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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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APPLE/TECH/INTEL Where are all the new Macs?Apple said it would transition all of its Macs away from Intel silicon within two years of the M1’s announcement. It’s missed that deadline.By MONICA CHIN / @mcsquared96 Dec 15, 2022, 7:30 AM CST|102 Comments / 102 New
By MONICA CHIN / @mcsquared96 Dec 15, 2022, 7:30 AM CST Does anyone else vividly remember the day of June 22nd, 2020? I sure do. That was the day when Apple announced that its Macs were going to transfer away from Intel processors to the company’s own silicon. That transition, Tim Cook himself claimed, would take two years. Reader, it has been well over two years since that fateful day. Even if you start the clock at the November 2020 launch of the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, we are past due. Apple’s ambitious timeline has not come to fruition. Let us peruse the items that are currently for sale on Apple’s website. The MacBooks have all moved over to Arm processors — we’ve got the M1 and the M2 MacBook Airs, and we’ve got the MacBook Pro 13, 14, and 16. We’ve got the 24-inch iMac (remember, the one that comes in yellow) and the Mac Mini, which are all M1. We’ve got the Mac Studio, with M1 Max and M1 Ultra options. But then, wait, what’s this? A Mac Pro that’s Intel all the way down and hasn’t been updated since its 2019 release. You can get all kinds of Intel chips in that Mac Pro — you can get an eight-core Xeon W, you can get a 28-core Xeon W, but what you can’t get in it is any kind of processor with M in its name. I don’t mean to diminish the ground that Apple has broken over the past two years. We’ve watched a — just okay, let’s be honest — Intel MacBook line pass its baton to its M1 and M2-powered successors, which are arguably the best generation of MacBooks that has ever existed. We’ve gotten great results from the M1-powered iMac and Mac Mini. We’ve been rendered speechless by the power of the Mac Studio. There are M-chips in an iPad now, for Pete’s sake. But the facts are the facts: Apple missed its self-imposed deadline. It has not successfully seeded the M chips across its Mac line.
Where is the M2-powered Mac Pro? For that matter, where are all the other M2 devices we were waiting to see this year? Apple launched the M2 chip in June 2022, after all, and it’s been kicking around in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13, and iPad Pro. We’ve reviewed all of those devices. They’re fine — they’re faster than their M1 predecessors, and they don’t approach the multicore power of the M1 Pro or M1 Max. I mostly came out of my M2 MacBook testing process excited for what I would see out of the M2 Pro and M2 Max... which we do not yet have. We were expecting more. There were rumors of an M2 Mac Mini, and outlets from Bloomberg to DigiTimes were reporting that we might see 14-inch and 16-inch Pro models, powered by an M2 Max chip, launching by the end of this year. We’d heard that they’d enter mass production in Q4, and we heard that suppliers were gearing up to ship them out. Contrary to expectations, Apple then did not hold a launch event (as it did in October of 2021 — last year’s 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros were announced). Instead, Apple spontaneously dropped a whole bunch of press releases in October, and they were all... iPads. iPads on iPads. Assuming Apple doesn’t pull together another event in the next two weeks or so (although that would be hilarious, and I’d be here for it), it looks like those releases are now all going to be 2023 events. What’s the holdup? Covid has certainly made this year’s assembly landscape somewhat unpredictable for Apple and its partners leading to factory shutdowns during various parts of the year. Supply chains have also been a giant shrug emoji in recent times, leading to delays across sectors. I imagine that these circumstances have had something to do with the slower release cycles we’re seeing, though I can only speculate. What is clear right now is: Apple hasn’t yet been able to swing its own chips in a very high-end system. The Mac Studio is powerful, of course, and an absolutely stellar device. But the audience it’s serving is not quite the same as the Mac Pro’s audience.
