This is issue number 965 — that's almost every Friday for 18½ years. It has only been possible because of the generous support from readers and advertising from vendors. As the Paging and Wireless Messaging markets have declined over the last twenty years, so has the revenue from the newsletter. There are now less than a half-dozen benefactors left.
(THANK YOU VERY MUCH.)

The income produced by the newsletter is just about enough to cover the recurring expenses of production and publishing on the Internet. A couple of years ago, a great new computer was donated which made production much easier. The current high-speed Internet bill runs $100 per month, then there is the cost of the domain registration (Register.com), the app to send out the weekly notice so it doesn't get tagged as SPAM (Direct Mail), and the monthly cost of the suite of apps from Adobe (Dreamweaver and Photoshop) to author and edit the newsletter. There are also other miscellaneous costs for Internet cables, domain maintenance, etc.

So the newsletter is not a hobby. It is just a small stand-alone business that requires a lot of time and hard work. I don't depend on it for life-support. Social security and a pension take care of that — so I won't starve.

This is a new appeal for donations and advertising. If you enjoy the newsletter I hope you will help out. If you have made a donation before please consider doing it again. If you have been an advertiser before, it would be great to have you back.

If you haven't advertised your company here, there is a web page that describes various options for product or service promotion and for brand recognition.

HERE

This Week's Wireless News Headlines

• LMCC Seeks TV Protection Rule Changes
• Confusing PC Requirements
• Here’s why you might start getting fewer robocalls after this week
• World's largest radio telescope to be built after almost 30 years of planning
• FCC Reaffirms Nearly $3 Million Fine for Marketing Unauthorized Drone Transmitters
• Inside Towers
  • AT&T To Run Its Mobility Network on Microsoft’s Azure Platform
  • AT&T-Microsoft Combo Shifts the Wireless Network Paradigm
• BloostonLaw Telecom Update
  • FCC Extends Lifeline Waivers Through September 30
  • President Biden Announces Support for Infrastructure Framework, $65 Billion for Broadband
  • House Appropriations Committee Releases 2022 Rural Development Draft Bill, Report
  • USDA, FCC, and NTIA Announce Agreement to Coordinate Broadband Funding
  • Comment Sought on IP CTS Compensation Freeze
  • FCC Waives 477 Requirement for Nationwide Carriers
  • Inhofe Introduces Bill to Require Ligado to Pay GPS Interference Costs
  • FCC Updates List of Fixed CETCs Receiving Phase-Down Support
  • Challenges Filed to 5.9 GHz Plan that Would Make Auto Spectrum Available for Wireless Devices
  • Unauthorized Transfers and Assignments Lead to Significant Civil Penalties
  • Funds for Grant Matching Requirements
  • FCC Issues Second Report on Call Blocking
  • FCC Releases EBB Program Data
  • Deadlines
  • Calendar At-a-Glance
• BloostonLaw Private Users Update
  • Electronic Filing for All Wireless Radio Service Applications Mandatory Beginning June 29
  • FCC to Retire Legacy CORES Registration System, Mandate Use of New System
  • Unauthorized Transfers and Assignments Lead to Significant Civil Penalties
  • FCC Updates Radio Frequency Device Marketing/Importation Rules
  • FCC Seeks Comment on Whether to Authorize Devices that Can Mark Fishing Equipment on AIS Channels
  • FCC Proposes Ban on Equipment Authorizations for Devices Deemed a Threat to Security
  • FCC Extends T-Band Application Acceptance and Processing Date to December 19
  • FCC to Open Robocall/Spoofing Reporting Portal for Hospitals and Other Institutions
  • Challenges Filed to 5.9 GHz Plan that Would Make Auto Spectrum Available for Wireless Devices
  • FCC Modifies Emergency Alert Rules
  • BloostonLaw Contacts
• LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
  • Jay Moskowitz
• Technician's Corner
  • US Amateur Radio Technician Class material review
• THIS WEEK'S MUSIC VIDEO
  • “I Double Dare You”
  • Tatiana Eva-Marie & Terry Waldo

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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There is not a lot of news about Paging these days but when anything significant comes out, you will probably see it here. I also cover text messaging to other devices and various articles about related technology.

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Advertiser Index

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.)

For Immediate Release

June 28, 2021

Media Contact: Andrea Cumpston
Phone: 703-797-5111
Email: andrea.cumpston@enterprisewireless.org

LMCC Seeks TV Protection Rule Changes

Herndon, VA — The Land Mobile Communications Council (LMCC) has filed a Petition for Rulemaking that would modernize the rules governing protection of television stations by land mobile systems operating in the 470-512 MHz band (T-Band) to reflect a much-changed spectrum environment since 1970 when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) first authorized land mobile sharing of television channels 14-20 in a limited number of major markets in the county. While the rules governing protection of television stations by land mobile systems remain based on those stations transmitting in an analog National Television System Committee (NTSC) format, these stations have converted to digital transmission (DTV) using the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) DTV format (also called ATSC-1). The rules should be modified to reflect appropriate protection criteria for full-service ATSC-1 digital stations as well as Class A stations that have been introduced since the adoption of land mobile sharing rules in 1970. Updated rules will maximize the interference-free use of this important band by both television stations and land mobile systems, consistent with the more advanced technologies that have been implemented by these licensees.

While land mobile activity in the T-Band had been suspended for almost a decade, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 repealed Section 6103 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, which had required the Commission to reallocate and auction T-Band frequencies used by public safety entities. The lifting of the “T-Band Mandate” prompted the FCC to modify its suspension on the acceptance and processing of most applications for T-Band spectrum and resume processing applications from incumbent land mobile licensees. “To maximize the efficient use of this band by both private wireless and broadcast licensees, the sharing rules should reflect present day operational and technical realities,” stated LMCC President David Smith.

About LMCC

The Land Mobile Communications Council is a nonprofit association of organizations that represent the wireless communications interests of public safety, critical infrastructure, business, industrial, transportation, private and common carriers as well as manufacturers of wireless communications equipment. Learn more at lmcc.org.

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

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

Confusing PC Requirements

Even if your computer can run Windows 11, it may not be obvious.

David Nield
June 29, 2021 12:10 PM

Windows 11 is coming later this year. Image: Microsoft

Between TPMs, CPUs, and UEFIs, the system requirements for upgrading to Windows 11 haven’t been the easiest to figure out. Microsoft changed them only hours after pushing out the first Insider Preview Build for early adopters. If you’re wondering exactly what you’ll need to run Windows 11, we’re here to make some sense of it for you.

Let’s start with the Central Processing Unit (CPU), the brain of your computer that goes a long way to determining how fast it can run (or at least how quickly it can get through key calculations). Originally, only 8th-gen Intel Core processors (launched in 2017), AMD Zen 2 processors (launched in 2019), and anything later were given the official thumbs up for Microsoft’s next-gen operating system, as well as Qualcomm Series 7 and 8 silicon.

That left a lot of devices out—not least the rather expensive Microsoft Surface Studio 2—so Microsoft now says it’ll also test 7th-gen Intel and AMD Zen 1 chips during the preview stage to see how well they hold up. In fact, it’s now putting off any detailed recommendations in terms of processors for the time being. What’s more, the Insider Preview Builds don’t need to meet any CPU requirements, at least not yet.

Microsoft’s argument is that for Windows 11 to be as reliable, secure, and compatible as it needs to be, certain older hardware technologies need to be left behind—it’s not necessarily a pure performance issue, but it’s more to do with enabling features such as Windows Hello for logging into your PC with biometric authentication.

