Welcome Back To

The Wireless
Messaging News

My Apology — there was no issue last week.

This Week's Wireless News Headlines

• Apple releases new versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS
• HDMI ARC or digital optical: What’s the difference, and which is best for you?
• FCC Chair wants to give everyone in the US good Internet by raising the minimum broadband speed to 100/20 Mbps
• Apple patents emergency communication system which might have saved first responders on 9/11
• Scientists have detected a mysterious radio signal from a galaxy far, far away
• A large solar storm could knock out the internet and power grid — an electrical engineer explains how
• INSIDE TOWERS
  • Crown Castle Sees Big Upside in Small Cells
• BLOOSTONLAW TELECOM UPDATE
  • FCC Form 481 Due July 29
  • ECIP Program Incentivizes Transactions for Small and Rural Carriers; Comment Sought
  • Treasury Announces Fourth Additional Capital Projects Fund Awards
  • Chairwoman Rosenworcel Circulates NOI Proposing to Increase Broadband Standard to 100/20
  • FCC Proposes $100,000 Fine Against Verizon for Failure to Provide Information to FCC
  • FCC Reaches Settlements with Auction 105 Applicants that Exceeded Four-PAL Aggregation Limit
  • FCC Precision Ag Task Force Meeting Scheduled for Thursday, July 21
  • USAC Releases CAF Map 5.0
  • FCC to Hold Workshop on Environmental Compliance, Historic Preservation Sept. 13
  • Deadlines
• BloostonLaw Contacts
• Calendar At-a-Glance
• Who Is BloostonLaw?
• LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
  • Dietmar Gollnick Sent by: Gabriele Deska
    • CMAParis22
• TECHNICIAN'S CORNER
• THE BIG SECRET about trimmer line
• THIS WEEK'S MUSIC VIDEO
  • “ I Will Survive”
  • Allie Sherlock

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 releases new versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS

A few bug fixes and one new TV feature

By Mitchell Clark Jul 20, 2022, 2:22pm EDT

It’s light on features. Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple’s latest slate of updates — iOS and iPadOS 15.6, macOS 12.5, watchOS 8.7, and tvOS 15.6 — are starting to show up for some users. Given the next versions of the OSes are likely due out in a few short months (and beta testers are already using them), it’s not a surprise that Wednesday’s updates are all relatively light on features. According to the release notes, here’s what’s new:

• iOS and iPad OS 15.6 adds the ability to pause, rewind, restart, and fast forward a live sports game in the TV app and fixes a few bugs in Settings, Mail, and Safari
• macOS 12.5 also gets the update to the TV app and a bug fix for Safari
• watchOS 8.7 “includes improvements, bug fixes, and important security updates”
• tvOS 15.6 “includes general performance and stability improvements”

The updates also include a laundry list of security updates, some of which patch relatively scary-sounding problems. While Apple doesn’t mention that any of the issues have been actively exploited like it has in the past, it’s probably still a good idea to get all your devices up to date as soon as you can.

The elephant in the room for these releases is a familiar one: as with any updates that come out after WWDC, it’s very possible they could be the last releases before the next version. While we could see a few more minor updates just to fix bugs, I’d be very surprised if we see new point releases like iOS 15.7 or macOS 12.6. For people still using an iPhone 6S, 7, or first-gen SE, this could be one of the last updates you ever receive for that device — Apple isn’t supporting them on iOS 16.

You can download iOS or iPadOS 15.6 by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

You can download macOS 12.5 by going to the Apple Menu > System Preferences > Software Update.

Your Apple TV and Watch will likely automatically update. If not, you can manually update by following Apple’s instructions, which you can find here for tvOS and here for watchOS.

It can take a while for the updates to become available for everyone, so if you don’t see them, just check back on the screen in an hour or two.

The Verge

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.

HDMI ARC or digital optical: What’s the difference, and which is best for you?

Michael Bizzaco Simon Cohen Caleb Denison By Michael Bizzaco , Simon Cohen and Caleb Denison
July 21, 2022 1:05 PM

Modern home entertainment is spearheaded by the almighty A/V system, a high-octane amalgamation of TVs, projectors, receivers, speakers, soundbars, and the many standalone components we do our cable and Blu-ray watching, music streaming, and next-generation gaming with. And amidst this medley of wired this-and-that is the HDMI cable tying all things audio and video together. But let’s not forget about digital optical audio cables, too.

Before HDMI ARC arrived, embedding the ability to send digital audio over the same cable as digital video, optical was already around and widely in use as a digital audio A-to-B pathway. But if there was already a ones-and-zeroes audio player in town, why do we need HDMI ARC at all?

