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Wireless News Aggregation

Friday — January 29, 2021 — Issue No. 945

Welcome Back To

The Wireless
Messaging News


This Week's Wireless News Headlines


  • Service Monitors and Frequency Standards
  • AGL Summit Announces Keynote: Marty Cooper — “Father of the Handheld Cellular Phone”
  • Preliminary investigation offers possible cause of Arecibo Observatory telescope collapse
  • How will UK hospitals let go of the pager?
  • Does the kind of cable really matter?
  • Inside Towers
    • 10-Year-Old Community Fiber Network Records $2.69 Billion in Benefits
  • BloostonLaw Telecom Update
    • Deadline for PAL Channel Preferences Extended Until February 12
    • President Biden Appoints Jessica Rosenworcel Acting Chairwoman
    • Oppositions to 5G Fund Petitions for Reconsideration Due February 8
    • Assignment Phase Bidding in 3.7 GHz Service Auction to Begin February 8
    • Chairwoman Rosenworcel Previews February Open Meeting Agenda
    • Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel Appoints Staff
    • Commissioner Simington Appoints Staff
    • Deadlines
    • Calendar At-a-Glance
    • BloostonLaw Contacts
  • Music Video Of The Week
    • Playing For Change
    • “The Times They Are A-Changin'”
    • Brandi Carlile w/Mike McCready (Pearl Jam)

Service Monitors and Frequency Standards

Every service shop should have a calibrated service monitor. Whether paging or two-way-radio, accurate frequency alignment is very important for the good functioning of any radio system. Today's technology can achieve frequency accuracy that we only dreamed of back in the day when I started in radio communications and electronics. (That was after the great flood by the way.)

Frank Moorman is an expert in the maintenance and calibration of Service Monitors and Frequency Standards. I encourage you to take a look at his ad which follows. If you buy one from him, please mention my name and he may “toss this ol' dog a bone.”


 


Wireless Messaging News

  • Emergency Radio Communications
  • Wireless Messaging
  • Critical Messaging
  • Two-way Radio
  • Technology
  • Telemetry
  • Science
  • Paging
  • Wi-Fi
Wireless
wireless logo medium
Messaging

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.


About Us

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 Policy

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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Advertiser Index

Easy Solutions  (Vaughan Bowden)
Frank Moorman
IWA Technical Services, Inc.  (Ira Wiesenfeld)
Leavitt Communications  (Phil Leavitt)
Prism-IPX Systems  (Jim Nelson & John Bishop)
Paging & Wireless Network Planners LLC  (Ron Mercer)
SALCOM
Wex International Limited

Service Monitors and Frequency Standards for Sale


Motorola Service Monitor

IFR Service Monitor

IFR 500A Service Monitor

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

Qty Item Notes
2 Late IFR 500As  
1 Motorola R 2001D  
4 Motorola R 2400 and 2410A  
5 Motorola R 2600 and R 2660 late S/Ns  
4 Motorola R 1200  
2 Motorola R 2200  
2 Stand-alone Efratom Rubidium Frequency Standards 10 MHz output
1 Telawave model 44 wattmeter Recently calibrated
1 IFR 1000S  
All sold with 7-day ROR (Right of Refusal), recent calibration, operation manual, and accessories.  
Factory carrying cases for each with calibration certificate.  
Many parts and accessories  

Frank Moorman

fircls54@aol.com animated left arrow

(254) 596-1124

Calibration and Repair (NIST 17025)
Upgrades: We can add the FE 5680A 10 MHz rubidium clock to your unit. Small unit fits into the well in the battery compartment — making it a world standard accuracy unit that never needs to be frequency calibrated.
Please inquire by telephone or e-mail.
Most Service Monitor Accessories in stock.

o
Leavitt Communications

leavitt

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

 

COM

 

UNICATION

 


Minitor VI

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

Philip C. Leavitt, V.P.
Leavitt Communications
7508 N. Red Ledge Drive
Paradise Valley, AZ 85253

CONTACT INFORMATION
E-mail: pcleavitt@leavittcom.com
Web Site: www.leavittcom.com
Mobile phone: 847-494-0000
Telephone: 847-955-0511
Fax: 270-447-1909
Skype ID: pcleavitt

AGL Summit Announces Keynote: Marty Cooper — “Father of the Handheld Cellular Phone”

January 26, 2021 12:01 PM EST

February 11, 2021 Event Kicks Off AGL Summit’s 2021 Annual Series

ASHBURN, Va.—(BUSINESS WIRE)— AGL Media Group (AGL), an independent voice reporting on the most significant news, trends and information across the wireless infrastructure industry, announces its 2021 AGL Virtual Summit series lineup starting with its February 11, 2021 event anchored by Marty Cooper, “Father of the Handheld Cellular Phone,” and author of “Cutting the Cord: The Cell Phone Has Transformed Humanity.”

Cooper’s Keynote presentation will focus on the future of personal communications and the incredible story behind the invention of the first handheld mobile phone. Cooper worked at Motorola in the 1970’s as a pioneer in wireless communications. His experience led to many stunning breakthroughs, devastating failures, and an array of political battles in the quest to revolutionize how people communicate. Cooper’s journey comes to life in his book, and will be shared with AGL Summit attendees on February 11, 2021 with a live interactive Q&A session.

“We are thrilled to kick off our 2021 event schedule with a keynote from the industry luminary and groundbreaking visionary Marty Cooper,” comments Rick Heilbrunn, President and COO of AGL Media Group. “His story aided, abetted, and revolutionized personal communications throughout the world. We are excited to provide Marty a platform to share his vast insights and experience — including the challenges that he overcame. Today’s wireless industry professionals will undoubtedly be awed and inspired by the vast accomplishments Cooper has contributed to the industry.”

