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The Wireless
Messaging News

This Week's Wireless News Headlines:

• AWS outage reminds us that the fate of the Internet lies in the hands of the few
• 5 Predictions for the Near Future From Bill Gates
• macOS Monterey 12.1 Fixes Major Tap to Click, YouTube HDR, and Charging Bugs
• China Built the World's Largest Antenna. And It Uses Earth as a Gigantic Radio Station?
• Does anyone remember this Nighthawk product?
• Inside Towers
  • Rogers Sells US$1.4 Billion in Hybrid Notes to Buy Spectrum
• BloostonLaw Telecom Update
  • REMINDER: Form 855 HAC Compliance Certification Due Jan. 18
  • Senate Reconfirms Rosenworcel to New Term as FCC Chairwoman
  • Form 477 Moves to 2020 Census Codes and Boundaries
  • FCC Updates FAQ for Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program
  • FCC Extends Limited Waiver of Letter of Credit Rules for CAF Phase II, RBE Programs
  • Notice of Operational Status Due by Dec. 27 for Certain C-Band Earth Station Operators
  • FCC Revises Guidance to Protect Certain Threatened Species, Requires Document Submission
  • FCC Grants ECF Invoice Filing Deadline
  • CC Fines Inmate Calling Service Provider $3,000 for Failing to File and Certify Annual Report
  • FCC Accepts Late-Filed Auction 109 Application, Proposes $3,000 Fine Against Applicant
  • IP CTS Providers to Pay $40.5 Million to Settle Investigation into TRS Rules Violations
  • NTIA Announces Broadband Grant Program Virtual Listening Sessions
  • Deadlines
  • BloostonLaw Contacts
  • Calendar At-a-Glance
• TECHNICIAN'S CORNER
  • uSDR Pocket 8-band SSB/CW QRP TRANSCEIVER
• THIS WEEK'S MUSIC VIDEO
  • Christmas Medley
  • Hetty Loxston

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.

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Service Monitors and Frequency Standards for Sale

Motorola Service Monitor

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IFR 500A Service Monitor

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

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

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AWS outage reminds us that the fate of the Internet lies in the hands of the few

By Lance Ulanoff published December 8, 2021

If an app, website, or online service is down, a cloud service outage is probably to blame

(Image credit: Shutterstock / NicoElNino)

Back in the day, we ran websites off personal and corporate servers, usually located within our homes and offices. As the Internet grew, we built server racks, co-locations and data-centers. Eventually, though, businesses and services of all sizes offloaded server efforts to third parties—or as they’re known now, cloud services.

The logic is solid. We live in homes, but do not physically build our own houses. The act of serving and scaling websites is not core to the service they provide. Well, it sort of is in that without servers there is no service. But the server is running through APIs, scripts, and other algorithms and programs developed by the company to deliver things like your Netflix stream, the details of your Coinbase wallet account, or the next Tinder prospect.

The ability of cloud services like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft’s Azure to, if you pay enough, rapidly scale up (or down, as needed) makes them a smart strategic decision for any business of any size. You never know, for instance, when a small business is going to balloon into a big one and when it needs to service 10,000 simultaneous users instead of 500.

That’s the obvious upside of Cloud-based web services. The downside is what happened this week with AWS.

AWS outage

Tuesday afternoon, huge chunks of AWS crumbled. The AWS Health Dashboard provides a nice play-by-play of the nearly seven-hour outage. At the heart of it was not, at least according to Amazon, an attack, hack, or Denial of Service (DDoS) assault. It was a pair of misbehaving APIs in one sector of the massive service.

We all live in fear of a major DDoS or hack breaching these systems (really any system we rely on) and bringing them to their knees, but that’s rarely the case. When Cloudflare went down in 2019, it was initially assumed to be an attack on its system. However, we soon found out that it was just a bad software deployment, essentially human error.

Even with the AWS outage contained to what Amazon calls “US-EAST-1 Region,” the impact was significant and widespread. It was felt across consumer-facing platforms like Disney+ and, naturally, Amazon.com and some Alexa services.

When I posted the ongoing news on Twitter, I noticed how many people virtually slapped their heads and exclaimed, “That’s why [insert service] was out!”

It occurred to me that many of these users had no idea that AWS sits behind their favorite consumer and business systems. No one, by the way, has the exact number (outside Amazon), but recent reports claim AWS serves millions. Microsoft’s Azure also reports millions of users and the majority of Fortune 500 companies. Google Cloud has big names like Verizon, NewsCorp and Facebook.