As single-wire audio solutions for your A/V peripherals, HDMI ARC and optical are similar in some ways but very different in others. So which of these new connections is the right one for you and your home theater room, and how do you wire everything together correctly? We’ve put together this explainer to answer all these questions and more.

A war of audio capabilities

Klipsch

As mentioned, fundamentally, both HDMI ARC and optical let you send digital audio from one piece of hardware to another. The idea behind this is to be able to send whatever digital content you plan on enjoying — from your TV to Blu-ray players and game systems — into a larger, better audio system without losing any quality along the way. Without a digital pathway, we’d need to convert all of those ones and zeroes into an analog signal first, and that’s a job best left to our A/V receivers or soundbars.

Whether you’re watching movies and TV shows through your TV directly or using a streaming device, you can think of your TV as being the main hub — everything connects (or is built into) your TV, with a separate sound system as the device you’re sending audio into.

And in terms of how that signal gets from your TV to the audio peripheral, there are two options — HDMI ARC (or ARC for short) and digital optical.

Digital optical: The old hat still fits

Developed by Toshiba in 1983, the digital optical cable was invented so consumers could transmit digital audio signals from CD and Laserdisc players to an A/V receiver or stereo system. Thanks to the optical cable and its unique connector — known as a TosLink (a shortening of Toshiba Link) connector — we could send a digital audio signal between two components for the first time.

That digital signal is known as SPDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface), and it can be sent along an optical cable as a beam of red light, or it can be passed from A to B over good ‘ol coaxial copper RCA cables if your equipment supports it.

SPDIF can deliver uncompressed stereo two-channel sound, also known as PCM, as well as compressed bitstream surround sound formats like Dolby Digital or DTS Surround System. But SPDIF was never intended to carry more information than these digital formats required, and there’s no way to upgrade it. Thus, your optical (or coaxial) digital connection is similarly limited as to what it can do.

Optical can’t pass along higher-bandwidth formats such as Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TruHD, or DTS:X, because the signal simply cannot them — it would be like trying to fit a six- or eight-lane freeway’s worth of traffic down a two-lane residential street. This means that if you want Dolby Atmos or DTS:X object-based surround sound, an optical cable simply won’t work.

That being said, you can still get non-object-based surround sound with an optical connection — up to 7.1 channels of Dolby Digital or basic DTS — but if you want to experience enhanced formats like Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, or DTS:X, you need to use HDMI ARC or eARC. Also, if you happen to be into formats like DVD-Audio or SACD, you need HDMI ARC for these formats, too.

And while digital optical is limited to these older formats, that doesn’t mean it sounds bad. You can still get really good-quality surround sound out of an optical connection. So if that’s your only option, then use it!

In fact, the new Sonos Ray soundbar only offers an optical connection, because it doesn’t support Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, or DTS:X either, so why use HDMI ARC? Yup, optical is still getting used in new products today. But if you want top-quality surround sound with future-proofing built in, HDMI ARC or eARC is the way to go.

Wait, ARC? eARC? Is there a difference?

Yes, and it’s similar to the difference between optical and HDMI ARC. As great as HDMI ARC is from an improved bandwidth point of view, it too is limited. It can support Dolby Digital Plus, which is what virtually every streaming service today uses to deliver high-quality surround sound with or without Dolby Atmos. But that’s where it ends.

If you want to send very-high-bandwidth digital audio formats like Dolby TrueHD, DTS:X, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, or DTS-HD Master Audio from your TV to your audio gear, you’ll need the additional capacity of HDMI eARC. And while almost any HDMI cable that can support ARC can also support eARC, that is not true of the components you’ll be connecting. Make sure that both your TV and the device you’ve connected it to, have the HDMI eARC label on their respective ports, or it might not work.

HDMI ARC: remote control

Besides the enhanced sound quality, using an HDMI ARC connection lets you take advantage of HDMI CEC — or Consumer Electronics Control — which lets you change the volume of your soundbar or A/V receiver with the volume buttons on your TV remote, turn everything in the system on or off at the same time with just one power button, and perform some other clever tricks.

Simply put, if you have the option of using HDMI ARC (or eARC) between your devices, go with this option for the most optimized home theater experience.

Performance you can see and hear

While this may seem obvious, we’d like to take a moment to address the other major calling card of HDMI that digital optical simply cannot touch, which is the ability to send both digital audio and picture from a myriad of sources to your TV, projector, or A/V receiver. Digital optical, on the other hand, is only capable of sending audio from one component to another.

HDMI has always possessed the ability to send digital video and audio from a component to your TV, but the real magic involved in the addition of ARC/eARC is that the same cable can be used to send digital audio back to the same component from the TV. So, one cable, three potential digital signals.