In particular, it’s not nearly as configurable — the Mac Pro can be customized for a user’s or company’s specific hardware needs, with additional storage, graphics cards, and ports, in ways the Studio can’t. The Studio also maxes out at 128GB of memory, which is more than enough for the prosumer but will be inadequate for offices in, for example, many fields of math and science. And it’s also the case that some high-level professional applications still don’t run natively on Apple’s silicon — which isn’t ideal for professionals with demanding loads, regardless of how impressive Rosetta 2 is. Given all that, it’s not necessarily surprising that we haven’t yet seen Apple’s silicon in the “Pro” category. But it is a category that Apple apparently expected to have broken into by now. This should, perhaps, be a reminder to those of us who follow the computing space, who were blown out of the water by the Mac Studio and have waited impatiently to see what uncharted heights Apple’s CPU division would climb to next. Chips are hard to build, pros are hard to please, and no company is infallible. Not even the most valuable company in the world. The upside to all this, of course, is that next year is all the more exciting. Not only do we have all these professional M2 devices rumored to be rolling out, but all kinds of M3 devices are also rumored to be in store for later in the year, including an Air, an iMac, and a Mac Mini — and, yes, even a Mac Pro. That would be a fairly quick transition away from the M2 — but if the M3 is a more exciting chip in terms of performance gains and enterprise capability anyway, that may be for the best. |
| Source: | The Verge |
Paging Transmitters 150/900 MHz The RFI High Performance Paging Transmitter is designed for use in campus, city, state and country-wide paging systems. Designed for use where reliable simulcast systems where RF signal overlap coverage is critical.
Built-in custom interface for Prism-IPX ipBSC Base Controller for remote control, management and alarm reporting.
Prism-IPX Systems LLC. 11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022
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Thousands of Users Worldwide Depend on Prism IPXOur Customers Trust Us To Make Sure That Their Messages Get Delivered
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| 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.
Experts in Paging Infrastructure
Please see our web site for exciting solutions designed specifically for the Wireless Industry. We also maintain a diagnostic lab and provide important repair and replacement parts services for Motorola and Glenayre equipment. Call or Easy Solutions |
| Readers of the Newsletter who are Ham Radio Operators |
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| Source: | Amateur Radio callsigns of readers. Please click here to add yours. |
GLENAYRE INFRASTRUCTUREService ContractsI would like to recommend Easy Solutions for Support of all Glenayre Paging Equipment. This Texas company is owned and operated by Vaughan Bowden. I have known Vaughan for over 35 years. Without going into a long list of his experience and qualifications, let me just say that he was the V.P. of Engineering at PageNet which was—at that time—the largest paging company in the world. So Vaughan knows Paging. GTES is no longer offering support contracts. GTES was the original group from Vancouver that was setup to offer support to customers that wanted to continue with the legacy Glenayre support. Many U.S. customers chose not to use this service because of the price and the original requirement to upgrade to version 8.0 software (which required expensive hardware upgrades, etc.). Most contracts ended as of February 2018. If you are at all concerned about future support of Glenayre products, especially the “king of the hill” the GL3000 paging control terminal, I encourage you to talk to Vaughan about a service contract and please tell him about my recommendation. Click on the image above for more info about advertising here. |
INTERNET Protocol Terminal The IPT accepts INTERNET or serial messaging using various protocols and can easily convert them to different protocols, or send them out as paging messages. An ideal platform for hospitals, on-site paging applications, or converting legacy systems to modern protocols.
Additional/Optional Features
Prism-IPX Systems LLC. 11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
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Paging Data Receiver PDR-4 The PDR-4 is a multi-function paging data receiver that decodes paging messages and outputs them via the serial port, USB or Ethernet connectors. Designed for use with Prism-IPX ECHO software Message Logging Software to receive messages and log the information for proof of transmission over the air, and if the data was error free.
Prism-IPX Systems LLC. 11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
Wireless Network Planners
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R.H. (Ron) Mercer |
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Fire Rescue Victoria's dispatch system down, firefighters relying on mobile phones, radioDecember 15, 2022
Fire Rescue Victoria's computer dispatch system is offline and firefighters are being alerted to emergencies by mobile phone and radio, with the makeshift set-up likely to be in place for days.
The system, along with phone lines, was shut down in response to an issue detected in the early hours of this morning that could be a cyber attack. Acting Commissioner at Fire Rescue Victoria, Gavin Freeman, said it wasn't clear what had caused the problem. "Our process and protocol is close things down as a precaution until we can work out what the issue is," he said. Other authorities are working with Fire Rescue Victoria to find the cause of the problem. Mr Freeman said response times and community safety had not been impacted.