Does something need to change?

The widespread use of cloud services is not a bad thing, though the lack of insight can lead to confusion and finger-pointing, like the guy who couldn’t amend orders in his system and got multiple error messages blaming his own systems (and not a third-party provider like AWS).

The combination of cloud systems’ wide reach and general lack of information and real-time feedback to affected customers is cause for some concern. The scale of one any one outage is probably cause for alarm, especially as we consider the inevitable next one.

Gone are the days when someone’s server rack goes down and one website hiccups. Now we have small failures in big cloud systems like AWS, Axure and Cloudflare that trigger a tsunami of outages.

One person on Twitter asked, “What happened to scaling and load balancing?” It’s a fair question. AWS is built on hundreds of separate cloud server clusters and has tons of redundancies, scaling, and load balancing. And still, sometimes, it isn’t enough. Complex systems can misbehave and are especially vulnerable to software updates that can collide with ageing code. For as powerful and distributed as all these cloud services are, AWS included, they’re still programmed, run, and serviced by fallible humans.

So how do we better inform the public and, more importantly, protect AWS, Azure, Cloudflare, and others from these kinds of errors, ones that lead not only to downed sites and services but the loss of millions of dollars?

It may be time to step back and look at cloud systems integrity, security, in the same way we watch out for water systems. None of them are too big to fail, it seems, but all are too important to damage, violate, or lose.

Lance Ulanoff

US Editor in Chief A 35-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade. Lance makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Ryan, Fox News, Fox Business, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN and the BBC.

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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5 Predictions for the Near Future From Bill Gates

The Microsoft cofounder believes the worst of the pandemic will be over in 2022 and the metaverse is coming.

By Matt Novak 2 hours ago Comments (4) Alerts
December 10, 2021

Bill Gates attends the Global Investment Summit at the Science Museum on October 19, 2021 in London, England. Photo: Leon Neal (Getty Images)

Bill Gates, the cofounder of Microsoft who left the company’s board in 2020, wrote an end-of-the-year note on Thursday filled with reflections on the pandemic and the year 2021. But Gates also included some predictions for the future, and they could give some indication of where tech companies are looking for the next 2-5 years.

From the outset, it should be noted that Gates has a mixed record on predictions. Gates accurately predicted back in 1987 that the world of the 21st century would be filled with flat-panel displays, but he also believed we’d get rid of credit cards by 2007. We’re still waiting on that one.

What does Gates see in his crystal ball for the next few years? We’ve pulled five of his predictions below, but you can read the entire post over at his website.

1) The worst of the covid-19 pandemic will be over in 2022.

First, the good news. Gates believes the worst of the pandemic will be done sometime in 2022. That doesn’t mean everything will go back to the normal of 2019, but it’ll be a lot better, according to Gates.

From the blog post by Gates, emphasis his:

Because of the Delta variant and challenges with vaccine uptake, we’re not as close to the end of the pandemic as I hoped by now. I didn’t foresee that such a highly transmissible variant would come along, and I underestimated how tough it would be to convince people to take the vaccine and continue to use masks.

I am hopeful, though, that the end is finally in sight. It might be foolish to make another prediction, but I think the acute phase of the pandemic will come to a close some time in 2022.

Notably, Gates didn’t make a prediction about how the unvaccinated will fare by the end of 2022. The U.S. reported 123,484 new cases of covid-19 on Thursday and 1,294 deaths, with the most seriously sick still among the unvaccinated.

2) Meetings will be commonplace in the metaverse within 2-3 years.

Gates is fully invested in the idea that the metaverse is just over the horizon, much like Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook. And Gates thinks it’s going to transform the way we conduct meetings.

Within the next two or three years, I predict most virtual meetings will move from 2D camera image grids—which I call the Hollywood Squares model, although I know that probably dates me—to the metaverse, a 3D space with digital avatars. Both Facebook and Microsoft recently unveiled their visions for this, which gave most people their first view of what it will look like.

The idea is that you will eventually use your avatar to meet with people in a virtual space that replicates the feeling of being in an actual room with them. To do this, you’ll need something like VR goggles and motion capture gloves to accurately capture your expressions, body language, and the quality of your voice. Most people don’t own these tools yet, which will slow adoption somewhat. (One of the things that enabled the rapid change to video meetings was the fact that many people already had PCs or phones with cameras.) Microsoft plans to roll out an interim version next year, which uses your webcam to animate an avatar that’s used in the current 2D set-up.