Paging Transmitters 150/900 MHz

The RFI High Performance Paging Transmitter is designed for use in campus, city, state and country-wide paging systems. Designed for use where reliable simulcast systems where RF signal overlap coverage is critical.

• Commercial Paging systems.
• Healthcare Paging systems.
• Public Safety Emergency Services Paging systems.
• Demand Response Energy Grid Management.

Built-in custom interface for Prism-IPX ipBSC Base Controller for remote control, management and alarm reporting.

• Use as a stand-alone unit or in wide area network.
• Mix with other transmitter brands in an existing paging network.
• Adjustable from 20-250 watts.
• 110/240 VAC or 48VDC.
• Absolute Delay Correction.
• Remote Diagnostics.
• Configurable alarm thresholds.
• Integrated Isolator.
• Superb Reliability.
• Improved amplifier efficiency.
• Most reliable high-powered paging transmitter available.

Prism-IPX Systems LLC.

11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022
Ph: 678-242-5290 Email: sales@prism-ipx.com
prism-ipx.com

The Wireless Messaging News
Board of Advisors

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

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

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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.

Here’s why you might start getting fewer robocalls after this week

Jacob Siegal Tue, June 29, 2021, 3:23 PM

2020 was a waking nightmare, but if there were any silver linings, one of them might have been the precipitous drop in robocalls and spam calls. According to the software developer YouMail, there were nearly 13 billion fewer robocalls in 2020 than there were in 2019, as even scammers were affected by the pandemic. Unfortunately, 13 billion fewer calls is still 45.9 billion in all, and as the world has begun to recover in 2021, robocalls have followed suit. The good news is that an incredibly important deadline in the fight against these spam calls is just hours from passing.

As noted by CNET earlier this week, June 30th is the date that every major mobile carrier in the United States will be required to implement STIR/SHAKEN technology. STIR and SHAKEN are acronyms for the Secure Telephone Identity Revisited (STIR) and the Signature-based Handling of Asserted Information Using toKENs (SHAKEN) standards. They could significantly curb robocalls once and for all.

As the FCC explains over on its website, when STIR/SHAKEN is implemented, calls have their caller IDs “signed” as legitimate by the phone carrier from which they originate and are then validated by other carriers before they reach your phone. Many of the spam calls that you receive aren’t actually coming from the number that pops up on your phone, and, in theory, STIR/SHAKEN would be able to detect these spoofed numbers and stop the call from ever reaching you in the first place.

The FCC is requiring all major providers to implement STIR/SHAKEN by Wednesday, June 30th, which is just hours away at the time of writing. That’s not to say that every robocall will suddenly be silenced at midnight, but at the very least, carriers will face consequences if they aren’t compliant.

T-Mobile became the first major US carrier to implement STIR/SHAKEN with every other provider back in March, complementing its Spam Shield tools to protect customers against scams and unwanted robocalls. Meanwhile, AT&T said just days ago that it is blocking more than a billion spam and fraud calls a month, while Verizon explains on its website that it is “is working to meet the FCC mandated deadline of June 30, 2021, to enable STIR/SHAKEN across all our IP calling products.”

As for the other carriers, CNET notes that providers with fewer than 100,000 customers had been given until June 30, 2023 to implement the new standards on their networks, which would give them time to figure out how much it would cost and how long it would take. That might change, though, as the FCC revealed in April that large volumes of the robocalls are likely coming from smaller carriers.

“Protecting consumers from scammers that use robocall and spoofing tools is a top priority,” said FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a press release about robocalls back in April. “To succeed, we not only need an all-hands-on-deck response from government, but we need industry commitment and focus. Our message to providers is clear: certify under penalty of perjury the steps you are taking to stop illegal robocalls, or we will block your calls.”

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

World's largest radio telescope to be built after almost 30 years of planning

By Tereza Pultarova - Senior Writer about 2 hours ago

The Square Kilometer Array Observatory will be able to look deeper into the Universe than any radio telescope before.

The Square Kilometer Array radio telescope will be located on sites in Australia and South Africa. (Image credit: SKAO)

Construction of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) observatory, which is set to become the largest radio telescope ever built, will finally commence after nearly 30 years of preparations.

Work on the two sites in Australia and South Africa, where the two separate parts of the radio telescope network will be built, is set to begin July 1, representatives of the SKA Organisation (SKAO) announced at the annual meeting of the European Astronomical Society (EAS) on Tuesday (June 29).

The telescope, which will listen to radio signals in the vast range of frequencies between 70 MHz to at least 25 GHz, will have a total collecting area of one square kilometer. Instead of relying on a single extremely large dish, it will consist of a precisely designed network of dishes and antennas distributed across its two sites. The SKA-Mid array, to be located in the Karoo desert in South Africa, will use 197 dishes, each 50 feet (15 meters) in diameter, to listen to the middle frequency bands. The SKA-Low array, listening to the lower frequency bands, will consist of 131,072 antennas located in Western Australia north of Perth.

The construction was formally approved last week by the SKAO Council.

"I am ecstatic. This moment has been 30 years in the making," SKAO Director-General Philip Diamond said in a statement. "Today, humankind is taking another giant leap by committing to build what will be the largest science facility of its kind on the planet; not just one but the two largest and most complex radio telescope networks, designed to unlock some of the most fascinating secrets of our Universe."

The array will be able to detect objects that are so distant that the radio waves require 13 billion years to reach Earth, thus providing a glimpse into the earliest stages of the evolution of the Universe, Chiara Ferrari, who oversees France's contribution to SKAO, said in a news conference held during the annual meeting of the EAS on Tuesday (June 29).

"SKA will be a game changer in many different fields, including astrophysics, cosmology and fundamental physics," Ferrari said. "It will be uniquely positioned to answer some outstanding questions about the evolution of galaxies and offer us a unique opportunity to start studying the raw material behind the formation and evolution of bright sources from the cosmic dawn to current years."

SKAO, which is expected to provide images of higher quality than the Hubble Space Telescope, according to the SKAO website, was first proposed in 1993 by the International Union of Radio Science. The countries supporting the project established the telescope's governing organization, SKAO, in February this year. SKAO's 16 member states jointly fund the $1.55 billion (€1.3 billion) construction of the telescope and the $0.83 billion (€0.7billion) required for the first decade of its operations.

The telescope will collect about 13 terabits of data per second, which is equivalent to downloading 300 high definition films every second, Philipa Hartley, a postdoctoral fellow at SKAO said in the news conference.

"The data will be uniquely complex compared to radio data and radio images we've had in the past," Hartley said. "That's because our telescopes are able to see farther into space than previous radio telescopes have been able to do. So our images will be uniquely busy, full of galaxies overlapping each other."

According to a timeline published with the announcement, the observatory will start making its early scientific measurements in 2024 after the completion of the first two sub arrays.

Eventually, SKAO hopes to expand the telescope to include several hundreds of dishes and hundreds of thousands of antennas.

Follow Tereza Pultarova on Twitter @TerezaPultarova. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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

FCC Reaffirms Nearly $3 Million Fine for Marketing Unauthorized Drone Transmitters

06/30/2021

In a Memorandum Opinion and Order (MO&O) released June 17, the FCC denied a Petition for Reconsideration filed by HobbyKing of a $2,861,128 fine for marketing non-compliant RF equipment and for failing to respond to FCC orders in its investigation of the company’s practices. In the same step, the FCC enforced its equipment marketing rules. The fine resulted from an FCC investigation initiated by ARRL’s January 2017 complaint that the HobbyKing equipment was “blatantly illegal at multiple levels.”