Highlights of Cooper's accomplishments include:

  • Conceived the first portable cellular telephone handset in 1973
  • Charles Draper Award recipient
  • Marconi Prize recipient
  • Prince of Asturias Laureate
  • Life Member and centennial medal awardee of the IEEE
  • Led teams that introduced the first nationwide dial car telephone system, the first nationwide paging system, and the digitally-trunked land mobile dispatch system
  • Life Trustee of the Illinois Institute of Technology
  • Holds honorary doctorates from Strathclyde University in Scotland, Inha University in Korea, Hasselt University in Belgium, and IIT
  • Serves on the FCC Technology Advisory Council
  • Cooper holds 11 patents

The February 11, 2021 AGL Summit is one of five Virtual Summits planned in 2021. Adapting to a virtual environment due to the pandemic, AGL Summits attracted over 1,500 wireless industry professionals in 2020. The events bring together industry leaders and experts to share hands-on industry insights and case studies shaping the way wireless technology is deployed and communications enabled throughout the world.

For more information about AGL Media Group, its 2021 AGL Virtual Summit Series and to register for the February 11, 2021 event visit: https://www.aglmediagroup.com/event/agl-february-virtual-summit/ or go to: www.aglmediagroup.com.

About AGL Media Group

Now entering its 17th year, AGL has been an independent voice reporting on the most significant news, trends and information across the telecommunications and infrastructure industries. Creative ideas, exchanged between all of the disciplines throughout our industry, have always been an important factor in driving technology and network deployments. The goal of AGL Media Group is to further that dialogue by offering relevant content and education about wireless development and economic growth. For information about AGL Media Group, interest in content contribution, advertising opportunities or event sponsorships, please contact us at sales@aglmediagroup.com and visit www.aglmediagroup.com.

Source: StreetInsider.com  

WEX INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

Hong Kong
ONE SOURCE FOR ALL YOUR REQUIREMENTS OF PAGERS
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W2028 (2 Line/4 Line Alphanumeric Pager)
  • Available in VHF, UHF & 900 MHz Full Range Frequency Bands
  • We are OEM for Major Brand names in USA and Europe
  • We also Design and Manufacture POCSAG Decoder Boards
  • We can Design and Manufacture to customer specifications
  • Factory located in Shenzhen, China
  • Pagers have FCC, RoHs, C-Tick, CE-EMC, IC Approvals

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Preliminary investigation offers possible cause of Arecibo Observatory telescope collapse

By Meghan Bartels


An image of Arecibo Observatory's iconic radio telescope before damage that began in August 2020; the curved azimuth arm and the dome suspended from it are both visible. (Image: © University of Central Florida)

An ongoing investigation of the December collapse of the iconic radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico offers early evidence that a manufacturing issue may have contributed to the failure.

The telescope's massive science platform, which weighed in at 900 tons, was suspended above the vast radio dish by three dozen supporting cables. But in August 2020, one of those cables slipped out of its socket; before the failure could be repaired, a second cable snapped outright in November. The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), which owns the site, determined that the platform was too unstable to safely repair and decided to decommission the instrument. Before that could happen, the telescope collapsed on its own on Dec. 1.

Engineers have been investigating the cables since August, and crews have been cleaning up the debris and monitoring environmental concerns since the collapse,observatory director Francisco Cordova said during a panel discussion held on Jan. 21. "The site cleanup and the debris removal really is ongoing," Cordova told the panel, which is focused on small solar system objects like asteroids in order to inform the National Academies committee that's putting together the document that will shape planetary science priorities for the next decade. "In general, I think that is moving in the right direction."

Cordova noted that the telescope's azimuth arm, which helped steer its instruments, and the hanging dome suspended from it that held antennas and the facility's radar transmitter, have already been removed from the site. Environmental engineers have also collected two types of potentially hazardous materials that were used on the platform, he said.

The next priority is to clear out remaining platform debris; to reach that material, work crews have deconstructed part of the massive Arecibo reflector dish, which measures 1,000 feet (305 meters) across. The observatory team is also evaluating how much of the dish itself can be rescued, Cordova said.

"There's still a lot of discussions as to how much of the primary reflector can be saved and how do we go about that," Cordova said. "Our focus right now is the safe removal of the platform structure, and then we'll look at it from there."

Simultaneously, two forensic investigations are evaluating what caused the telescope's collapse. One investigation focuses on the so-called auxiliary cables. These 12 cables were added in the 1990s, when the observatory installed the massive hanging dome that distinguishes the telescope's appearance in the movie "Contact" from its previous cameo in James Bond's "GoldenEye." The first cable to fail was one of these auxiliary cables, which slipped out of its socket where it connected to one of the three supporting towers surrounding the dish.

"Preliminary investigation has revealed that there was a manufacturing error in those cables — in particular, the socketing procedure wasn't done appropriately, and that led to advanced degradation of that particular structural element," Cordova said. "But the final forensics investigation is still to be completed."

A second forensic investigation focuses on the main cables, which are original to the telescope's construction in the early 1960s. It was one of these main cables that snapped in November, despite engineers' estimates that it was only carrying about 60% of the weight it should have been able to withstand.

As they work, site engineers are separating debris that could be relevant to the two forensic examinations. In addition, Cordova said that personnel are evaluating debris being removed for potential historic importance so that items can be saved.

Both the clean-up and investigation processes are ongoing, Cordova emphasized; in addition, the NSF is working separately on understanding the collapse and evaluating the site's future, including for a report that Congress has requested by late February.

And the answer may never be crystal clear. "Certainly, there's typically not a single item that contributed but a multitude of items that contributed to the particular failure," Cordova said. In addition to the facility's age, the past few years have been hard on Puerto Rico. In 2017, Hurricane Maria battered the island, and over the course of 2020, it experienced more than 10,000 earthquakes.