The first question you may be asking is, “why?” What does this accomplish? That’s a great question. And if you have an answer we’d love to hear it. Because we don’t know either.

3) People will have robust health diagnostic capabilities at home.

Back in the 1960s, people were predicting that everyone would eventually have a computer that could do medical diagnostics at home. And Gates hasn’t given up on that dream.

Right now, when it’s time for your annual physical, you probably need to go into your doctor’s office to get your vitals taken and your blood drawn. But what if you had a device at home that your doctor could control remotely to test your blood pressure? What if he or she could look at data collected from your smart watch to see how you’re sleeping and what your active heart rate is? What if you could get your blood tested at a convenient place in your neighborhood—maybe at your local pharmacy—that sends the results directly to your doctor? What if you could keep seeing a primary care physician you like even if you moved to another state?

These are all real possibilities in the future, and I’m curious to see how they transform health care. Beyond the technology and privacy limits, there are also regulatory hurdles we need to figure out before digital health care becomes truly mainstream. Some states still make it hard to see patients virtually in a different state because of how licensing currently works.

The possibilities for your smartwatch to become a home health monitor seem extremely likely. But we’re honestly still waiting on a lot of the apps and sensors that would make that happen.

4) A blood test for Alzheimer’s will likely be approved.

Gates is extremely optimistic about a lot of medical advances he believes are very close, including a blood test for Alzheimer’s disease.

Another area to watch for in 2022 is Alzheimer’s diagnostics. Huge progress has been made on this front recently, and there’s a decent chance that the first affordable, accessible blood test for Alzheimer’s will get approved next year. Although this won’t be a game-changer yet for people who have the disease—which currently has no cure or even a way to slow it down—this test will accelerate progress in the quest for a treatment breakthrough.

5) 2022 will be a year for the “new normal.”

While Gates said he believes the worst of the pandemic will end in 2022, he explains by the end of his post that we’ll all settle into a new version of normal, even if many remnants of the covid-19 health crisis continues.

I think 2022 will be a year when many of us finally settle into a post-pandemic new normal. For me, that will mean going into the office a bit more as COVID cases hopefully go down. I want to find a new rhythm at home now that all three of my kids have moved away and my day isn’t as structured around finding time to spend with them. I’m looking forward to spending more time engaging with people through my blog and other channels. I’d like to keep up my COVID-era habit of watching lots of educational videos on YouTube and subscription services like Wondrium, because they’re a really great way to learn about obscure topics. (I now know more about glassmaking, birdwatching, and the history of American Samoa than I ever expected.)

Again, Gates has a spotty record of predictions. But it’s hard to fault his optimism for most of the predictions on this list. Everyone a little healthier and a little more normal? Sign us up, please.

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

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

Tuesday December 7, 2021 10:48 am PST by Juli Clover

macOS Monterey 12.1, which is set to be released to the public in the near future, addresses several significant bugs that Mac users have been complaining about for weeks.

According to Apple's release notes, it fixes a bug that could cause the trackpad to become unresponsive to taps or clicks. We reported on the Tap to Click bug earlier this month after receiving dozens of complaints from MacRumors readers who were seeing Tap to Click fail on a regular basis.

On 2021 MacBook Pro models, there has been an ongoing YouTube problem that can result in HDR content from YouTube causing the machines to panic and crash, an issue that is addressed in ‌macOS Monterey‌ 12.1.

14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro users have also been dealing with an issue that could cause charging to stop when the lid of the machine is closed, which Apple has fixed in the update.

There are several other notable bug fixes in ‌macOS Monterey‌ 12.1 as well. It addresses an issue that could cause the Desktop and Screen Saver to appear blank after selecting photos from the Photos library, and it fixes an issue that could cause external displays to not charge some MacBook Pro and MacBook Air computers when connected to Thunderbolt or USB-C. There's also a fix for an issue that could cause menu bar extras to be obscured by the camera housing on 2021 MacBook Pro models.

‌macOS Monterey‌ 12.1 is available to developers and public beta testers at this time and we're expecting to see an official release next week ahead of the Christmas holidays.

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

China Built the World's Largest Antenna. And It Uses Earth as a Gigantic Radio Station?