"What we've done in fire stations is ensure that we have firefighters staffing radios and we're dispatching that way, so they'll get a call directly from ESTA or the regional areas of Victoria have their paging systems which are still operating."
Mr Freeman said it was too early to tell if the incident was a cyber attack. "We're not ruling anything in or out at this point in time, we need to keep an open mind and conduct that investigation very thoroughly," he said. Premier Daniel Andrews said he had had a broad briefing on the incident and he understood there was no notable impact in terms of firefighting responses. Fire Rescue Victoria is planning to run on its manual system for the next three or four days. |
| Source: | ABC News |
Brad Dye, Ron Mercer, Allan Angus, and Ira Wiesenfeld are friends and colleagues who work both together and independently, on wireline and wireless communications projects. Click here Note: We do not like Patent Trolls, i.e. “a person or company who enforces patent rights against accused infringers in an attempt to collect licensing fees, but does not manufacture products or supply services based upon the patents in question.” We have helped some prominent law firms defend their clients against this annoyance, and would be happy to do some more of this same kind of work. Some people use the title “consultant” when they don't have a real job. We actually do consulting work, and help others based on our many years of experience. “If you would know the road ahead, ask someone who has traveled it.” — Chinese Proverb
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Remote AB Switches ABX-1 switches are often used at remote transmitter sites to convert from old, outdated and unsupported controllers to the new modern Prism-IPX ipBSC base station controllers. Remotely switch to new controllers with GUI commands. ABX-1 ABX-3 switches are widely used for enabling or disabling remote equipment and switching I/O connections between redundant messaging systems. ABX-3 Common Features:
Prism-IPX Systems LLC. 11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
SOURCE / ECONOMY China’s BeiDou outpaces GPS to become top navigation service providerBy Global Times Published: Dec 14, 2022 10:10 PM Updated: Dec 14, 2022 10:02 PM
China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) has become the top guidance service provider for domestic Gaode Map, according to a statement released by the Beijing Institute of Space Science and Technology Information on Wednesday. Based on the average number of satellites called by domestic navigation apps for each positioning, BeiDou satellites have been called the most, 30 percent more than the second-ranked GPS, the China Media Group (CMG) reported. Gaode Map has used BeiDou satellites to make more than 210 billion positioning calls each day. The combination of BDS and map navigation is providing better services to the public, read the statement. Map apps users can check the number of BeiDou satellites currently offering service in real time during navigation, including each one's code, azimuth angle, height angle, frequency, signal strength and other factors. Although the news only became public on Wednesday, the BDS has actually long surpassed GPS in serving domestic map apps, Liu Dingding, a Beijing-based veteran market analyst, told the Global Times. Another domestic map giant, Baidu Maps, announced an official switch to the BeiDou system on September 30, with daily positioning uses exceeding 100 billion for the first time. BeiDou playing a dominant role in the domestic navigation sector is of great significance. For starters, as a homegrown technology, it is free from external meddling, and it could ensure data and information security. In addition, the positioning quality of BDS has proved in many scenarios to be much better than GPS, Liu said. A Beijing resident told the Global Times that the BeiDou system is more accurate than GPS. "I use Baidu Maps app to plan a route and navigate whenever I drive. With BeiDou, Baidu Maps now knows whether I'm on the main road or the side road right next to it, which usually cannot be distinguished by GPS," said the person. Liu noted that the application of BDS in navigation apps is only the tip of the iceberg. The system has been widely used in many industrial and agricultural sectors, from port management and grain production to providing disaster relief. An intelligent farm in Handan, North China's Hebei Province, has installed BeiDou-supported positioning and navigation devices, automatic steering devices and remote-control devices on autonomous tractors to sow seeds and spray pesticides. The total output value of China's satellite navigation and location-based service industry exceeded 470 billion yuan ($64 billion) in 2021, with a compound annual growth rate of over 20 percent, said a white paper released by the State Council Information Office in November. As of the end of 2021, BDS had been installed in more than 7.8 million road transport vehicles nationwide. Approximately 8,000 BDS terminals were in use on the country's railway network, and more than 100,000 agricultural machines were equipped with self-driving systems based on BDS. BDS has seen accelerated development and use overseas too, Liu noted. Beidou products, technologies and services have been applied in more than 120 countries and regions, the Xinhua News Agency reported in October. |