“The Forfeiture Order is the final chapter of a story that started with a report to the ARRL Board by the EMC Committee in 2017, as a result of the discovery that aerial drone TV transmitting equipment was being imported and marketed without proper FCC authorization under FCC Part 15 rules,” said ARRL Electromagnetic Compatibility Committee Chair Kermit Carlson, W9XA.

As spelled out in ARRL’s 2017 complaint, the ARRL Laboratory had documented that the operating frequencies of these drone TV transmitters near the 1.3 GHz amateur band were dip-switch selectable for frequencies internationally assigned for use by Aeronautical Navigation, GPS, GLONASS L1, ATC Mode “S,” as well as to both the interrogation and reply frequencies used for Air Traffic Control Air-Route Surveillance “transponder” radar systems. “Transmissions from these drone TV transmitters would have caused harmful interference to these essential Navigation and ATC Radar systems, presenting a real and dangerous threat to the safety of flight,” Carlson said.

ARRL’s complaint noted that given the channel configuration, these units would not have a legitimate amateur radio use, and that the marketing was directed at drone enthusiasts and not to licensed radio amateurs. “ARRL Laboratory tests did prove that only one of the seven available channels was within the 1.3 GHz amateur band,” Carlson said. “This is another example of ARRL not only affirmatively acting to protect our Members’ interests, but also acting to protect the safety and security of vital services and the general public,” Carlson said.

HobbyKing had denied that it was marketing its drone transmitters to US customers, but as the ARRL January 2017 complaint pointed out, ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, was able to purchase two drone transmitters from HobbyKing and have them shipped to a US address for testing in the Lab.

Hare and ARRL Lab staffers Mike Gruber, W1MG, and Bob Allison, WB1GCM, tested the units. Carlson, as well as the Electromagnetic Compatibility Committee he chairs, were credited in the complaint for calling attention to the issue and prompting ARRL’s action.

“The FCC noted that Amateur Radio equipment used to telecommand model craft are limited to 1 W (1,000 mW), but three transmitters included in the FCC investigation operated at significantly higher power levels of 1,500 mW and 2,000 mW,” ARRL said.

HobbyKing had told the FCC that it had no notice of the Commission’s authorization requirements; that the Fifth Amendment relieved HobbyKing of its duty to respond; that the forfeiture amount was inappropriate because its parent company, Indubitably, Inc., lacked the ability to pay to the Forfeiture Order; and that the Commission was time-barred from taking action against ABC Fulfillment Services LLC because it was not part of HobbyKing’s business.

“Upon review of HobbyKing’s Petition for Reconsideration and the entire record, we find no basis for reconsideration because the petition fails to present new information warranting reconsideration,” the FCC said in the MO&O. “Rather, HobbyKing again raises the very same arguments already considered and rejected in the Forfeiture Order.”

The fine reaffirms the monetary penalty sought in a June 2018 FCC Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL). The FCC said it found that dozens of devices marketed by the company transmitted in unauthorized radio frequency bands and, in some cases, operated at excessive power levels. HobbyKing is the trade name of two US-based companies that include ABC Fulfillment Services LLC and Indubitably, Inc. HobbyKing has a New York office and customer service operations in the US, the FCC noted.

In its earlier Forfeiture Order, the FCC said it had made clear that “[d]evices used in the Amateur Radio Service do not require authorization prior to being imported into the United States, but “if such equipment can operate in amateur and non-amateur frequencies, it must be certified prior to marketing and operation.” The FCC investigation found that 65 models of devices marketed by HobbyKing did not have the required FCC certification.

Responding to the FCC, HobbyKing claimed to have ceased marketing the 65 models the FCC identified, but promised only to make “best efforts” not to market other non-compliant RF devices.

“HobbyKing has a continuing obligation to market only radio frequency equipment that is properly authorized,” the FCC said. “We therefore remind HobbyKing that continuing to market non-compliant radio frequency devices could result in further significant forfeitures.”

AT&T To Run Its Mobility Network on Microsoft’s Azure Platform

AT&T announced yesterday it will move its 5G mobile network to the Microsoft cloud. The alliance provides a path for all of AT&T’s mobile network traffic to be managed using Microsoft Azure technologies. The companies will start with AT&T’s 5G core, the software at the heart of the 5G network, that connects mobile users and IoT devices with Internet and other services. AT&T said the move is designed to increase productivity and cost efficiency while focusing on the delivery of large-scale network services that meet its customers’ evolving needs.

Microsoft, in turn, will gain access to AT&T’s intellectual property and technical expertise to grow its telecom flagship offering, Azure for Operators. Microsoft is acquiring AT&T’s carrier-grade Network Cloud platform technology, which AT&T’s 5G core network runs on. AT&T’s Network Cloud platform has been running AT&T’s 5G core at scale since the company launched 5G in 2018. This move brings real-world production 5G workloads to Azure for Operators.

“AT&T has one of the world’s most powerful global backbone networks serving hundreds of millions of subscribers. Our Network Cloud team has proved that running a network in the cloud drives speed, security, cost improvements and innovation. Microsoft’s decision to acquire these assets is a testament to AT&T’s leadership in network virtualization, culture of innovation, and realization of a telco-grade cloud stack,” said AT&T EVP/CTO Andre Fuetsch. “The next step is making this capability accessible to operators around the world and ensuring it has the resources behind it to continue to evolve and improve. And do it securely. Microsoft’s cloud expertise and global reach make them the perfect fit for this next phase.”

AT&T will continue to operate its network and retain its customer relationships. By using Microsoft’s hybrid and hyper-scale infrastructure, AT&T can substantially reduce engineering and development costs. Early access to Microsoft’s cloud, AI and edge technology will provide AT&T with the flexibility it needs to rapidly innovate and launch new services and customer experiences enabled by 5G.

“With Azure, operators can provide a more flexible and scalable service model, save infrastructure cost, and use AI to automate operations and differentiate customer offerings,” said Jason Zander, executive vice president Azure, Microsoft. “Through our collaboration with AT&T, Microsoft will expand its telecom portfolio to support operators with a carrier-grade cloud that provides seamless experiences across Microsoft’s cloud and the operator’s network.”

AT&T-Microsoft Combo Shifts the Wireless Network Paradigm

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

Let’s be clear. AT&T is not getting out of the wireless business, and Microsoft is not becoming a mobile network operator.

In the deal that Inside Towers reported yesterday, AT&T is spinning off its Network Cloud operations unit involving people and technology to Microsoft. In return, AT&T lowers its capital expenditures for 5G core operations and services development, and related network operating expenses. At the same time, Microsoft adds significantly to its “Azure for Operators” platform.

The AT&T-Microsoft collaboration actually goes back to 2019, when the two companies inked a multi-year deal, estimated at more than $2 billion at the time. The arrangement then was that AT&T would utilize Microsoft Azure cloud technology to virtualize its 5G core functions and to work with Microsoft on developing tools for high-speed 5G services and artificial intelligence applications.

This latest step creates a much more integrated operation between the two companies. Rather than just using Azure as a cloud storage and computing platform, AT&T is selling off its Network Cloud platform intellectual property, technology, and technical expertise to Microsoft. In the process, AT&T is terminating the employment of all the Network Cloud employees who will be offered positions at Microsoft. Note that terms of the deal were not announced.

The deal helps relieve some financial pressure points for AT&T. The company has struggled with adequate capex for its 5G network build to keep pace with T-Mobile and Verizon. (See, Is AT&T Underinvesting in its Networks?).

With agreements to divest most of its media properties, the company is paying down long-term debt that ballooned with DirecTV and Warner Media acquisitions. AT&T is striving to reduce its debt-to-EBITDA leverage down to about 2.5X by the end of 2022.