And no one knows where it's based.

By Irmak Bayrakdar
Dec 06, 2021

A representative antenna.

China has been slowly but steadily working its way to the top. Frequently making headlines with its space-related developments, the country now claims to be operating the world's largest antenna for its submarine operations.

What's special about the antenna is the fact that it was designed to maintain underwater communications over 1,900 miles (3,000 km), enough to reach Guam, the biggest U.S. military base in the western Pacific Ocean, according to the project’s lead engineer Zha Ming and his colleagues from the Wuhan Maritime Communication Research Institute, reports South China Morning Post.

While the gigantic antenna's current location remains unknown, the team said it lies somewhere 620 miles (1,000 km) south of Beijing, 1,242 miles (2,000 km) southeast of Dunhuang in northwest China, and 620 miles (1,000 km) east of Mianyang in the southwestern province of Sichuan.

A paper published in the Chinese Journal of Ship Research details that the receiving devices planted 700 feet (200 m) below the surface on the seafloor can pick up signals from the giant antenna 800 miles (1,300 km) away. The antenna is built using a large network of cables and pylons similar to that of traditional power lines. The system works through two underground transmitters that charge with electric current, and thus, turn the Earth into a gigantic radio station, reports SCMP.

According to the research team, the Chinese antenna is the world’s first large-scale extremely low frequency (ELF) facility open to non-military users that can generate electromagnetic waves from 0.1 to 300 Hz. These waves can travel long distances both underwater and below the surface with ease.

But adjusting wasn't easy. If the electric currents get too powerful, they could create a magnetic field that could affect the cables' conductivity. That's why the generated radio waves should be fine-tuned. The team said that they have solutions to these problems and the facility has exceeded the previously-set necessary standards.

While these signals will be mainly used to send and receive important messages to and from vast distances, scientists have also stated that they could be used to monitor fault lines below the surface and help assess possible earthquake risks for Chinese cities.

Does anyone remember this Nighthawk product?

Firehouse Automation The FAS-8 is designed for activating one or more relays in a firehouse and if desired, printing the alphanumeric message to a serial printer. For this application the FAS-8 is set to activate upon receiving the proper paging cap code sent from 911 dispatch. Up to eight different devices can be activated all with individual time functions. The most common devices to turn on include the PA amplifier, audible wake up alarm, and house lights. The most common device turned off is the stove. The FAS-8 can accept up to 8 different cap codes and have separate relay and time functions per cap code. This allows for different alerting to be accomplished at the same physical location depending upon which cap code is sent. This can be very helpful when fire crews and medical crews are housed in the same building.

I am trying to find some information about the Nighthawk products that controlled relays, including the current capacity of the relays. I think there were different models—possibly some POCSAG — and some even ReFLEX. Any info that you could share will be sincerely appreciated.

Functionally they were just pagers driving relay outputs.

brad@braddye.com

Rogers Sells US$1.4 Billion in Hybrid Notes to Buy Spectrum

Canadian carrier Rogers Communications Inc. announced this week that it has priced a Canadian offering of US$1.4 billion aggregate principal amount of 5.0 percent fixed-to-fixed rate subordinated notes due 2081. The net proceeds will be used to acquire the 3500 MHz spectrum licenses that it was awarded following the ISED’s spectrum auction earlier this year. The sale of the notes is expected to close on December 17, 2021. According to Bloomberg, it is one of the most widely distributed deals in the Canadian dollar bond market this year.

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.

REMINDER: Form 855 HAC Compliance Certification Due Jan. 18

The next Hearing Aid Compatibility regulatory compliance certification, certifying compliance with the FCC’s HAC handset minimums as well as enhanced record retention and website posting requirements for the 2020 calendar year, will be due Monday, January 18, 2022, for all CMRS service providers (including CMRS resellers) that had operations during any portion of 2021. BloostonLaw has prepared a 2022 HAC Regulatory Compliance Template to facilitate our clients’ compliance with the revised HAC rules.

BloostonLaw Contact: Cary Mitchell.

Headlines

Senate Reconfirms Rosenworcel to New Term as FCC Chairwoman

On December 7, the Senate voted 68-31 Tuesday to reconfirm FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel to a new five-year term. Politico reported that Rosenworcel received support from senators of both parties, including Roger Wicker (R-MI) who is a member of the Commerce Committee. Politico also reported that, “Republicans voting against Rosenworcel included Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota.”