"Basically, we were shaking the entire time; that certainly could have been a factor," Cordova said. "That's being still analyzed by the engineering teams."

Source: SPACE.com  

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


IMPORTANT

“Is Paging Going Away?” by Jim Nelson

  • Click here for English.
  • Click here for German. (Berlin Revision: November 8, 2016)
  • Click here for French.

Here is an English PDF edit of this paper formatted with page breaks and suitable for printing.

Volunteers needed for translations into other languages.


Board of Advisors

The Wireless Messaging News
Board of Advisors

Frank McNeill
Founder & CEO
Communications Specialists
Jim Nelson
President & CEO
Prism Systems International
Kevin D. McFarland, MSCIS
Sr. Application Systems Analyst
Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Medical Center
Paul Lauttamus, President
Lauttamus Communications & Security
R.H. (Ron) Mercer
Wireless Consultant
Barry Kanne
Paging Industry Veteran
Ira Wiesenfeld, P.E.
Consulting Engineer
Allan Angus
Consulting Engineer

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?

Can You Help The Newsletter?

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


Reader Support

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

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

 


How will UK hospitals let go of the pager?

26 January 2021 (Last Updated January 26th, 2021 12:17)

In many UK hospitals, pagers are still de rigueur when it comes to clinical communications. The devices only need to be charged once or twice a month, and hospitals buildings can be dead zones for mobile phone signals, so in a sense it’s not hard to see why. But in 2019, the NHS was urged to stop using pagers by 2021 and upgrade to more modern technology – so why has the tech had such a dominance over the British healthcare system for so long? Chloe Kent takes a closer look.


Pagers are one-way communication devices that can receive short messages but can’t send any reply. Credit: Shutterstock

In February 2019, the UK’s NHS was told to stop using pagers by the end of 2021 in order to save money. At the time, the service still used approximately 130,000 pagers, roughly 10% of the total still in use globally. Not only was the technology considered to be archaic and outdated by many, but the devices were still costing the NHS about £6.6m per year.

While progress has since been made in phasing out the devices, with a number of hospitals and healthcare centres adopting alternative communications technologies, developments haven’t gone as fast as it was hoped two years ago. Considering the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on healthcare services, it’s unsurprising that phasing out the pager hasn’t been prioritised when thousands of lives have been at stake.

But steps have still been taken in the right direction over the past year. NHSX, the government agency responsible for digitally transforming the UK health service, launched the Clinical Communications Procurement Framework in July. The service is designed to support NHS organisations in phasing out pagers, allowing them to either make a direct award to a new service provider or undertake a mini competition to select the provider best suited to their needs from an approved shortlist.

But the framework is running until August 2022, with the potential to extend for another 12 months, far later than the initial December 2021 goal. What technologies could begin to replace the pager over the coming years – and why do they need to go in the first place?

Pagers are old school, but mobile networks can have major reliability issues

Only one national pager network still exists in the UK, Capita’s PageOne, after Vodafone axed its service in 2018. But the technology is far from obsolete just yet, and the way it works can actually make a lot of sense in a healthcare context.

Pagers are one-way communication devices that can receive short messages but can’t send any reply. To send a message, hospital staff can call an automated phone line or speak to a dedicated operator and leave a message. The recipient’s pager will then beep and either display a message or – if there’s too much information to send via the paging system – show a phone number to call. If they need to correspond back, the recipient must find another way to communicate, such as via a mobile phone message or a landline phone inside the hospital.

Refero medical director and clinical director Dr Ian Jackson says: “A doctor might be with a patient in the middle of a delicate procedure and unable to reply immediately, but they know they have been bleeped and that there is an issue.

“The downside is that when you have a moment to ring back, often the person who actually answers doesn’t have a clue why you were bleeped.”

While the inability to reply via pager can be a little arduous, pagers have several benefits over two-way communication systems. Mobile phones need regular recharging, for example, which isn’t a problem pagers face as their batteries can last for weeks.

Hospitals can also be dead zones for mobile phones and WiFi signals. Many walls inside hospitals are built extra thick to stop X-rays from penetrating through, but these can block mobile and Internet signals as well. Pagers don’t have this problem, as they communicate through very high-frequency radio signals that aren’t blocked by thick walls. Mobile and WiFi networks are also known to interfere with hospital equipment, which doesn’t happen with pagers.

Pager signals also more reliable than mobile signals, pinging off multiple satellites rather than just the nearest phone mast. This makes it almost guaranteed that messages will still come through, while web-based networks can experience slowdowns and unavailability that can lead to delayed messages or even stop them sending at all. If one paging satellite is down, others are usually working, but when a phone mast goes down there’s often no alternative until it’s fixed.

Critical communications specialist ETELM international sales director Paul Ward says: “Mobile operators may be proud of their nationwide coverage outside, but inside can be a different matter. Hospitals are typically sprawling buildings, often including a mix of building materials and robust walls to create restricted or extra-secure areas.

“In turn, this means that patchy coverage and dead zones are a reality in most healthcare settings, both in terms of mobile and WiFi networks. This means that relying solely on public networks to get healthcare practitioners to emergency scenarios within minutes could have major reliability issues.”

The smartphone systems aiming to oust the pager

Despite the operational issues associated with replacing pagers with mobile devices, the new contenders arriving onto the healthcare communications market still maintain that the improved functionality of their systems make them ultimately superior to the pager.

Alertive is a mobile app that has already been rolled out by a number of NHS Trusts, many reaching out via the Clinical Communications Procurement Framework. It still centres the critical alerting aspects of a pager but facilitates two-way communication by allowing recipients can respond to the emergency alerts with their ability and intention to attend incidences.