Spinning off Network Cloud operations reduces wireless network capex and opex while creating opportunities for rapid development of competitive, revenue-producing 5G services for residential and Enterprise markets alike.

Under its Azure for Operators moniker, Microsoft will be supplying all of AT&T’s 5G core cloud-based and cloud-enabled functions and services. AT&T, for its part, will continue to design, build, and operate its 5G radio access network.

Azure for Operators, launched in September 2020, is the culmination of telecom competencies that Microsoft has been building for some time. The platform can deliver end-to-end services for telcos while integrating cloud-enabled functions, infrastructure, and service-platform components.

The 2019 deal with AT&T was intended to move all non-network infrastructure applications to the Azure cloud by 2024. With that deal, Microsoft provided AT&T with 5G mobile edge computing capability.

Its March 2020 acquisitions of Affirmed Networks and Metaswitch helped Microsoft build its “telco DNA” as both acquired companies were supporting telcos with virtual network functionality (VNF) and cloud-based network functionality (CNF).

Azure for Operators is part of what Microsoft calls its “world network.” The company operates close to 50 data centers in over 140 countries. The network comprises over 160,000 fiber route miles that connect with operators at more than 170 points of presence and over 20,000 peering points.

The platform provides operators with computing capabilities where they are needed: at the Enterprise edge, the network edge, the network core, or in the cloud. The Azure for Operators portfolio includes cloud-native network functions to support solutions from the RAN to the core.

Moreover, Azure for Operators provides access to business intelligence analytics that can support operator decision-making for network operations or new services development.

In the end, AT&T gains access to Microsoft’s extensive Azure cloud development community that can help the company develop and test new applications and services that can drive new customer experiences and new revenue streams.

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.

FCC Extends Lifeline Waivers Through September 30

On June 28, the FCC issued an Order extending the prior waivers of the Lifeline program rules governing documentation requirements for subscribers residing in rural areas on Tribal lands, reverification, recertification, general de-enrollment, and income documentation through September 30, 2021.

As a reminder, the FCC did not extend the existing waiver of the Lifeline usage requirement beyond May 1, 2021. As of that date, ETCs were once again required to send notice to Lifeline subscribers who have not used their service in the previous 30 days and notify those subscribers that they have 15 days to cure their non-usage.

BloostonLaw Contact: Sal Taillefer.

Headlines

President Biden Announces Support for Infrastructure Framework, $65 Billion for Broadband

On June 24, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced their support for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, which a White House Press Release touts as the largest long-term investment plan in U.S. infrastructure and competitiveness in nearly a century. Among other things, the $1.2 trillion plan provides $579 billion for infrastructure, of which $65 billion is targeted to broadband infrastructure.

The Press Release did not provide significant details, stating only that funding was earmarked to, “Connect every American to reliable high-speed Internet, just as the federal government made a historic effort to provide electricity to every American nearly one hundred years ago. The Framework will also drive down prices for Internet service and close the digital divide.”

According to the Press Release, the Framework is financed through “a combination of closing the tax gap, redirecting unspent emergency relief funds, targeted corporate user fees, and the macroeconomic impact of infrastructure investment.” In particular, the Press Release notes that both state and local investment in broadband infrastructure and 5G spectrum auction proceeds are proposed financing sources.

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

House Appropriations Committee Releases 2022 Rural Development Draft Bill, Report

In the past week, the House Appropriations Committee released its draft fiscal year 2022 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bill and accompanying reports. The bill provides discretionary funding of $26.55 billion — an increase of $2.851 billion, more than 10 percent — above 2021.

The bill provides a total of more than $4.695 billion for rural development programs, including over $907 million in the expansion of broadband service to provide economic development opportunities and improved education and healthcare services. This includes $800 million for the ReConnect program. Overall, the $907 million is an increase of $165 million above the FY 2021 enacted level.

The bill report can be found here.

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

USDA, FCC, and NTIA Announce Agreement to Coordinate Broadband Funding

On June 25, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the FCC, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced an interagency agreement to share information about and coordinate the distribution of broadband deployment federal funds. In accordance with the Broadband Interagency Coordination Act, the respective Cabinet and agency leaders announced that their agencies will consult with one another and share information about the distribution of new funds from the FCC’s high-cost programs that support broadband buildout in rural areas, the USDA’s Rural Utilities Services grant and loan programs, and programs administered or coordinated by NTIA.

As part of the signed Agreement, each federal agency partner will share information about existing or planned projects that receive funding from the previously mentioned federal funding sources. Each partner will also, upon request, identify entities providing broadband service in a specified geographic area; the levels of broadband service in that area, including broadband speeds and technologies deployed; the geographic scope of broadband service in that area, and each entity in that area that has or will receive funds from these programs. The agreement also requires the federal agency partners to consider basing the distribution of funds from the programs on standardized broadband coverage data.

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

Comment Sought on IP CTS Compensation Freeze

On June 25, the FCC issued a Public Notice seeking comment on a request by six of the seven currently certified providers of Internet Protocol (IP) Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS) to defer the reduction in the level of Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund support for IP CTS previously ordered by the FCC. Pursuant to the 2020 IP CTS Compensation Order, TRS Fund compensation for the provision of IP CTS is to be reduced from the current level of $1.42 per minute to $1.30 per minute, effective July 1, 2021.

According to the Public Notice, the IP CTS providers contend that deferring the scheduled compensation reduction would better enable the FCC to consider the impact on compensation rates before adopting changes in applicable service-quality standards. They also assert that “significant uncertainty as to future costs and demand” has resulted from the “protracted impact of the [COVID-19] pandemic” and the consequent adjustments made by IP CTS providers “to ensure high quality access for users.” As a result, the IP CTS providers argue, “a prudent approach is to halt further rate reductions, determine the appropriate standards that will be adopted for IP CTS, determine the impact of those standards on normalized costs (i.e., not impacted by a worldwide pandemic), and determine a long-term rate methodology that ensures continued functional equivalence, innovation, and consumer choice for IP CTS users.”

Comment and reply comment deadlines have not yet been established.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer.

FCC Waives 477 Requirement for Nationwide Carriers

On June 25, the FCC issued an Order granting a limited waiver of its Form 477 requirements to AT&T Wireless, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless, and their subsidiaries. Specifically, the FCC waived the requirement that these companies report their 4G LTE mobile deployment data as of June 30, 2021.

“In recognition of the public interest in improving the data collected by the Commission on broadband availability throughout the United States and in assisting the Commission’s effort to build a Broadband Data Collection (BDC) system to collect and make available more precise and reliable maps,” the FCC wrote, these companies “have voluntarily committed to report their 4G LTE mobile deployment data as of May 15, 2021, using certain standardized parameters established as part of the Broadband Data Collection.” The FCC noted that the companies ‘also have voluntarily committed to upload this data into the Form 477 system as soon as practicable after the Form 477 filing window opens on July 1, 2021, and to certify the accuracy of the data.”

According to the Order, the companies “will use propagation modeling to generate maps showing their 4G LTE mobile broadband and voice coverage for on-street or pedestrian stationary usage. The mobile broadband coverage maps will reflect coverage areas where users should expect to receive the minimum required download and upload speeds with cell edge coverage probability of not less than 90% and a cell loading of not less than 50%.” They will also “generate coverage maps with a spatial resolution of 100 meters or better, and the maps should account for terrain and clutter and use terrain and clutter data with a resolution of 100 meters or better” and “upload their coverage maps in vector format, and the mobile broadband maps will reflect a minimum expected user download speed of 5 Mbps and user upload speed of 1 Mbps at the cell edge.”