The Senate has yet to confirm President Biden’s other Commission appointee, Gigi Sohn. Multiple news outlets have noted that Ms. Sohn’s long-standing advocacy for net-neutrality and past criticism of the media will likely make for serious Republican opposition.

“It is a tremendous honor to be confirmed and designated as the first permanent Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission,” said Rosenworcel in a statement. “I would like to thank President Biden for the opportunity. People across the country count on the FCC to support the connections they need for work, learning, healthcare, and access to the information we require to make decisions about our lives, our communities, and our country. I look forward to working with the Administration, my colleagues on the Commission and FCC staff, members of Congress, and the public to make the promise of modern communications a reality for everyone, everywhere.”

BloostonLaw Contact: Ben Dickens.

Form 477 Moves to 2020 Census Codes and Boundaries

On December 8, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing that FCC Form 477 filers must tabulate and submit data as of December 31, 2021 using 2020 Census geographic codes and boundaries. This requirement applies to filings for data as of December 31, 2021 and subsequent periods. Revisions to Form 477 data as of June 30, 2021 and prior periods must continue to use 2010 Census geographic codes and boundaries.

As a reminder, filings for data as of December 31, 2021 are due no later than March 1, 2022. Accurate and timely submission of FCC Form 477 is mandatory for covered providers, and providers that are required to file Form 477 but fail to do so as required may be subject to enforcement action.

Carriers with questions about FCC Form 477 may contact the firm for more information.

BloostonLaw Contact: Sal Taillefer.

FCC Updates FAQ for Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program

On December 3, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing that it has published an updated version of responses to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program (Reimbursement Program). Specifically, the updated FAQs address how the Federal Communications Commission will handle allocations among affiliated Reimbursement Program participants, whether third-party network equipment that is not compatible with replacement equipment can be reimbursable, and provide additional explanation for several other pending questions. The updated FAQs and other important documents related to the Reimbursement Program are available on the FCC’s website at https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain.

As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, the FCC implemented the $1.9 billion Reimbursement Program to reimburse providers of advanced communications services with ten million or fewer customers for costs incurred in the removal, replacement, and disposal of covered communications equipment or services from their networks that pose a national security risk. The window to file applications to participate in the Reimbursement Program opened on Friday, October 29, 2021 and will close on Friday, January 14, 2022 at 11:59 PM ET.

The FCC explicitly encourages applicants to regularly consult the Supply Chain webpage for updates related to the Reimbursement Program. Interested parties should also review the Finalized Reimbursement Process Public Notice, available at https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain, for additional information about the Reimbursement Program application and filing process. Carriers with questions about the program may also contact the firm for more information.

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

FCC Extends Limited Waiver of Letter of Credit Rules for CAF Phase II, RBE Programs

On December 2, the FCC issued an Order extending the limited waiver of the letter of credit rules for the CAF Phase II Auction (Auction 903) and Rural Broadband Experiments (RBE) funding recipients. Recipients under these programs may continue, until December 31, 2022, to reduce letters of credit to one year of support upon verification by USAC that buildout requirements have been met.

The FCC’s action extends a waiver granted in June of 2020, which directed all CAF Phase II Auction and RBE funding recipients to comply with the Commission’s rules regarding the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction letter of credit obligations instead of their respective programs’ requirements. Per the FCC, the RDOF letter of credit requirements are generally for less support and permit recipients to reduce their letter of credit burden sooner in their buildout term than the RBE or CAF Phase II Auction rules.

Normally, RBE recipients are required to provide a letter of credit from a financial institution equaling the “amount of money to be disbursed in the coming year plus the total disbursements it has received so far.” CAF Phase II Auction support recipients must submit a letter of credit each year valued “at the total amount of money that has already been disbursed plus the amount of money that is going to be provided in the next year.”

CAF Phase II and RBE recipients with questions about their letter of credit obligations may contact the firm for more information.

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

Notice of Operational Status Due by Dec. 27 for Certain C-Band Earth Station Operators

In September, the FCC issued a Public Notice providing a list of operators of certain incumbent FSS C-band earth station antennas whose incumbent status will expire unless they file a notice of operational status in the 3.7 GHz Band. Those operators have until December 27 to file the requisite notice. The list of operators may be found here.

