Vertex SSX, Inc. (collectively Vertex) in order to resolve the FCC’s investigation into whether Vertex violated section 214 of the Act and sections 63.03, 63.04, and 63.24 of the FCC’s rules. According to the Order, these violations pertain to the sale of 100% of each company’s stock to Dr. Peng Holding, Inc., a subsidiary of Dr. Peng Telecom and Media Group, Ltd., a publicly traded Chinese company (Dr. Peng), without the requisite approvals from the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau and International Bureau. The Order indicates that Vertex Telecom, Inc. provides telecommunications services to small and medium-sized businesses and enterprises under the VTX Telecom brand. It also provides low-cost international calling options to individuals through prepaid calling cards, as well as smartphone apps, under the DynaSky brand. To resolve this matter, Vertex admits that it failed to obtain the FCC’s approval prior to transferring its section 214 authority and agrees to divest all ownership interests that are held by Dr. Peng, discontinue its remaining FCC regulated activities, surrender all of its FCC authorizations, and pay a civil penalty. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Sal Taillefer. Carriers File Petitions for Waiver of RDOF Default Penalties; Decline to Serve Census BlocksSince August 16, twenty five petitions for waiver of the penalties associated with default in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction have been filed with the FCC. As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, when the FCC released the first list of winning bidders authorized to receive support, it also announced that it had sent letters to 197 winning bidders providing those applicants an opportunity to withdraw their funding requests from those places already with service or where significant questions of waste have been raised. According to the letters, concerns had been raised that certain census blocks included in the recipients’ bids are already served by one or more service providers that offer 25/3 Mbps broadband service or otherwise raise significant concerns about wasteful spending, such as parking lots and international airports and, as such, the FCC will “entertain requests for waiver of the penalties normally associated with defaults.” The FCC indicated it “anticipate[s] looking favorably on requests” that show defaulting on these bids will serve the public interest. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer. IndustryLumen Announces Deal to Sell ILEC Assets in 20 StatesEarlier this month, Lumen Technologies announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier) business, including its consumer, small business, wholesale and mostly copper-served enterprise customers and assets, in 20 states to funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. (the "Apollo Funds") for $7.5 billion, including debt assumption of approximately $1.4 billion, and subject to working capital and various other purchase price adjustments. Under the terms of the transaction, Lumen will retain its ILEC assets in 16 states, as well as its national fiber routes and CLEC (competitive local exchange carrier) networks as it delivers a platform for next-gen business applications and data. For Apollo Funds, the transaction will provide a scaled local network, as well as the operations and back-office support to meet the accelerating demand for high-bandwidth connectivity and fiber technology. DeadlinesAUGUST 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. SEPTEMBER 1: FCC FORM 477, LOCAL COMPETITION AND BROADBAND REPORTING FORM. Three types of entities must file this form.
BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Gerry Duffy. SEPTEMBER 30: FCC FORM 396-C, MVPD EEO PROGRAM REPORTING FORM. Each year on September 30, multi-channel video program distributors (“MVPDs”) must file with the FCC an FCC Form 396-C, Multi-Channel Video Programming Distributor EEO Program Annual Report, for employment units with six or more full-time employees. Users must access the FCC’s electronic filing system via the Internet in order to submit the form; it will not be accepted if filed on paper unless accompanied by an appropriate request for waiver of the electronic filing requirement. Certain MVPDs also will be required to complete portions of the Supplemental Investigation Sheet (“SIS”) located at the end of the Form. These MVPDs are specifically identified in a Public Notice each year by the FCC. BloostonLaw Contacts: Gerry Duffy and Sal Taillefer. SEPTEMBER 30: FCC FORM 611-T, DESIGNATED ENTITY REPORT. Each year on September 30, entities that won licenses at auction with bid credits must file a combined 611-T Designated Entity report for any licenses still subject to the “unjust enrichment” rule, which requires licensees to maintain their eligibility for small business and rural service provider bid credits for the first five years of the license term. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell. OCTOBER 15: 911 RELIABILITY CERTIFICATION. Covered 911 Service Providers, which are defined as entities that “[p]rovide[] 911, E911, or NG911 capabilities such as call routing, automatic location information (ALI), automatic number identification (ANI), or the functional equivalent of those capabilities, directly to a public safety answering point (PSAP), statewide default answering point, or appropriate local emergency authority,” or that “[o]perate[] one or more central offices that directly serve a PSAP,” are required certify that they have taken reasonable measures to provide reliable 911 service with respect to three substantive requirements:
Certifications must be made through the FCC’s portal. BloostonLaw Contacts: Mary Sisak and Sal Taillefer. Calendar At-a-GlanceAugust September October
|
|
||||||
| TECHNICIAN'S CORNER |