| Source: | Global Times |
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| Inside Towers Newsletter |
Two Broadcast Towers Fall in South Dakota
The winter storm that moved through much of the country this week knocked down two TV towers in South Dakota on Wednesday. The larger, 1,700-foot TV tower is owned by Nexstar KDLO-TV. An adjacent 800-foot tower also fell that day, according to NorthPine. The Inside Towers database indicates the tower was built in 1978. Antennas for Alpha Media’s KDLO-FM were also on the larger tower under a lease agreement. KDLO is back on-air, broadcasting from a backup facility, notes Inside Radio. The station says it’s broadcasting with reduced signal strength and coverage, but listeners can also tune in online at: www.gowatertown.net. Watertown Radio Engineer Bruce Erlandson told KDLO-FM a salvage company will need to come and remove “all the mangled steel. It’s just a mangled mess up there.” He estimates it could take a year to rebuild and the costs will run into the “hundreds of thousands” of dollars. KDLO reported when the towers collapsed, two buildings underneath them were hit by falling metal. No injuries were reported. By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief |
| Source: | Inside Towers newsletter | Courtesy of the editor of Inside Towers, Jim Fryer. Inside Towers is a daily newsletter by subscription. |
| BloostonLaw Newsletter |
FCC Orders Call Blocking for Carrier Identified in Student Loan Robocall ScamOn December 8, the FCC has ordered telecommunications companies to stop carrying robocalls related to known student loan scams, and in particular must cease accepting robocall traffic from Urth Access, LLC. As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, the FCC determined that upwards of 40 percent of apparent scam student loan debt robocalls generated in October originated from Urth Access. The previous notice regarding this issue had authorized providers to cut off the traffic; this order requires that they do so. If they do not, they must regularly report to the FCC of the steps they have taken to mitigate the traffic. See the article below for more. BloostonLaw Contact: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer. HeadlinesThune Launches Broadband Oversight EffortOn December 6, U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, announced that he will be launching a nationwide oversight effort that will review numerous broadband programs spanning several federal agencies. According to the announcement, the primary goal of Thune’s effort is “to hold these agencies accountable and ensure that previously authorized broadband funding is being used in the most efficient way possible to protect taxpayer dollars.” As a first step in his initiative, Thune sent a letter seeking input on the current broadband regulatory structure from a diverse group of stakeholders, including broadband associations, public interest groups, and free market think tanks. The letter asked specific questions regarding the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), such as:
The letter also asks questions about more general broadband issues, such as:
The full letter can be found here. BloostonLaw attorneys are available to assist carriers wishing to express their points of view on these issues. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and Sal Taillefer. FCC Orders Call Blocking for Carrier Identified in Student Loan Robocall ScamOn December 8, the FCC has ordered telecommunications companies to stop carrying robocalls related to known student loan scams, and in particular must cease accepting robocall traffic from Urth Access, LLC. As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, the FCC determined that upwards of 40 percent of apparent scam student loan debt robocalls generated in October originated from Urth Access. The previous notice regarding this issue had authorized providers to cut off the traffic; this order requires that they do so. If they do not, they must regularly report to the FCC of the steps they have taken to mitigate the traffic. According to a Press Release, the FCC’s investigation into Urth Access’s robocall campaigns has involved multiple partners. The USTelecom’s Industry Traceback Group identified Urth Access as the originator for substantial volumes of apparently unlawful student loan-related robocalls. In addition, the call blocking company YouMail helped the FCC estimate the scale of calls made during these robocall campaigns: approximately 40% of all student loan-related robocalls reaching YouMail subscribers in October 2022 appeared to originate from Urth Access. The apparent spike in student loan debt scam calls appears to have followed the announcement in August of the President’s student loan forgiveness program, just as similar spikes had followed prior Department of Education loan forbearance announcements since March 20, 2020. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and Sal Taillefer. Law and RegulationPanetta, Kelly Introduce Broadband Grant Tax Act, to Prevent Taxation of Grant FundsOn December 7, Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA-16) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20), joined by Reps. Terri Sewell (D-AL-07) and Drew Ferguson (R-GA-03), authored and introduced H.R. 9449, The Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act, bipartisan legislation to amend the Internal Revenue Code to ensure that funding directed for the implementation of broadband from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) will not be considered taxable income. According to the announcement, grants awarded to industry for the purposes of broadband deployment are currently factored into a company’s income and will soon be subjected to additional taxes due to scheduled changes to the corporate tax code that begin next year. This bill was introduced in the Senate by Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), and joined by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV). “More than 800,000 Pennsylvanians, including 520,000 rural Pennsylvanians, lack quality broadband Internet access,” said Rep. Kelly. “This bill will not only help to change that, but it will also work to make that access more affordable. It also ensures federal grant dollars, especially those made available to local governments through pandemic relief funding, will give constituents the best return on their investment. Internet connectivity brings together all Americans; it strengthens small businesses and E-Commerce; and it expands educational opportunities for our children. This legislation allows for existing grant funding to be spent as effectively as possible.” “Although Congress recently provided historic investments to build out our nation’s broadband, many of the small businesses and companies that will use that federal funding to construct the networks and connect our homes could face steep taxes,” said Rep. Panetta. “This bill would exempt those grants from federal taxation and ensure that those dollars go directly towards our goal of universal broadband. Congress is working together to address the digital divide with investment and incentives and this bipartisan legislation would make it easier and quicker to close that gap with connectivity all across America.” BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer. Pallone and McMorris Rogers Introduce Satellite Bills to Speed DeploymentOn December 8, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) introduced two bills to modernize the FCC’s satellite licensing rules. According to a press release, the bills “clarify the agency’s authorities under the Communications Act, promote responsible use of space, protect national security, incentivize investment and innovation, and advance U.S. leadership in next-generation satellite communications networks.” The Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act, introduced by McMorris Rodgers, would set time limits on FCC satellite and satellite constellation approvals, and further streamlines the application renewal process. The bill also provides requirements for each license, including some related to space safety and orbital debris. The Secure Space Act, introduced by Pallone, would prohibit the FCC from giving a license or U.S. market access for a non-geostationary orbit satellite system to entities (and affiliates) that are on the FCC’s covered entities list of companies that present “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons.” This would include Huawei, ZTE and others. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Sal Taillefer. Fifth Circuit Hears Oral Argument on USF Contribution FactorOn December 5, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit heard oral argument in Consumers’ Research et al. v. FCC, in which Consumers’ Research and other petitioners challenged the FCC’s USF contribution factor. Originally filed in January, the petitioners claimed that the FCC’s approval of the 1Q USF contribution factor and the contribution factor itself “exceed the FCC’s statutory authority and violate the Constitution and other federal laws,” in the following ways:
Consumers’ Research and others have also challenged the contribution factor in the Sixth Circuit and the Eleventh Circuit as well. There, Reply Briefs have just been filed. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and Sal Taillefer. IndustryBurt Cohen Appointed to Federal-State Joint Board on Universal ServiceOn December 5, the FCC appointed the Honorable Burt Cohen, Staff Attorney and Broadband Coordinator for the State of Connecticut, Office of Consumer Counsel, to serve as the State Consumer Advocate representative on the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service. This appointment fills the position recently vacated by the Honorable William “Bill” Vallee of the Connecticut State Office of Consumer Counsel. DeadlinesJANUARY 31: Form 855 HAC Compliance Certification. The next Hearing Aid Compatibility regulatory compliance certification, certifying compliance with the FCC’s HAC handset minimums as well as enhanced record retention and website posting requirements for the 2022 calendar year, will be due Tuesday, January 31, 2023, for all CMRS service providers (including CMRS resellers) that had operations during any portion of 2022. Companies that sold their wireless licenses during the 2022 calendar year are still obligated to file a partial-year HAC compliance certifications if they provided mobile wireless service and sold wireless handsets at any time during the year. BloostonLaw has prepared a 2023 HAC Regulatory Compliance Template to facilitate our clients’ compliance with the revised HAC rules. Contact Cary Mitchell if you would like to obtain a copy of the HAC Regulatory Compliance Template. BloostonLaw Contact: Cary Mitchell. JANUARY 31: FCC FORM 555, ANNUAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS CARRIER CERTIFICATION FORM. All Lifeline Program service providers are required to file the FCC Form 555, except where the National Verifier, state Lifeline administrator, or other entity is responsible. Since January 31 falls on a weekend or holiday this year, Form 555 may be filed by February 1. The FCC Form 555 must be submitted to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) electronically via USAC’s E-File (One Portal). Carriers must also file a copy of their FCC Form 555 in the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System, Docket 14-171, and with their state regulatory commission. The form reports the results of the annual recertification process and non-usage de-enrollments. Recertification results are reported month-by-month based on the subscribers’ anniversary date. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and John Prendergast. FEBRUARY 1: FCC FORM 499-Q, TELECOMMUNICATIONS REPORTING WORKSHEET. All telecommunications common carriers that expect to contribute more than $10,000 to federal Universal Service Fund (USF) support mechanisms must file this quarterly form. The FCC has modified this form in light of its decision to establish interim measures for USF contribution assessments. The form contains revenue information from the prior quarter plus projections for the next quarter. Form 499-Q relates only to USF contributions. It does not relate to the cost recovery mechanisms for the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund, the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA), and the shared costs of local number portability (LNP), which are covered in the annual Form 499-A that is due April 1. BloostonLaw contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and Sal Taillefer. 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 Sal Taillefer. 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.
Calendar At-a-GlanceDecember January February Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast, LLP is a telecommunications law firm representing rural telecommunications companies, wireless carriers, private radio licensees, cable TV companies, equipment manufacturers and industry associations before the FCC and the courts, as well as state and local government agencies. Our clients range from Fortune 500 companies to small and medium-sized enterprises whose vitality and efficiency depend on the effective deployment of communications. |
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| LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
As we reported in the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, the FCC has adopted rules in its Resilient Networks proceeding that would require facilities-based mobile wireless carriers to negotiate bilateral Roaming Under Disaster (RuD) agreements and enter into mutual-aid arrangements with all other facilities-based mobile wireless providers from which it may foreseeably request roaming privileges, or that may foreseeably request roaming privileges from it, in emergency situations when the Mandatory Disaster Response Initiative (MDRI) is activated. However, the timetable for small carriers to comply with the new MDRI requirements is much too short, and we believe this will impose undue costs as well as compromise your ability to negotiate reasonable RuD terms. The attached comments urge the FCC to reconsider its MDRI rules and allow small carriers at least eighteen (18) months to achieve compliance. We urge all clients that are facilities-based wireless carriers to support this effort. To this end, we are proposing a charge of $150 per participating company. Comments are due on Monday, December 19. Please let us know by reply e-mail at your earliest convenience if your company wishes to support this effort. Contact Cary Mitchell if you have any questions or if there are additional points you would like us to raise. Best regards, Cary Mitchell Please let us know if you experience any problems opening the attached file. To insure continued receipt of information from our firm via email, please have your IT Team "White List" our email address newsletter@bloostonlaw.com Please note that we have moved into a new suite within our building. Our new suite is now Suite 825. Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast, LLP |
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“The Most Beautiful Trumpet Solo” |
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Critical Messaging  Association |
European Mobile Messaging Association  Former Board Member |
ZP5TQ  Radio Club of Paraguay |
Quarter Century  Wireless Association |
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Back To Paging  Still The Most Reliable Wireless Protocol For Emergencies! |
American Association  of Woodturners |
U.S. Navy  Radioman |
U.S. Navy Radioman  Second Class Petty Officer |
Boy Scouts of America  National Honor Society |
Creator of the  Paging Wheel of Fortune |
National Skeet  Shooting Association |
Institute Electrical and  Electronics Engineers |
American Radio  Relay League |
The Radio Club  of America |
Life is good! |
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CONTACT INFO & LINKS
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Amateur Radio
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VETERAN  United States Navy |
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