It also features an intuitive clinical messaging platform where clinicians can discuss specific cases and is designed to be interoperable with most hospital systems. Plus, it is set up to failover to an SMS or email message if the in-app alert can’t go through.

“Although we’re there to replace the technology with a superior way of doing things, there isn’t a massive transformational change to the ways that people operate and work required on day one of implementing our system,” says Alertive CEO Matt Gauler. “Our solution will still simply act like a pager solution.”

Alcidion’s Smartpage system, which operates via 4G and WiFi networks, was also appointed to the Clinical Communications Procurement Framework earlier this year.

Smartpage is designed to replace existing paging systems with a secure communication tool that has the same intuitive interface as a smartphone. The messages sent via the platform are integrated alongside patient records, vital sign data and early warning scores to catch any deterioration in a patient’s condition early. It also contains read receipts and instant two-way replies, with the intention of improving clinical collaboration, and allows for the sharing of images.

Alcidion general manager Lynette Ousby says: “Senior clinicians have told us about the challenges of not having access to even the most basic information about why they are bleeped – sometimes requiring them to leave a patient’s bedside to respond and access that information. To be effective in their roles, clinicians need to be able to discuss patient care easily with any colleague, so technology that offers multi-person patient-centric communication is the obvious way forward.

“Modern systems are now preferable to support secure messaging, manage tasks, share critical information and to help to provide systematic ways of managing regular activities such as handovers that are important to patient safety.”

It’s clear that the pager falls short of systems like these when it comes to facilitating clear clinical communication – but they’re still reliant on technology like smartphones, tablets and laptops, which aren’t as practical in-clinic.

Could the NHS pager be reformed instead of replaced?

Many of the shortcomings of NHS pagers could be surpassed if they were able to send two-way messages – and by using Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) this could very well be made possible.

“It is easy to assume that emergency scenarios demand the very latest, next-generation technology. But the reality can be a little more complex,” says Ward. “Traditional radio devices using communications networks such as TETRA can offer a more standalone approach to in-hospital communications, which does not risk disrupting other equipment. This, clearly, is particularly important during times of crisis.”

TETRA have been around since 1995 and are in use by a number of emergency response teams globally. Motorola’s TETRA two-way pagers, for example, provide the Bavarian Federal Agency for Technical Relief with a device that can allow them to read and respond to messages on a two-inch colour display. Rather than replacing all of the pagers in the NHS with smartphones, an improved two-way paging system could be the answer.

Of course, a TETRA pager is still a pager, and will lack the detailed conversational elements of platforms like Alertive and Alcidion. But the ability to send even limited replies back – indicating whether or not it’s possible to attend A&E, for example – could be a significant improvement to the day-to-day operations of hospital staff. Plus, the shortfalls associated with digital solutions, such as comparatively poor signal and battery performance, are bypassed entirely.

“TETRA can actually be more reliable and offer more comprehensive coverage than their newer counterparts,” says Ward. “Reliable communications between medical practitioners in hospitals and healthcare settings are clearly absolutely critical – a matter of life and death. Doctors may need to be summoned within seconds in order to respond to an emergency scenario. The unfolding coronavirus pandemic has brought this into sharper focus than ever before.”

Source: Medical Device Network £ 1.00 Pound sterling equals 1.37 United States Dollar at this writing.

PRISM IPX Systems



Easy Solutions

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.

  • 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

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.

Input Protocols: Serial and IP
TAP TNPP SNPP
HTTP WCTP SMTP
POTS (DTMF) DID (DTMF)  
 
Output Protocols: Serial and IP
TAP TNPP SNPP
HTTP HTTPS SMPP
WCTP WCTPS SMTP
FLEX (optional PURC control)   POCSAG (optional PURC control)

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 Network Planners
Wireless Specialists

R.H. (Ron) Mercer
Consultant
217 First Street
East Northport, NY 11731

ron mercer
Telephone: 631-786-9359
www.wirelessplanners.com left arrow
wirelessplannerron@gmail.com left arrow


Does the kind of cable really matter?

HDMI and Ethernet

For a long time I have scoffed at the ridiculous prices that some people pay for interconnect cables in their stereo equipment or their home theaters. (Some even use solid silver wire!) So I just went with, “any ol' cable or wire will do.” Except speaker cables. I believe bigger is better. Nothing very expensive or extremely big — just no. 8 (or sometimes a little smaller) stranded copper wire depending on the speaker in use. (Front Left, Center, and Right speakers get the largest.)

I had second thoughts when the video display in my home theater came up distorted every time I turned it on. I decided it was due to a bug in the equipment somewhere. After reading about the new technology being used to improve interconnect cables (e.g. categories CAT5, CAT5e, CAT6, CAT7, and now CAT8) I decided to experiment and changed some of my old HDMI cables to BJC Series-FE Bonded-Pair High-Speed HDMI Cables. These use special Belden™ cables made specifically for HDMI. Guess what? It solved the problem! (Later found out it is called the “HDMI handshake issue.”)
HDMI type A connector 19 pins


Ethernet RJ-45 connector
8 pins
So, I have decided to upgrade the rest of my Ethernet cables (they have RJ-45 connectors) to shielded CAT7 cables. The shielding should block some of the noise around here, especially interference from my various radio transmitters. So this is no small feat—fishing cables through walls. Not expensive, just hard work.


FTP=Foiled Twisted Pairs, UTP=Unshielded Twisted Pairs, E=Enhanced, Source: IPCS® automation

In CAT7 each of the 4 pairs are twisted and shielded. A second shield surrounds all 8 wires in the round version. The flat versions are suitable for short patch interconnects but the round versions should be used for longer runs through walls to routers and/or servers. The round ones have the extra outer shield, have larger internal wires, and are more durable. Of the many types of Ethernet cables, CAT1 to CAT5 are considered obsolete and CAT8 is brand new and a bit of an overkill. So CAT6 is very good — and CAT7 is the best choice for now (IMHO) — (and not much difference in price).