As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, the Commission’s 3.7 GHz Band Report and Order requires RSM US LLP (RSM), the C-band Relocation Coordinator, to coordinate with the five incumbent C-band satellite operators — Eutelsat, Intelsat, SES, StarOne, and Telesat — to ensure that all incumbent earth stations are accounted for in the C-band transition. Specifically, an incumbent earth station must “continue to be operational” to be eligible for the C-band transition (among other requirements).

According to the FCC, the satellite operators and RSM indicate they have identified certain entries on the incumbent list that they report include antennas that are not active C-band antennas in the 3.7 GHz band. These entries reportedly include: (1) C-band antennas that are inactive, (2) authorizations that list more C-band antennas than are currently operational at a site, and (3) operational antennas that do not receive in the 3.7 GHz band.

Operators with questions about the C-band transition and the notice of operation requirement may contact the firm for more information.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino.

Law and Regulation

FCC Revises Guidance to Protect Certain Threatened Species, Requires Document Submission

On December 2, the FCC issued a pair of Public Notices revising previous guidance on the programmatic biological opinion requirements associated with tower construction in the territories of the northern long-eared bat and the American burying beetle. Specifically, applicants using the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the “Service”) Streamlined Framework must now submit certain documentation to the Commission where formerly, no such documentation was required.

Specifically, applicants using the Service’s Streamlined Framework should complete the automated determination key for the northern long-eared bat and/or the American burying beetle, as appropriate, through the Service’s Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) system and follow the Service’s process for federal actions. After completing the automated determination key, an applicant will receive a letter from the Service, which will either be a: (i) “consistency” letter or (ii) “formal consultation” letter. Depending on the type of letter received:

• If an applicant receives a consistency letter and the applicant is submitting a related Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) or Universal Licensing System (ULS) application, the applicant must attach the consistency letter to its Commission application. If the applicant is not otherwise required to submit an application to the Commission, it must retain a copy of the consistency letter in its records and be prepared to produce a copy to the Commission if and when the Commission requests it.
• If an applicant receives a formal consultation letter, it must notify the Bureau and concurrently submit a Biological Assessment (BA) completed by a qualified biologist.

The northern long-eared bat was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2015. The American burying beetle was down-listed from an endangered species to a threatened species in 2020.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Cary Mitchel and Sal Taillefer.

FCC Grants ECF Invoice Filing Deadline

On December 2, the FCC issued an Order granting the petition of the State E-rate Coordinators’ Alliance (SECA), which sought a waiver of the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) Program’s invoice filing deadline. This waiver affects ECF applicants that: (a) applied for ECF funding during the first or second application filing windows; (b) incorrectly used June 30, 2022 as the service delivery date on their ECF FCC Form 471 applications for equipment and/or other non-recurring services, rather than the actual service delivery date; and (c) received a funding commitment decision letter (FCDL) or revised funding commitment decision letter (RFCDL) noting August 29, 2022 as the invoice filing deadline based on the incorrect service delivery date (Affected Program Participants).

As a result of the wavier, Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), the Administrator of the ECF Program, will continue to use the August 29, 2022 invoice filing deadline noted on the Affected Program Participants’ FCDLs and RFCDLs and allow them to submit their requests for reimbursement on or before this date. To the extent other applicants incorrectly used June 30, 2022 as the service delivery date for equipment and/or non-recurring services, rather than the actual delivery date, but have not yet received an FCDL or RFCDL with an invoice filing deadline, USAC will use June 30, 2022 as the service delivery date for these requests. This relief also applies to service providers that agreed to file requests for reimbursement on behalf of these applicants.

According to the FCC, on a go-forward basis, the service delivery date for all requests for equipment, other non-recurring services, and recurring services submitted in any filing window covering funding for purchases made between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022, is June 30, 2022 (i.e., the last date of the funding period).

BloostonLaw Contact: Sal Taillefer.

FCC Fines Inmate Calling Service Provider $3,000 for Failing to File and Certify Annual Report

On December 2, the FCC issued a Forfeiture Order fining Custom Teleconnect, Inc. (CTI) $3,000 for failing to file the Annual inmate calling service (ICS) Report with the FCC, which is due April 1st of each calendar year. This report details an ICS provider’s provision of interstate, intrastate, and international ICS for the prior calendar year. According to the FCC, these reports and certifications are used by the Commission to meet its statutory responsibilities regarding ICS rates and practices.

Carriers that provide ICS and have questions about the report may contact the firm for more information.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Mary Sisak and Sal Taillefer.