This, the FCC concluded, will allow the companies to “submit more standardized 4G LTE mobile deployment data using the existing Form 477 filing platform while the Commission finalizes its work on the Broadband Data Collection systems and processes.”

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell.

Law and Regulation

Inhofe Introduces Bill to Require Ligado to Pay GPS Interference Costs

On June 22, U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced S. 2166, the Recognizing and Ensuring Taxpayer Access to Infrastructure Necessary for GPS and Satellite Communications Act or RETAIN GPS and Satellite Communications Act. If enacted, this bill would require Ligado to cover the cost for correcting any interference their operations create for the public or private sector. This bill specifically outlines that all the areas of potential costs that must be borne by Ligado, including but not limited to engineering, construction, site acquisition, research, personnel or contracting staff, labor costs, etc., and specifically notes that these apply to those impacted in the private sector as well.

“GPS and satellite communications don’t only impact our military—we rely on it for so much of our day to day lives, which is why we need to take steps to protect not just the federal government from the harmful decision, but all state and local governments, private entities and consumers too,” Inhofe said. “As a founding co-chair of the Congressional GPS Caucus, I’m proud to help Senator Inhofe introduce bipartisan legislation that will help make sure Ligado Networks is accountable for covering the costs of addressing any harmful interference that results from deployment of its proposed wireless network,” said Duckworth. “Countless Americans, including our military personnel and agriculture workers, rely on GPS and satellite communications to do their jobs, making protecting these signals a matter of both national and economic security,” Rounds said.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino.

FCC Updates List of Fixed CETCs Receiving Phase-Down Support

On June 28, the FCC issued a Public Notice providing an updated report showing the legacy support amounts associated with competitive eligible telecommunications carriers (competitive ETCs) offering service to fixed locations. As of June 1, 2019, fixed competitive ETCs began receiving legacy support at a reduced level. In previous versions of the report, one such fixed competitive ETC, Mid-Rivers Telephone Cooperative, Inc. (Mid-Rivers) (SAC 489001) in Montana, was inadvertently identified as Mid-Rivers’s mobile competitive ETC (SAC 489005), which has since relinquished its ETC designation.

The corrected report is available at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-357433A1.xlsx.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Gerry Duffy.

Challenges Filed to 5.9 GHz Plan that Would Make Auto Spectrum Available for Wireless Devices

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials have petitioned the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit seeking to overturn the FCC’s November decision to reallocate 60 percent of the 5.9 GHz spectrum.

In 1999, the FCC allocated 75 MHz of spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band (5.850 GHz – 5.925 GHz) for automakers to develop technology that would allow motor vehicles to “talk to each other” in order to avoid motor vehicle collisions. Unfortunately, it appears that much of the band has not yet been used for this purpose. As a result, the FCC shifted 30 MHz of the allocation reserved for Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) to a Cellular Vehicle to Everything or C-V2X technology under the auspices of the US Department of Transportation, while moving the remaining 45 MHz for unlicensed use such as Wi-Fi and other uses.

DSRC was available on only one vehicle manufactured by General Motors. Press reports indicate that talking cars and trucks would use dedicated short-range communications that could communicate up to 300 meters to provide information such as location, direction and speed to nearby vehicles, and that this data would be updated and rebroadcast up to 10 times per second. In 2016, the Obama administration proposed making DSRC mandatory. However, the rule was never finalized.

The split between those who support the FCC’s action and those who oppose is not surprising. The US Department of Transportation and the automakers oppose the action on the basis of safety while major cable, telecom and content companies say that the additional 45 MHz is needed to support increased Wi-Fi demand.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino

Unauthorized Transfers and Assignments Lead to Significant Civil Penalties

Over the past month, the FCC has entered into two consent decrees that imposed significant civil penalties on licensees for engaging in unauthorized transactions affecting their FCC licenses. Such significant fines have been rare, especially when in the case of Private Land Mobile and microwave licensees. In particular, the FCC has imposed the civil penalties on Broadband VI, LLC and SUEZ North America, Inc. et. al. (“SUEZ”) for $28,000 and $104,000, respectively in order to resolve investigations in connection with the unauthorized transfers and assignments of various FCC radio licenses in the wireless common carrier and private land mobile services. This may be a harbinger of things to come.

Broadband VI, LLC — Broadband VI, LLC (“Broadband”) is a fixed wireless Internet service provider that serves the US Virgin Islands. During the course of an investigation into Broadband’s compliance with the FCC’s rules and regulations, the FCC learned that Broadband had consummated an agreement in which it obtained the licenses to seven (7) common carrier fixed point-to-point microwave licenses from Surge Communications, LLC without the prior consent of the FCC. In order to settle this matter, Broadband agreed to a civil penalty of $28,000 among other conditions.

SUEZ — Over the past 20 years, SUEZ has acquired licenses through several transactions with third parties, as well as internal corporate reorganizations. In particular, SUEZ acquired United Water Resources, Inc. on July 27, 2000, which held both Conventional Industrial and private microwave licenses. Further, over the years SUEZ had engaged in several pro forma transfers of control and/or assignments of radio assets as the result of internal corporate reorganizations, without first obtaining the required prior approvals of the FCC. Of significance to the FCC was the fact that some of the transactions had been completed more than 20 years ago.

These cases reinforce the need for our clients to contact our office in order to determine whether ANY transactions involving third parties or internal corporate reorganizations may trigger any FCC regulatory requirements. Any transaction involving a third party will almost always require an application for prior FCC approval of the transaction. The same can generally be said of pro forma transactions, even though the ultimate beneficial owner may be unchanged. These cases demonstrate that a failure to obtain the required FCC approvals could very well lead to substantial monetary penalties and fines where the FCC might not have done so in the past.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino

Industry

Senators Ask Treasury to Allow Local Gov’ts to Use Relief Funds for Grant Matching Requirements

On June 24, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) sent a letter to U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen asking to allow local governments to use funds from the American Rescue Plan to satisfy the local match requirement for federal discretionary grant programs. The Senators specifically mentioned USDA’s Broadband ReConnect Program as an approved purpose.

According to a press release, the American Rescue Plan, which passed the Senate in March, has provided $350 billion in direct funding to local governments and provides flexibility on how local governments can use these funds. According to the Senators, “local governments often use their revenues to satisfy the local match for federal discretionary grant programs,” suggesting there is no reason they could not use support funds in the same way.

FCC Issues Second Report on Call Blocking

On June 29, the FCC released its Second Report on Call Blocking. As required by the 2019 Call Blocking Declaratory Ruling, the Second Call Blocking Report compiles detailed information on a number of call blocking issues such as the availability and effectiveness of call blocking tools offered to consumers, the impact of the FCC’s actions on illegal calls, and the impact of call blocking on 911 services and public safety. The Second Call Blocking Report also presents updated information from a number of sources identified herein, including comments submitted by voice service providers, third-party analytics companies, and others.

According to the Report:

… many voice service providers and third-party analytics companies offer improved call blocking services to their customers to protect them from illegal and unwanted calls. Voice service providers and third-party analytics companies use new data continually to update their analyses to detect robocalls; they report offering consumers more blocking tools and blocking more calls. But not all consumers have opted into many of the call blocking technologies offered by providers. Voice service providers and analytics companies report few false positives, i.e., calls incorrectly identified as being spam or fraudulent, and then being blocked in error. They report that they have found no public safety issues related to call blocking. Further, voice service providers report progress in deploying STIR/SHAKEN caller ID authentication on the Internet Protocol (IP) portions of their networks.

A full copy of the Report can be found here.