We upgrade our equipment, and update our software, so why not upgrade our interconnect cables?

A little technical knowledge is useful. It doesn't turn you into a nerd.

Cable Type Shielding Maximum Frequency Potential Throughput
CAT1 No 10 kHz 1 Mbps
CAT2 No 1 MHz 4 Mbps
CAT3 No 16 MHz 10 Mbps
CAT4 No 16 MHz 10 Mbps
CAT5 No 100 MHz 100 Mbps
CAT5e No 100 MHz 1 Gbps
CAT6 Sometimes 250 MHz 1 Gbps
CAT6a Sometimes 500 MHz 10 Gbps
CAT7 Yes 600 MHz 10 Gbps
CAT8 Yes 2 GHz 40 Gbps

Source: Tom's Guide

Source: Brad Dye, except where noted.  


Consulting Alliance

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 left arrow 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


WHAT IS 5G? 5G is the ext generation of wireless networks and promises a mobile experience that's 10x to 100x faster than today's 4G networks. We say the word promise because we're in the early days of 5G. When more smartphones and networks support 5G tech, it will have far-reaching consequences for consumers, from the cars we drive (or that drive us) to the food we eat to the safety of our roads to the ways we shop to the entertainment we share with family and friends. And that doesn't include things we haven't yet imagined because we've never had the capability to unlock those new scenarios. Today, 5G may seem confusing even as it's widely hyped. We're here to help you sort fact from fiction, weed through the acronyms and jargon, and figure out when and how 5G can change the way you live. And we'll keep you from getting caught up in hyperbole — and empty promises. [ source ]

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


Leavitt Communications

We can supply alphanumeric display, numeric display, and voice pagers.

We also offer NEW and refurbished Alphamate 250s, refurbished Alphamate IIs, the original Alphamate refurbished, and new and refurbished pagers, pager repairs, pager parts, and accessories. We are FULL SERVICE in Paging! Outstanding service is our goal.

E-mail Phil Leavitt ( pcleavitt@leavittcom.com ) for pricing and delivery information, or for a list of other available paging and two-way related equipment.

Phil Leavitt
847-955-0511
pcleavitt@leavittcom.com

LEAVITT COMMUNICATIONS
7508 N. Red Ledge Drive
Paradise Valley, AZ 85253
www.leavittcom.com


Inside Towers Newsletter

Thursday, January 28, 2021 Volume 9 | Issue 19

10-Year-Old Community Fiber Network Records $2.69 Billion in Benefits

Ten years ago, energy and connectivity company EPB built America’s first gig-speed community-wide network, establishing an advanced smart grid power distribution system in Chattanooga, TN, reported Smart Cities World. Recently, Rollins College of Business at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga released independent research documenting the network’s benefits, to the tune of $2.69 billion.

According to EPB President/CEO David Wade, “From education and innovation to job creation, it’s amazing to see how our customers are realizing possibilities we could only imagine 10 years ago.”

The study, conducted by Dr. Bento Lobo, head of the Department of Finance and Economics, examined the pressure and use of the fiber network during the pandemic. EPB compared a typical pre-COVID day (March 4, 2020) to a typical COVID day (December 14, 2020) and saw a 75 percent increase in the total volume of Internet bandwidth usage, reported Smart Cities World. The company has also seen businesses and schools outsourcing traffic from internal networks to the community-wide Internet over the last ten months.

EPB delivers electricity to more than 170,000 homes and businesses across a 600 square mile service area. In 2010, EPB said it became the first provider in the U.S. to deliver up to 1Gb Internet speeds utilizing a community-wide fiber optic network, accessible to every home and business in its service area.

According to Smart Cities World, key benefits from the infrastructure include:

  • Job creation and retention of 9,516 jobs during the study period.
  • Keeping the local unemployment rate (4.7 percent) below the state (5.3 percent) and US (6.7 percent) averages and enabling companies to transition to remote work during the pandemic.
  • Bridging the digital divide for Hamilton County Schools with the HCS EdConnect broadband Internet service, free to economically challenged families with K-12 students. Over 12,000 students are currently enrolled in the program.
  • Reduced power outages equate to a 40-55 percent annual decrease in outage minutes, providing EPB customers with an average of $26.6 million in savings each year.
  • Decreased environmental damage allowed EPB to reduce carbon emissions by 7,900 tons.
  • Investing $110 million in smart city research since 2014 when Chattanooga was deemed a Smart Grid Living Laboratory.

“The true economic value of the fiber optic infrastructure for EPB’s customers is much greater than the cost of installing and maintaining the infrastructure,” said Dr. Lobo. “Our latest research findings show that Chattanooga’s fiber-optic network provides additional value because it provides high speeds, with symmetrical uploads and downloads, and a high degree of network responsiveness, which are necessary for the smart grid and other cutting-edge business, educational, and research applications.”


Source: Inside Towers newsletter Courtesy of the editor of Inside Towers Jim Fryer.
Inside Towers is a daily newsletter by subscription.

BloostonLaw Newsletter


  BloostonLaw Telecom Update Vol. 24, No. 4 January 27, 2021  

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.

Deadline for PAL Channel Preferences Extended Until February 12

Late last week, the SAS Administrators (Amdocs, CommScope, Federated Wireless, Google, KeyBridge and Sony) announced that the window for CBRS PAL winning bidders to submit their channel mapping and geo-contiguity preferences would be extended to February 12, 2021. A previous communication and PAL Channel Assignment Procedures guide had set January 28, 2021 as the deadline for Auction 105 winning bidders to provide inputs via the online portal.