FCC Accepts Late-Filed Auction 109 Application, Proposes $3,000 Fine Against Applicant

On December 2, the FCC accepted the late-filed “long form” application of Scarborough Radio, LLC (Scarborough) for a new FM broadcast construction permit at Hugo, Colorado, even though Scarborough had not sought a waiver. However, the FCC also found Scarborough apparently liable for a $3,000 forfeiture for failing timely file.

According to the Memorandum Opinion and Order and Notice of Apparent Liability, Scarborough timely filed an FCC Form 175 application to participate in Auction 109, and was found to be a qualified bidder. In an August 12, 2021 Public Notice, the FCC announced that Scarborough was the winning bidder in Auction 109 for the FM construction permit at Hugo, Colorado. Winning bidders were to file a post-auction FCC Form 2100, Schedule 301 long-form application by September 13, 2021. Scarborough failed timely to submit a post-auction Form 2100, Schedule 301 application, submitting the Application on September 30, 2021.

The FCC granted a wavier of the deadline even though none had been sought because the FM licensing process was not significantly delayed nor materially adversely affected by Scarborough’s late filing of the Application, and it would be in the public interest to avoid a delay in implementing new service to Hugo, Colorado, by having to re-auction the FM construction permit. Granting a waiver absent a request for one is uncommon. BloostonLaw attorneys are experienced in all of the FCC’s auction processes, and are available to assist.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell.

IP CTS Providers to Pay $40.5 Million to Settle Investigation into TRS Rules Violations

On December 3, the FCC announced that it has settled with Sorenson Communications, LLC and its wholly-owned subsidiary, CaptionCall, LLC, to resolve investigations into CaptionCall’s practices as a provider of Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS), an Internet-based form of Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS). In addition to paying a $12.5 million civil penalty, CaptionCall will reimburse $28 million to the TRS Fund, and has agreed to enter into a compliance plan to ensure further compliance with these rules

According to a Press Release, the FCC’s investigation found that the company offered and provided incentives, including monetary contest awards and free meals, to Hearing Health Professionals for referring users to CaptionCall IP CTS and improperly reported costs associated with these wasteful practices. The company also failed to collect and retain required documentation.

TRS provide persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, or have speech disabilities access to the telephone system at no cost, enabling communications with telephone users in a manner similar to other telephone users. TRS is funded through mandatory contributions to the TRS Fund by telecommunications and VoIP service providers, which typically pass these costs on to their customers. IP CTS allows a person with hearing loss to read the other party’s words during a telephone call via real-time captions using an Internet-enabled device.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Sal Taillefer.

Industry

NTIA Announces Broadband Grant Program Virtual Listening Sessions

On December 6, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it will host broadband grant program public virtual listening sessions in connection with the five new broadband grant programs authorized and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program; the Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program; and the Digital Equity Act Programs, which include the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program, State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, and Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program. According to a Press Release, these public virtual listening sessions are designed to collect stakeholder input to help inform program development and implementation.

NTIA will hold the public virtual listening sessions based on the following schedule:

• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Broadband Programs Public Virtual Listening Session #1: Wednesday, December 15, 2021, from 2:30–4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET);
• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Broadband Programs Public Virtual Listening Session #2: Wednesday, January 12, 2022, from 2:30–4:00 p.m. ET;
• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Broadband Programs Public Virtual Listening Session #3: Wednesday, January 26, 2022, from 2:30–4:00 p.m. ET;
• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Broadband Programs Public Virtual Listening Session #4: Wednesday, February 9, 2022, from 2:30–4:00 p.m. ET; and
• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Broadband Programs Public Virtual Listening Session #5: Wednesday, February 23, 2022, from 2:30–4:00 p.m. ET.

These listening sessions will be hosted via NTIA’s virtual platform and conducted as a live public listening session. NTIA will post the registration information on its BroadbandUSA website at https:// broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/events/ latest-events.

Deadlines

JANUARY 18: Form 855 HAC Compliance Certification. The next Hearing Aid Compatibility regulatory compliance certification, certifying compliance with the FCC’s HAC handset minimums as well as enhanced record retention and website posting requirements for the 2020 calendar year, will be due Monday, January 18, 2022, for all CMRS service providers (including CMRS resellers) that had operations during any portion of 2021. Companies that sold their wireless licenses during the 2021 calendar year will need to file a partial-year HAC compliance certifications if they provided mobile wireless service at any time during the year. Under current FCC rules, at least 66% of a Tier III provider’s handset must meet ratings of M3- or better and T3- or better. The benchmark applicable to Tier III providers will increase from 66% to 85% on April 3, 2023.