FCC Releases EBB Program Data

On June 29, the FCC issued a Press Release announcing that it will begin releasing more detailed Emergency Broadband Benefit enrollment figures to inform its current awareness efforts and empower its outreach partners with targeted outreach campaigns. According to the Press Release, it has enrolled over 3 million households since May.

The three-digit zip code Emergency Broadband Benefit enrollment data can be downloaded from https://www.usac.org/about/emergency-broadband-benefit-program/emergency-broadband-benefit-program-enrollments-and-claims-tracker/. Additionally, the EBB data dashboard contains information related to nationwide and state-specific enrollment figures, will report the amount of program funds disbursed as participating providers file claims and will be updated regularly by USAC staff.

Deadlines

JUNE 30: STUDY AREA BOUNDARY RECERTIFICATION. In addition to the obligation to submit updated information when study area boundaries change, all ILECs are required to recertify their study area boundary data every two years. The recertification is due this year by June 30. Where the state commission filed the study area boundary data for an ILEC, the state commission should submit the recertification. However, where the state commission did not submit data for the ILEC and the ILEC submitted the study area boundary data, then the ILEC should submit the recertification by June 30.

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

JULY 1: FCC FORM 481 (CARRIER ANNUAL REPORTING DATA COLLECTION FORM). All eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) must report the information required by Section 54.313, which includes information on the ETC’s holding company, operating companies, ETC affiliates and any branding in response to section 54.313(a)(8); its CAF-ICC certification, if applicable; its financial information, if a privately held rate-of-return carrier; and its satellite backhaul certification, if applicable.

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

JULY 1: MOBILITY FUND PHASE I ANNUAL REPORT. Winning bidders in Auction 901 that are authorized to receive Mobility Fund Phase I support are required to submit to the FCC an annual report each year on July 1 for the five years following authorization. Each annual report must be submitted to the Office of the Secretary of the FCC, clearly referencing WT Docket No. 10-208; the Universal Service Administrator; and the relevant state commissions, relevant authority in a U.S. Territory, or Tribal governments, as appropriate. The information and certifications required to be included in the annual report are described in Section 54.1009 of the FCC’s rules.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Sal Taillefer.

JULY 31: FCC FORM 507, LINE COUNT DATA (A-CAM AND ALASKA PLAN RECPIENTS). Sections 54.313(f)(5) and 54.903(a)(1) of the FCC’s rules requires all rate-of-return telecommunications carriers to provide line count information on FCC Form 507 to USAC, the universal service Administrator. Carriers receiving Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support (CAF BLS) must submit this information annually on March 31st of each year, and may update the data on a quarterly basis. Carriers that receive Alternative Connect America Model (A-CAM) I, A-CAM II, or Alaska Plan support are required to file by July 1st of each year. For 2020, the FCC has extended the A-CAM filing deadline until July 31.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Gerry Duffy and Sal Taillefer.

JULY 31: CARRIER IDENTIFICATION CODE (CIC) REPORTS. Carrier Identification Code (CIC) Reports must be filed by the last business day of July (this year, July 31). These reports are required of all carriers who have been assigned a CIC code by NANPA. Failure to file could result in an effort by NANPA to reclaim it, although according to the Guidelines this process is initiated with a letter from NANPA regarding the apparent non-use of the CIC code. The assignee can then respond with an explanation. (Guidelines Section 6.2). The CIC Reporting Requirement is included in the CIC Assignment Guidelines, produced by ATIS. According to section 1.4 of that document: At the direction of the NANPA, the access providers and the entities who are assigned CICs will be requested to provide access and usage information to the NANPA, on a semi-annual basis to ensure effective management of the CIC resource. (Holders of codes may respond to the request at their own election). Access provider and entity reports shall be submitted to NANPA no later than January 31 for the period ending December 31, and no later than July 31 for the period ending June 30. It is also referenced in the NANPA Technical Requirements Document, which states at 7.18.6: CIC holders shall provide a usage report to the NANPA per the industry CIC guidelines … The NAS shall be capable of accepting CIC usage reports per guideline requirements on January 31 for the period ending December 31 and no later than July 31 for the period ending June 30. These reports may also be mailed and accepted by the NANPA in paper form. Finally, according to the NANPA website, if no local exchange carrier reports access or usage for a given CIC, NANPA is obliged to reclaim it. The semi-annual utilization and access reporting mechanism is described at length in the guidelines.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Gerry Duffy.

AUGUST 1: FCC FORM 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 recent 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 (Form 499-A) that was due April 1.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Gerry Duffy.

AUGUST 1: FCC FORM 502, NUMBER UTILIZATION AND FORECAST REPORT: Any wireless or wireline carrier (including paging companies) that have received number blocks--including 100, 1,000, or 10,000 number blocks--from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA), a Pooling Administrator, or from another carrier, must file Form 502 by August 1. Carriers porting numbers for the purpose of transferring an established customer’s service to another service provider must also report, but the carrier receiving numbers through porting does not. Resold services should also be treated like ported numbers, meaning the carrier transferring the resold service to another carrier is required to report those numbers but the carrier receiving such numbers should not report them. Reporting carriers file utilization and forecast reports semiannually on or before February 1 for the preceding six-month reporting period ending December 31, and on or before August 1 for the preceding six-month reporting period ending June 30.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Gerry Duffy.

AUGUST 1: Live 911 Call Data Reports — Non-Nationwide Providers that do not provide coverage in any of the Test Cities must collect and report aggregate data based on the largest county within its footprint to APCO, NENA, and NASNA on the location technologies used for live 911 calls in those areas. Clients should obtain spreadsheets with their company’s compliance data from their E911 service provider (e.g., Intrado / West).

BloostonLaw Contact: Cary Mitchell.

AUGUST 29: COPYRIGHT STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS. The Copyright Statement of Accounts form plus royalty payment for the first half of year is due to be filed August 29 at the Library of Congress’ Copyright Office by cable TV service providers.

BloostonLaw Contact: Gerry Duffy.

Calendar At-a-Glance

June
Jun. 30 – STIR/SHAKEN Implementation Certifications are due.
Jun. 30 – Replies to Petitions to Suspend 7-Day Tariff Filings are due (NOON ET).
Jun. 30 – Biannual Study Area Boundary Recertifications are due.

July
Jul. 1 – FCC Form 481 (Carrier Annual Reporting Data Collection Form) is due.
Jul. 1 – FCC Form 690 (Mobility Fund Phase I Auction Winner Annual Report) is due.
Jul. 1 – Annual TRS Complaint Summary Reports are due.
Jul. 6 – Comments are due on Accessibility Rules.
Jul. 6 – ETRS Form One is due. Jul. 7 – Reply comments are due on 12Ghz NPRM.
Jul. 12 – Comments on Space Launch Industry Spectrum are due.
Jul. 12 – Comments on National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Proceeding are due.
Jul. 15 – EBB Reimbursement Claims from May 2021 on are due.
Jul. 27 – Auction 109 – AM/FM Broadcast Auction begins.
Jul. 21 – Short forms for Auction 110 are due (6:00 PM ET).
Jul. 31 – Carrier Identification Code (CIC) Report is due.

August
Aug. 1 – FCC Form 502 due (North American Numbering Plan Utilization and Forecast Report).
Aug. 1 – FCC Form 499-Q (Quarterly Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet) is due.
Aug. 1 – Live 911 Call Data Reports from Non-Nationwide Providers are due.
Aug. 9 – Reply comments on Space Launch Industry Spectrum are due.
Aug. 10 – Reply comments on National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Proceeding are due.
Aug. 11 – Nationwide WEA and EAS test.
Aug. 12 – ETRS Form Two is due.
Aug. 29 – Copyright Statement of Accounts is due.