As a related matter, the date on which PAL commercial deployment will be enabled has been extended to April 4, 2021.

The short-form application contact for each Auction 105 winning bidder should have received an email and revised PAL Channel Assignment Procedures guide in an email last Friday. Clients with questions about the PAL channel selection process or who would like assistance with strategy and mapping should contact the firm for more information.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Cary Mitchell.

Headlines


President Biden Appoints Jessica Rosenworcel Acting Chairwoman

On January 21, President Joseph R. Biden designated FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel as Acting Chairwoman of the FCC. Prior to joining the agency, she served as Senior Communications Counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, under the leadership of Senator John D. Rockefeller IV and Senator Daniel Inouye. Before entering public service, the Acting Chairwoman practiced communications law in Washington, DC.

In a statement, she said “I am honored to be designated as the Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission by President Biden. I thank the President for the opportunity to lead an agency with such a vital mission and talented staff. It is a privilege to serve the American people and work on their behalf to expand the reach of communications opportunity in the digital age.”

“I want to extend my congratulations to Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel on being named Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission,” said Commissioner Carr. “She is a talented and dedicated public servant, as evidenced by her eight years of distinguished service on the FCC. I have enjoyed our time serving together at the agency, and I look forward to working with Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel.”

Newly added Commissioner Simington said, “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. Her designation as Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an important and timely step in addressing vital public business. I appreciate the Biden Administration’s dispatch in promoting continuity and its thoughtfulness in selecting such a distinguished public servant for this vital role. Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel brings deep knowledge and experience and highly informed judgment to her new position. I look forward to serving with her in the public interest.”

Commissioner Starks said, “Congratulations to my friend and colleague Jessica Rosenworcel on her designation as acting Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission. For many years, Jessica has been a passionate advocate for bringing the benefits of broadband to all Americans—particularly our children. Her designation comes at a critical juncture for the Commission, as COVID-19 has made bold action to end Internet inequality more vital than ever. I look forward to working with her to close the digital divide and on the wide range of pressing issues facing the Commission.”

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

Oppositions to 5G Fund Petitions for Reconsideration Due February 8

On January 22, the FCC published in the Federal Register its notice of petitions for reconsideration filed on its recent Order establishing the 5G fund. Oppositions are due February 8 and replies are due February 16.

Petitions were filed by The Rural Wireless Association (“RWA”) and NTCA, the Coalition of Rural Wireless Carriers, CTIA, Smith Bagley, Inc. (“SBI”) and the 5G Fund Supporters:

  • RWA and NTCA seek reconsideration of the Commission’s decision to exclude areas from eligibility for support in the 5G Fund Phase I auction based upon where new mobile coverage data submitted in the Digital Opportunity Data Collection (“DODC”) show the existence of either unsubsidized 4G LTE or unsubsidized 5G broadband service offered by at least one service provider.
  • The Coalition of Wireless Carriers seeks reconsideration of the FCC’s decision to alter the legacy support phase-down timeline, as well as the decision to exclude areas with unsubsidized 4G LTE or 5G.
  • CTIA requests that the Commission revise the non-compliance penalty to limit potential recovery of prior funding to support that the ETC failed to spend in compliance with the requirements of the 5G Fund Order.
  • SBI seeks reconsideration of the Commission’s decision to not adopt special case treatment for remote Tribal lands; whether performance requirements should be adjusted to account for the state of existing infrastructure and the long-term need to invest in extending fiber out to cell towers in remote areas; and whether it should cut off “preservation support” at the 60-month mark.
  • The 5G Fund Supporters ask the FCC to 1) explain, prior to the pre-auction phase, how the “adjustment factor” it plans to use will provide adequate prioritization to ensure that historically underserved or unserved areas will receive support in the Phase I auction based on need, low wealth, persistent poverty, and the digital divide; and 2) require that applicants for 5G Fund subsidies broadly disseminate contracting opportunities to ensure that diverse contractors have an opportunity to compete for contracts awarded under the Fund.

Carriers interested in filing comments on these issues may contact the firm for more information.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell.

Law and Regulation


Assignment Phase Bidding in 3.7 GHz Service Auction to Begin February 8

On January 15, 2021, bidding in the clock phase of the 3.7-3.98 GHz Band auction (Auction 107 or the C-band Auction) concluded with gross proceeds exceeding $80.9 billion. Starting February 8, winning bidders for generic blocks in the clock phase will have the opportunity to bid for their preferred combinations of frequency-specific licenses in the Auction 107 assignment phase.

Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel yesterday welcomed the auction transition.

“This auction has exceeded expectations, and, at this point, we are pushing forward to get this critical piece of mid-band spectrum to market quickly, where it will help American consumers tap into next generation wireless services,” she said in a statement. “I thank the FCC staff who work so hard to ensure the success of our spectrum auctions. Few things we do have as great an impact on the day-to-day lives of the American people as our work to ensure spectrum is available for wireless connectivity.”

A Public Notice (DA 21-80) explains how bidders can access their assignment phase bidding options (based on their clock phase winnings), view the sequence and timing for the assignment rounds for all PEAs, and identify the assignment rounds in which they will be eligible to participate. The FCC also announced a mock auction for next Thursday, February 4. The Public Notice also reminded all short-form applicants in Auction 107 (regardless of their winning bidder status) that they must not disclose their company’s status as a winning or non-winning bidder, or any other non-public information covered by the prohibition, until after the close of Auction 107. The prohibition on certain communications relating to Auction 107 applies until the deadline for winning bidders in Auction 107 to submit down payments (which will be approximately a month from now).