I had dinner with my good friend Ira Wiesenfeld So with Ira's permission, I have edited and updated his paper. It is a little too long to put it entirely in one issue, so I will include it here — as a series — in sections. TOWER SHADOWINGSection ThreeBy Ira Wiesenfeld, P.E. with additions and updates by Brad DyeEFFECTS ON REAL SYSTEMS In radio and electronics, the numbers are listed in Decibels, but not everyone understands these relationships. Below is a brief explanation of decibels. Numbers can be expressed in two forms. The first is the number itself. The second is how much the number 10 must be raised by an exponent to get that number. The examples below will help you understand this:
Logarithms are useful because extremely large and extremely small numbers are easier to express. The difference between the two numbers is not related to the numbers themselves. The advent of the scientific calculator has made the use of logarithms very easy. There are two types of logarithms, natural and common. The common logarithm is based on powers of 10 and is calculated using the key LOG and is different than the natural logarithm, which is calculated by using the LN key on the calculator. The LN key will not be used in these applications. Gains of amplifiers, loss of power, audio levels, earthquakes and many other quantities are expressed in numbers based upon logarithms. Human senses such as light intensity, hearing and pain intensity are also measured by the body logarithmically. The common level expressed in decibels is based upon a mathematical formula based upon logarithms. DECIBELS Decibels are the unit of relative measure used throughout the radio world. The following formulas are used for calculating decibels:
If you always have the OUT divided by the IN level, the following will always hold true: A positive number represents GAIN. A negative number represents LOSS. If the Input and Output are the same, the gain will be 0 dB. EFFECTIVE RADIATED POWER A radio transmitter system consists of the transmitter, antenna peripheral equipment, coaxial line loss, connector loss and antenna gain or loss. The EFFECTIVE RADIATED POWER (ERP) is the amount of power that would be the equivalent if a transmitter was placed on the tower with a unity gain antenna. The transmitter power, less the losses, added with the gains, gives the ERP. Power (ERP) = Power (Transmitter) – Power (Losses) + Power (Gains) dBm dBm is a unit of ABSOLUTE POWER, where dB is a relative number. The following chart will help show this:
When you are working in radio, the impedance is 50 Ω (Ohms). When you are working in telephony, the impedance is 600 Ω (Ohms). Either way, the power levels or voltage levels are the same.
Now that we understand a little bit about Decibels, let us now differentiate between the common uses and misuses of this term. When working with radio signals, the levels can be extremely large or extremely small, and as a result, the use of Decibels is necessary to express these levels. The following four sections will help in separating the uses of the term dB.
OBSTRUCTIONS A single tree can cause a signal to drop from 0 dB to as much as 20 dB (x 100). Likewise, a building can have an effect of 0 dB to more than 40 dB (x 10,000), depending upon the materials and metal content of a building. A hill or drop in elevation can have enough attenuation to possible kill the signal.
There are computer propagation programs on the market that can predict what the coverage will be, including the effect of the obstructions and ground elevations. When the radio manufacturers or radio dealers run their programs, they usually are very conservative in their predictions because they normally have a motto which is UNDER PROMISE and OVER PERFORM. This has two good effects for them. Firstly, they always deliver more in the system performance that they had the customer expecting. Secondly, the dealer or manufacturer can sell more equipment, because their studies indicated that the system required higher towers, more sites, or both. As the end customer, you want the actual coverage studies, as you probably have more spending requirements than you have a budget for if you are like most organizations. Even though the manufacture or radio dealer is willing to provide you propagation studies for free, this can sometimes cost you more in the long run. You might want an independent study if you are making a large investment or if you have a mission critical situation. Spending a few hundred dollars can save you thousands of dollars in the long run. To be concluded next week.If you can't wait for the next issue, the whole paper is here.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source: | Ira Wiesenfeld and Brad Dye |
| THIS WEEK'S MUSIC VIDEO |
“Six Feet Down”Tuba Skinny, Aug. 1, 2021, Schooner Landing, Damarisotta, Maine. Great clarinet and washboard solos. Erika Lewis: Vocals |
| Source: | YouTube |
 Best regards,  Newsletter Editor 73 DE K9IQY Licensed since 1957 |
Current member or former member of these organizations. | ||||
The National  Rifle Association |
MENSA MEMBER |
A Public Library of  Paging and Wireless Messaging Information |
Wireless  Messaging |
||
|
Critical Messaging  Association |
European Mobile Messaging Association  Former Board Member |
ZP5TQ  Radio Club of Paraguay |
Quarter Century  Wireless Association |
|
Back To Paging  Still The Most Reliable Wireless Protocol For Emergencies! |
American Association  of Woodturners |
U.S. Navy  Radioman |
U.S. Navy Radioman  Second Class Petty Officer |
Boy Scouts of America  National Honor Society |
Creator of the  Paging Wheel of Fortune |
National Skeet  Shooting Association |
Institute Electrical and  Electronics Engineers |
American Radio  Relay League |
The Radio Club  of America |
Life is good! |
|
CONTACT INFO & LINKS
|
Amateur Radio
|
VETERAN  United States Navy |
|||
| Home Page | Directory | Consulting | Newsletters | Free Subscription | Products | Reference | Glossary | Send e-mail |