Electronic Filing for All Wireless Radio Service Applications Mandatory Beginning June 29

The FCC has issued a Public Notice reminding all applicants, licensees, registrants, and interested parties about the upcoming date on which the FCC’s changes to its e-licensing rules will go into effect. Specifically, beginning June 29, 2021, all applicants, licensees, registrants, and interested parties must: (1) file all applications for Wireless Radio Services electronically via the Universal Licensing System (ULS) and/or the Antenna Structure Registration System (ASR); (2) file all pleadings (and delivery of service) related to these systems electronically; and (3) provide an email address on all related FCC Forms. Manually filed applications and pleadings will be dismissed.

In addition, as of June 29, 2021, all FCC correspondence related to Wireless Radio Services will be delivered electronically to the email address on file for a licensee, registrant, or applicant. The FCC encourages all parties without a valid email address on file for license(s), registration(s) and/or application(s) granted or filed prior to June 29, 2021, to file an administrative update and/or application amendment to include a valid e-mail address, which can be obtained for free from many sources. Without a valid e-mail address, licensees, registrants, and applicants risk missing important correspondence from the FCC, including application return letters, license construction reminders, and license renewal reminders. We recommend that our clients set up an email address such as “FCC-filing@[YOUR DOMAIN NAME]” to include on any filings with the FCC, and have any emails to that address go to multiple employees, so that any communications from the Commission are not missed.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino

FCC to Retire Legacy CORES Registration System, Mandate Use of New System

Background — In 2000, the FCC established its Commission Registration System (CORES) to facilitate the assignment of FCC Registration Numbers (FRNs) to all persons and entities seeking to do business with the FCC. In 2016, the FCC’s Office of Managing Director (OMD) posted an upgraded version of CORES on the FCC’s website providing FRN registrants more user-friendly and secure features such as enabling existing and new users to designate usernames to access FRNs, and allowing registrants to establish multiple usernames for each FRN with different levels of access. Although the new CORES has been available since 2016, the original “legacy” version of CORES has also remained available for FRN registration, to allow for an orderly transition.

The FCC is now amending its rules to require entities and individuals doing business with the FCC to provide their e-mail addresses when they register for FRNs and to keep the e-mail information current along with other information used to register. The FCC believes that this step will allow the OMD to remove the legacy COES system from its website at a later date so that it will only be required to maintain the new “modernized” version of CORES for FRN registrations. The FCC believes that the newer CORES system is more efficient and secure for managing the FCC’s financial and management matters and that the change will be more user-friendly and streamlined for CORES registrants that must currently decide between the two versions.

Implementation — Following the effective date of this rule change, OMD will announce by Public Notice the end date for access to the legacy CORES system. To streamline this transition and best prepare for any upcoming business with the FCC, new and current registrants are encouraged to use the modernized CORES as soon as possible. Because the modernized CORES has been available since 2016, users do not need to wait for legacy CORES to be retired or for the rule change announced here to go into effect to take this step.

Entities and individuals that register for FRNs in the new version of CORES must provide e-mail address information which is verified through an e-mail verification link in the FCC User Registration System. An e-mail address remains an optional information request in legacy CORES. The current version of the paper forms for obtaining or updating an FRN, FCC Forms 160 and 161, however, require filers to provide a contact e-mail address as part of the registration process.

After the retirement of the legacy CORES system, the FCC will permit users that obtained their FRN through legacy CORES and have not yet associated a valid e-mail address with their FRN, to continue to use that FRN without an associated valid e-mail address for a limited period. OMD, in consultation with the FCC’s Chief Information Officer, will determine what steps to take to bring such users into compliance and ensure that the benefits of the rule change are fully utilized. We note, however, that this limited flexibility with respect to CORES does not negate the fact that certain FCC information systems and applications currently require, or may in the future require, valid e-mail address information to gain entry or otherwise use such systems.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino

Unauthorized Transfers and Assignments Lead to Significant Civil Penalties

Over the past month, the FCC has entered into two consent decrees that imposed significant civil penalties on licensees for engaging in unauthorized transactions affecting their FCC licenses. Such significant fines have been rare, especially when in the case of Private Land Mobile and microwave licensees. In particular, the FCC has imposed the civil penalties on Broadband VI, LLC and SUEZ North America, Inc. et. al. (“SUEZ”) for $28,000 and $104,000, respectively in order to resolve investigations in connection with the unauthorized transfers and assignments of various FCC radio licenses in the wireless common carrier and private land mobile services. This may be a harbinger of things to come.

Broadband VI, LLC — Broadband VI, LLC (“Broadband”) is a fixed wireless Internet service provider that serves the US Virgin Islands. During the course of an investigation into Broadband’s compliance with the FCC’s rules and regulations, the FCC learned that Broadband had consummated an agreement in which it obtained the licenses to seven (7) common carrier fixed point-to-point microwave licenses from Surge Communications, LLC without the prior consent of the FCC. In order to settle this matter, Broadband agreed to a civil penalty of $28,000 among other conditions.

SUEZ — Over the past 20 years, SUEZ has acquired licenses through several transactions with third parties, as well as internal corporate reorganizations. In particular, SUEZ acquired United Water Resources, Inc. on July 27, 2000, which held both Conventional Industrial and private microwave licenses. Further, over the years SUEZ had engaged in several pro forma transfers of control and/or assignments of radio assets as the result of internal corporate reorganizations, without first obtaining the required prior approvals of the FCC. Of significance to the FCC was the fact that some of the transactions had been completed more than 20 years ago.

These cases reinforce the need for our clients to contact our office in order to determine whether ANY transactions involving third parties or internal corporate reorganizations may trigger any FCC regulatory requirements. Any transaction involving a third party will almost always require an application for prior FCC approval of the transaction. The same can generally be said of pro forma transactions, even though the ultimate beneficial owner may be unchanged. These cases demonstrate that a failure to obtain the required FCC approvals could very well lead to substantial monetary penalties and fines where the Commission might not have done so in the past.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino

FCC Updates Radio Frequency Device Marketing/Importation Rules

The FCC has adopted a Report and Order revise the FCC’s equipment authorization program, which ensures that newly developed smartphones, wireless headphones, Wi-Fi routers, and other devices comply with FCC rules. According to a press release, the new rules are designed to “allow manufacturers to gauge consumer interest for new products and take advantage of new mechanisms for marketing devices—like crowdfunding—while ensuring that the FCC retains appropriate oversight over the proper authorization of such devices.”

Specifically, Under the revised rules, this early-stage flexibility will allow limited marketing and pre-sale of wireless devices to consumers so long as the devices are not provided to consumers until those devices achieve full compliance with FCC equipment authorization requirements and consumers are informed about the conditions of the sale. The rule changes also will allow limited pre-authorization importation of radio-frequency devices into the United States for certain pre-sale activities, such as packaging and shipping to retail locations.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino.

FCC Seeks Comment on Whether to Authorize Devices that Can Mark Fishing Equipment on AIS Channels

Potentially good news for the cast of Deadliest Catch: Pursuant to Section 8416 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act of 2021 (2021 Defense Authorization Act), the FCC has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in order to determine whether or not it is feasible to authorize devices that can be used to mark fishing equipment for use on Automatic Identification System (AIS) channels while still preventing maritime accidents. Comments are due 30 days following publication in the Federal Register; Reply Comments are due 60 days following publication in the Federal Register.