BloostonLaw Contacts: Cary Mitchell and John Prendergast.

Chairwoman Rosenworcel Previews February Open Meeting Agenda

On January 26, Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel made a blog post discussing items “on deck” for her first Open Meeting as Acting Chairwoman:

  • progress on the effort to create an Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. In a historic move, Congress charged the FCC with developing a new $3.2 billion program to help Americans who are struggling to pay for Internet service during the pandemic.
  • next steps for the agency’s COVID-19 Telehealth program.
  • the work the agency is doing to improve its broadband maps.
  • A rulemaking seeking comment on 911 fee diversion and
  • A rulemaking to align the FCC’s rules with recent changes to the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act.

The Acting Chairwoman did not indicate whether the blog post would be a regular feature, and BloostonLaw will continue to report the tentative and official agendas as they are released.

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

Industry


Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel Appoints Staff

On January 25, Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the following staff appointments and special designations to the Office of the Chairwoman. She said, “I have long said that the talent and dedication of FCC staff is unmatched. So, I am honored that this group of public servants have agreed to assist me in leading the Commission. We have a lot of work to do and I can’t wait to get started.”

Travis Litman, Acting Chief of Staff: Travis is an FCC veteran with over a decade’s experience at the agency. He served then-Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel’s office in different capacities including as Chief of Staff and Senior Legal Advisor. He also has held a variety of roles in the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau. In addition, he has served as Counsel on detail to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where he provided assistance to the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet. Before entering public service, Travis practiced communications law in Washington, DC. He is a graduate of Lewis & Clark College and the University of Colorado School of Law.

Kate Black, Acting Chief Policy Advisor: Kate has served as Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel’s Policy Advisor since 2017. She joined the office from EMILY's List, where she served as Chief of Staff. Previously, Kate served as the Vice President of Research for EMILY's List, where she was responsible for policies regarding key issues facing American families. While in this role, she also served as Executive Director of American Women. Kate has held a variety of other policy and research positions at a diverse group of organizations, including the Democratic National Committee, the Service Employees International Union, and Hillary Clinton for President. She is the co-author, with June Diane Raphael, of "Represent: The Woman's Guide to Running for Office and Changing the World," published by Workman Publishing in 2019. She is a graduate of Miami University and holds a Master of Arts from George Washington University.

Umair Javed, Acting Chief Counsel: Umair serves as Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel's Chief Counsel. From October 2017 through January 2021, he served as then-Commissioner Rosenworcel's legal advisor for wireless and international issues. Umair joined the FCC from Wiley Rein LLP, where he was an attorney in the firm's Telecom, Media, and Technology practice group. Umair also has served on U.S. delegations to treaty-writing conferences and meetings of the International Telecommunication Union and as Commissioner of the Consumer Protection Commission of Fairfax County. He graduated from the University of Virginia and received his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Trent Harkrader, Acting Special Advisor to the Chairwoman and Deputy Bureau Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau: Trent will advise the Acting Chairwoman on implementation of the recent Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, including its initiatives on broadband adoption and telehealth, while also continuing to serve as Deputy Bureau Chief in the Wireline Competition Bureau. Trent has been responsible for numerous FCC broadband policy initiatives since 2011. He has led major reforms of all four of the FCC’s universal service programs, spearheaded the agency’s work on the national security supply chain proceeding and, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ran the FCC-wide initiative to help fund health care providers offering essential telehealth services to patients. Before joining the Bureau, Trent was an attorney advisor and division manager in the Enforcement Bureau.

Other appointments include: D’wana Terry, Acting Special Advisor to the Chairwoman and Acting Director of the Office of Workplace Diversity; Sanford Williams, Acting Special Advisor to the Chairwoman and Director, Office of Business Communications Opportunities; Holly Saurer, Acting Legal Advisor, Media; David Strickland, Acting Legal Advisor, Consumer, Enforcement, and International; Ramesh Nagarajan, Acting Legal Advisor, Wireline; Ethan Lucarelli, Acting Legal Advisor, Wireless and Public Safety; Aurelle Porter, Acting Staff Assistant; and Andi Roane, Acting Confidential Assistant.

Commissioner Simington Appoints Staff

On January 26, newly-seated FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington appointed Carolyn Roddy to serve as his wireline advisor and chief of staff, Erin Boone to serve as his wireless advisor, Adam Cassady to serve as his media advisor, Michael Sweeney to serve as his confidential assistant, and Carlos Minnix to serve as staff assistant.

“I am grateful that Carolyn, Erin, Adam, Michael, and Carlos have agreed to join my office, with Erin joining on a permanent basis from her previous position as acting wireless advisor,” said Commissioner Simington. “I am looking forward to our exciting work together. He continued, “I also want to take a moment to thank two outstanding colleagues departing our office: Tyler Bridegan and Jonathan Cannon. Tyler and Jonathan did incredible work on assisting me in setting up my office. This is never an easy task, but they made the process seamless. I count both Tyler and Jonathan as friends and I sincerely thank them for their service.”

Ms. Roddy served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Communications and Information, performing the delegated duties of the Assistant Secretary at the Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration, before joining Commissioner Simington's staff. Ms. Boone most recently served as Deputy Division Chief in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau’s Competition and Infrastructure Division. Mr. Cassady is new to the FCC, having most recently cofounded a small technology firm focused on delivering enterprise machine learning solutions. Mr. Sweeney most recently served as a Personnel Coordinator in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. Mr. Minnix most recently served as staff assistant in former Chairman Ajit Pai’s office.

Deadlines


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.

MARCH 1: COPYRIGHT STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT FORM FOR CABLE COMPANIES. This form, plus royalty payment for the second half of last year, is due March 1. The form covers the period July 1 to December 31, and is due to be mailed directly to cable TV operators by the Library of Congress’ Copyright Office. If you do not receive the form, please contact Gerry Duffy.