BloostonLaw has prepared a 2022 HAC Regulatory Compliance Template to facilitate our clients’ compliance with the revised HAC rules. Contact Cary Mitchell if you would like to obtain a copy of the HAC Regulatory Compliance Template.

BloostonLaw Contact: Cary Mitchell.

JANUARY 31: FCC FORM 555, ANNUAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS CARRIER CERTIFICATION FORM. All Lifeline Program service providers are required to file the FCC Form 555, except where the National Verifier, state Lifeline administrator, or other entity is responsible. Since January 31 falls on a weekend or holiday this year, Form 555 may be filed by February 1. The FCC Form 555 must be submitted to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) electronically via USAC’s E-File (One Portal). Carriers must also file a copy of their FCC Form 555 in the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System, Docket 14-171, and with their state regulatory commission. The form reports the results of the annual recertification process and non-usage de-enrollments. Recertification results are reported month-by-month based on the subscribers’ anniversary date.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and John Prendergast.

FEBRUARY 1: FCC FORM 499-Q, TELECOMMUNICATIONS REPORTING WORKSHEET. All telecommunications common carriers that expect to contribute more than $10,000 to federal Universal Service Fund (USF) support mechanisms must file this quarterly form. The FCC has modified this form in light of its decision to establish interim measures for USF contribution assessments. The form contains revenue information from the prior quarter plus projections for the next quarter. Form 499-Q relates only to USF contributions. It does not relate to the cost recovery mechanisms for the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund, the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA), and the shared costs of local number portability (LNP), which are covered in the annual Form 499-A that is due April 1.

FEBRUARY 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 February 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 are required to include their FCC Registration Number (FRN). 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, Gerry Duffy, and Mary Sisak.

FEBRUARY 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 Contact: Cary Mitchell.

Law Offices Of Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast, LLP 2120 L St. NW, Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20037 (202) 659-0830 (202) 828-5568 (fax) — CONTACTS — Harold Mordkofsky, 202-828-5520, hma@bloostonlaw.com Benjamin H. Dickens, Jr., 202-828-5510, bhd@bloostonlaw.com Gerard J. Duffy, 202-828-5528, gjd@bloostonlaw.com John A. Prendergast, 202-828-5540, jap@bloostonlaw.com Richard D. Rubino, 202-828-5519, rdr@bloostonlaw.com Mary J. Sisak, 202-828-5554, mjs@bloostonlaw.com D. Cary Mitchell, 202-828-5538, cary@bloostonlaw.com Salvatore Taillefer, Jr., 202-828-5562, sta@bloostonlaw.com This newsletter is not intended to provide legal advice. Those interested in more information should contact the firm.

Calendar At-a-Glance

December
Dec. 8 – Comments are due on Affordable Connectivity Program implementation.
Dec. 12 – Comments are due on Auction 112 procedures.
Dec. 15 – FCC Electronic Fee Filer decommissioned.
Dec. 16 – Reply comments on PSAP Robocall Blocking proceeding are due.
Dec. 20 – Comments on TRS Fund Compensation for IP Relay are due.
Dec. 23 – Reply comments are due on Auction 112 procedures.
Dec. 28 – Reply comments are due on Affordable Connectivity Program implementation.
Dec. 20 – Comments on TRS Fund Compensation for IP Relay due.
Dec. 27 – Deadline for certain C-band earth station operators to provide notice of operation.

January
Jan. 14 – Deadline to file applications to participate in the Rip and Replace Reimbursement Program.
Jan. 14 – Reply comments on FM Directional Antenna NPRM are due.
Jan. 18 – Annual Hearing Aid Compatibility Report is due.
Jan. 18 – Reply comments on TRS Fund Compensation for IP Relay are due.
Jan. 31 – FCC Form 555 (Annual Lifeline ETC Certification Form) is due.

February
Feb. 1 – FCC Form 499-Q (Quarterly Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet) is due.
Feb. 1 – FCC Form 502 (Number Utilization and Forecast Report) is due.
Feb. 1 – Live 911 Call Data Reports from Non-Nationwide Providers are due.

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