Section 80.5 of the FCC’s Rules defines an Automatic Identification System (AIS) as “authorize devices that can be used to mark fishing equipment for use on AIS channels without undermining the core purpose of AIS to prevent maritime accidents.” Pursuant to the requirements of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), AIS must be installed on all ships of 300 gross tonnage or more that are engaged in international voyages, cargo ships of 500 gross tonnage or more not engaged in international voyages, and all passenger ships carrying more than 12 passengers. The US Coast Guard has expanded this requirement to most commercial ships in US navigable waters.

In 2018, the FCC issued an enforcement advisory which stated that there has been a “proliferation in the use and marketing of non-compliant devices that operate on radio frequencies assigned to Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), which are authorized exclusively for marine navigation safety communications.” At that time, the FCC noted that one particular unauthorized use was the marking of fishing equipment — which it said could “disrupt important maritime communications, increasing the risk of accidents by creating confusion about whether an AIS signal represents a vessel that must be avoided.” In addition to being illegal, the FCC said at the time that the use of devices to mark fishing nets on AIS channels “can have a serious detrimental effect on maritime safety, hampering the situational awareness of maritime operators and endangering ships relying on AIS to avoid collisions and allisions at sea.” The fishing community was warned that violations of the FCC’s marketing or operating rules would be subject to substantial monetary penalties.

The 2021 Defense Authorization Act requires the FCC to obtain comment on whether to permit devices capable of marking fishing equipment to operate on channels currently assigned in the United States and internationally for AIS operation (AIS 1 and 2) and as well as on related operational issues.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino

FCC Proposes Ban on Equipment Authorizations for Devices Deemed a Threat to Security

The FCC has adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and Notice of Inquiry (NOI) in which it proposed to prohibit authorization of equipment that poses “an unacceptable risk to national security,” and seeks comment on possible changes to the competitive bidding rules for auctions to protect national security. Comment and reply comment deadlines have not yet been established.

Specifically, the NPRM seeks comment on a proposal to prohibit all future authorizations of communications equipment that has been determined to pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security, as identified on the Covered List published by the FCC. The proposal would prohibit the authorization of equipment through either the FCC’s Certification or Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity equipment authorization processes. The proposal also seeks comment on whether to revise rules concerning equipment currently exempted from the equipment authorization requirements to no longer permit this exemption for equipment on the Covered List. The FCC also seeks comment on whether it should revoke prior authorizations for any equipment on the Covered List and, if so, the procedures it should use to do so. Finally, with regard to the FCC’s competitive bidding rules, the FCC seeks comment on whether to require applicants who wish to participate in FCC auctions to provide additional certifications relating to national security.

The NOI seeks comment on other actions that could create incentives in the equipment authorization processes for improved trust through adoption of cybersecurity best practices in consumer devices.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, John Prendergast and Richard Rubino

FCC Extends T-Band Application Acceptance and Processing Date to December 19

The FCC has issued a Public Notice extending the period limiting applications for certain Part 22 and Part 90 applications for facilities in the 470-512 MHz spectrum (T-Band), listed below, to incumbent licensees for an additional 180 days. Accordingly, incumbent licensees may submit covered applications until Dec. 19, 2021.

In January of 2021, the FCC adopted a 90-day period for the acceptance and processing of applications from incumbent T-Band licensees:

• Applications for modification of license characterized as minor under sections 1.929 and 1.947(b) of the FCC's rules.
• Applications characterized as major under Part 22 of the FCC's rules.
• Applications governed by Part 90 of the FCC's rules, but only if such applications propose operation with 12.5 kHz bandwidth (11.25 kHz occupied bandwidth) or narrower channels; or employ a technology that achieves the narrowband equivalent of at least one channel per 12.5 kHz of channel bandwidth for voice, and transmission rates of at least 4800 bits per second per 6.25 kHz for data systems operating with bandwidths greater than 12.5 kHz (narrowband-equivalent technology).

Applicants qualify as incumbent licensees if they have an active call sign under the same FCC Registration Number (FRN) and are authorized to operate on at least one frequency within the same T-Band market as the application.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell

FCC to Open Robocall/Spoofing Reporting Portal for Hospitals and Other Institutions

The FCC has adopted rules establishing a formal system for private entities like hospitals or other institutions to provide information about suspected robocall or spoofing campaigns directly to the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau. The FCC has indicated that the new online portal will allow these entities to alert the FCC’s investigators of various incidents, including deluges of robocalls such as those that have been known to clog up hospital phone lines. This action is consistent with the Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED Act), in which Congress directed the FCC to create a process that streamlined the way in which a private entity could voluntarily share information with the FCC relating to a call or text message that violates prohibitions regarding robocalls or spoofed caller ID information. The FCC has stated that this process will be separate from and will not impact the FCC’s current consumer complaint process.

The FCC’s new online portal, which will collect information from filers including contact information and details about the robocall campaign, will be available on FCC’s Internet website following the legally required Paperwork Reduction Act review by the Office of Management and Budget.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, John Prendergast and Richard Rubino

Challenges Filed to 5.9 GHz Plan that Would Make Auto Spectrum Available for Wireless Devices

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials have petitioned the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit seeking to overturn the FCC’s November decision to reallocate 60 percent of the 5.9 GHz spectrum.

In 1999, the FCC allocated 75 MHz of spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band (5.850 GHz – 5.925 GHz) for automakers to develop technology that would allow motor vehicles to “talk to each other” in order to avoid motor vehicle collisions. Unfortunately, it appears that much of the band has not yet been used for this purpose. As a result, the FCC shifted 30 MHz of the allocation reserved for Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) to a Cellular Vehicle to Everything or C-V2X technology under the auspices of the US Department of Transportation while moving the remaining 45 MHz for unlicensed use such as Wi-Fi and other uses.

DSRC was available on only one vehicle manufactured by General Motors. Press reports indicate that talking cars and trucks would use dedicated short-range communications that could communicate up to 300 meters to provide information such as location, direction and speed to nearby vehicles and that this data would be updated and rebroadcast up to 10 times per second. It is interesting that in 2016, the Obama administration proposed making DSRC mandatory. However, the rule was never finalized.

The split between those who support the FCC’s action and those who oppose is not surprising. The US Department of Transportation and the automakers oppose the action on the basis of safety while major cable, telecom and content companies say that the additional 45 MHz is needed to support increased Wi-Fi demand.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino

FCC Modifies Emergency Alert Rules

On June 17, the FCC adopted a Report and Order designed to improve the way the public receives emergency alerts on mobile phones, televisions, and radios. Specifically, the Report and Order:

• Combines the current “Presidential Alerts” category, which is non-optional on devices that receive Wireless Emergency Alerts, with alerts from the FEMA Administrator to form a new non-optional alert class called “National Alerts;”
• Encourages all states to form State Emergency Communications Committees, which help administer alerting on the state level, or to review the composition and governance of existing committees, as well as require certification of annual committee meetings;
• Provides a checklist of information that should be included in annual state Emergency Alert System plans and amends the process for FCC review of those plans;
• Specifies that government agencies may report false emergency alerts to the FCC’s 24/7 Operations Center; and
• Clarifies how alert originators can repeat their alert transmissions.

The FCC also adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that seeks comment on additional potential improvements to the Emergency Alert System recommended by FEMA. Comment deadlines have not yet been established.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell.

“I Double Dare You”

Tatiana Eva-Marie & Terry Waldo

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Brad Dye
P.O. Box 266
Fairfield, IL 62837 USA

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K9IQY

• ex KN9IQY, KN4BK, KM5NK, WB4JCF, ZP5TQ, WA4VXU, WA9RVL, /TI2, /9Y4, /6Y5, /KP4, HH2FJ
• Licensed FCC Amateur Radio operator since 1957
• Licensed FCC First-Class-Commercial Operator/Engineer since 1964