MARCH 1: CPNI ANNUAL CERTIFICATION. Carriers should modify (as necessary) and complete their “Annual Certification of CPNI Compliance” for this year. The certification must be filed with the FCC by March 1. Note that the annual certification should include the following three required Exhibits: (a) a detailed Statement Explaining How The Company’s Operating Procedures Ensure Compliance With The FCC’S CPNI Rules to reflect the Company’s policies and information; (b) a Statement of Actions Taken Against Data Brokers; and (c) a Summary of Customer Complaints Regarding Unauthorized Release of CPNI. A company officer with personal knowledge that the company has established operating procedures adequate to ensure compliance with the rules must execute the Certification, place a copy of the Certification and accompanying Exhibits in the Company’s CPNI Compliance Records, and file the certification with the FCC in the correct fashion. Our clients can forward the original to BloostonLaw in time for the firm to make the filing with the FCC by March 1, if desired. BloostonLaw is prepared to help our clients meet this requirement, which we expect will be strictly enforced, by assisting with preparation of their certification filing; reviewing the filing to make sure that the required showings are made; filing the certification with the FCC, and obtaining a proof-of-filing copy for your records. Clients interested in obtaining BloostonLaw's CPNI compliance manual should contact Gerry Duffy (202-828-5528) or Mary Sisak (202-828-5554). Note: If you file the CPNI certification, you must also file the FCC Form 499-A Telecom Reporting Worksheet by April 1.

BloostonLaw contacts: Gerry Duffy and Mary Sisak.

MARCH 1: FCC FORM 477, LOCAL COMPETITION & BROADBAND REPORTING FORM. This annual form is due March 1 and September 1 annually. The FCC requires facilities-based wired, terrestrial fixed wireless, and satellite broadband service providers to report on FCC Form 477 the number of broadband subscribers they have in each census tract they serve. The Census Bureau changed the boundaries of some census tracts as part of the 2010 Census.

Specifically, three types of entities must file this form:

  1. Facilities-based Providers of Broadband Connections to End User Locations: Entities that are facilities-based providers of broadband connections — which are wired “lines” or wireless “channels” that enable the end user to receive information from and/or send information to the Internet at information transfer rates exceeding 200 kbps in at least one direction — must complete and file the applicable portions of this form for each state in which the entity provides one or more such connections to end user locations. For the purposes of Form 477, an entity is a “facilities-based” provider of broadband connections to end user locations if it owns the portion of the physical facility that terminates at the end user location, if it obtains unbundled network elements (UNEs), special access lines, or other leased facilities that terminate at the end user location and provisions/equips them as broadband, or if it provisions/equips a broadband wireless channel to the end user location over licensed or unlicensed spectrum. Such entities include incumbent and competitive local exchange carriers (LECs), cable system operators, fixed wireless service providers (including “wireless ISPs”), terrestrial and satellite mobile wireless service providers, BRS providers, electric utilities, municipalities, and other entities. (Such entities do not include equipment suppliers unless the equipment supplier uses the equipment to provision a broadband connection that it offers to the public for sale. Such entities also do not include providers of fixed wireless services (e.g., “Wi-Fi” and other wireless ethernet, or wireless local area network, applications) that only enable local distribution and sharing of a premises broadband facility.)
  2. Providers of Wired or Fixed Wireless Local Telephone Services: Incumbent and competitive LECs must complete and file the applicable portions of the form for each state in which they provide local exchange service to one or more end user customers (which may include “dial-up” ISPs).
  3. Providers of Mobile Telephony Services: Facilities-based providers of mobile telephony services must complete and file the applicable portions of this form for each state in which they serve one or more mobile telephony subscribers. A mobile telephony service is a real-time, two-way switched voice service that is interconnected with the public switched network using an in-network switching facility that enables the provider to reuse frequencies and accomplish seamless handoff of subscriber calls. A mobile telephony service provider is considered “facilities-based” if it serves a subscriber using spectrum for which the entity holds a license that it manages, or for which it has obtained the right to use via lease or other arrangement with a Band Manager.

BloostonLaw contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and Mary Sisak.

Calendar At-a-Glance


January
Jan. 29 – Deadline to submit Form 683 (RDOF Long Form application).
Jan. 31 – FCC Form 555 (Lifeline Recertification) is due (subscribers without National/State verifier).

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.
Feb. 16 – Deadline to submit RDOF technology and system design descriptions, letter of credit commitments.

March
Mar. 1 – Copyright Statement of Account Form for cable companies is due.
Mar. 1 – Annual CPNI Certification is due.
Mar. 1 – FCC Form 477 (Local Competition & Broadband Reporting) is due.
Mar. 31 – FCC Form 525 (Delayed Phasedown CETC Line Counts) is due.
Mar. 31 – FCC Form 508 (ICLS Projected Annual Common Line Requirement) is due.
Mar. 31 – FCC Form 507 (Universal Service Line Count – CAF BLS) is due.

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.


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THIS WEEK'S MUSIC VIDEO

“The Times They Are A-Changin' ”

Brandi Carlile w/Mike McCready (Pearl Jam)

January 22, 2021

Playing For Change

Written more than 50 years ago, the Bob Dylan classic "The Times They Are A-Changin'" is as relevant today as it was then. We invite you to enjoy this touching rendition performed by Brandi Carlile along with Mike McCready (Pearl Jam) from our recent event, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the UN, Peace Through Music. Change is inevitable. It's up to us to create change that uplifts, change that betters ourselves and humankind, and change that is for the good and for the love of everyone. Let's stand strong, united in one love, and be the positive change we want to see in the world.

Source:

YouTube

 


Best regards,
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