How do you use HDMI and digital optical cables?

Dan Baker/Digital Trends

Connecting both types of wires couldn’t be easier, although HDMI (and optical, to an extent) are going to require a few tweaks in your TV or receiver’s settings.

With optical, just plug one end of the cable into your TV or the optical output of a standalone component and the other end into the optical input of your A/V receiver or soundbar.

With HDMI, simply connect one end of the cable to the HDMI port marked ARC (or eARC) on your A/V receiver or soundbar (or in very special circumstances, a 2021 Apple TV 4K) and the other end to the port marked ARC (or eARC) on your TV. From there, though, you need to go into your TV’s audio settings and check a few things.

For those of you using HDMI ARC, you might want to first go make sure that HDMI CEC is turned on, if that’s an option. Some systems won’t turn ARC on until you turn CEC on. Next, go into your audio output settings and choose either HDMI ARC or digital optical.

For those of you using the optical connection, you’ll want to go one step further and choose either PCM or bitstream. Choose PCM if you have a two-channel soundbar, even if it does virtual, fake surround sound. And choose bitstream if you have a surround sound soundbar that decodes Dolby or DTS so that it gets a legit surround sound signal.

All this said, if you do have HDMI ARC on your TV and your audio device, my advice is to use that over optical. It’s superior, no doubt about it.

That’s all there is to it!

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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FCC Chair wants to give everyone in the US good Internet by raising the minimum broadband speed to 100/20 Mbps

By Jorge Jimenez published July 20, 2022

The new minimum would quadruple the current one.

(Image credit: Getty images - imagineme)

FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel wants to give the public faster broadband Internet. The Federal Communications Commission will assess the state of broadband across the United States and will propose an increase in minimum broadband speeds along with setting a new long-term speed goal for the future.

A letter written by Rosenworcel proposes that the new national broadband standard be set to 100 Mbps for downloads and 20 Mbps for uploads. The current broadband standard is 25/3 Mbps, which was last updated in 2015. That's a four times increase for download speeds.

Rosenworcel said, "The needs of Internet users long ago surpassed the FCC’s 25/3 speed metric, especially during a global health pandemic that moved so much of life online." She explained that low Internet speeds negatively affect low-income and rural residents the most.

Considering the rise of work from home and the sheer number of Internet-connected devices, increasing the current standard makes a lot of sense, especially in those areas that have been woefully underserved for years.

A few months ago, the White House announced a deal with Internet providers to provide low-cost broadband Internet to nearly 48 million households. Raising the minimum broadband standard will bring all those people faster and better Internet speeds.

"The 25/3 metric isn’t just behind the times; it’s a harmful one because it masks the extent to which low-income neighborhoods and rural communities are being left behind and left offline. That’s why we need to raise the standard for minimum broadband speeds now and while also aiming even higher for the future, because we need to set big goals if we want everyone everywhere to have a fair shot at 21st-century success," Rosenworcel added.

How does this new proposed speed become a reality? The next step is a vote on the proposal from a commission; if that passes, telecommunications companies would have to start offering these new broadband speeds to customers. I would be curious to see how Internet providers respond to the FCC's proposal and what type of pushback they may ultimately offer.

Lastly, the letter sets a future national goal of 1 Gbps/500 Mbps which would eventually bring Gigabit Internet to the masses, though the FCC did not give a specific timetable for when it would like to see that happen.

The Chairwoman also said the agency should consider "affordability, adoption, availability, and equitable access as part of its determination as to whether broadband is being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion," to keep large Internet companies accountable.

	Jorge Jimenez
Jorge is a hardware writer from the enchanted lands of New Jersey. When he's not filling the office with the smell of Pop-Tarts, he's reviewing all sorts of gaming hardware from laptops with the latest mobile GPUs to gaming chairs with built-in back massagers. He's been covering games and tech for nearly ten years and has written for Dualshockers, WCCFtech, and Tom's Guide.

Thousands of Users Worldwide Depend on Prism IPX

Our Customers Trust Us To Make Sure That Their Messages Get Delivered

Prism-IPX Systems products include full-featured radio paging systems with VoIP input, IP based transmitter control systems and paging message encryption. Other options include email messaging, remote switch controllers, Off-The-Air paging message decoders and logging systems.

MORE INFO HERE

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
wirelessplannerron@gmail.com

Apple patents emergency communication system which might have saved first responders on 9/11

Ben Lovejoy — Jul. 20th 2022 5:07 am PT @benlovejoy

Apple has been granted a patent for an emergency communication system, designed to extend cellular coverage to areas that would otherwise have no signal.

The approach is intended primarily for law enforcement and emergency services personnel, and it’s possible that the tech could have saved the lives of first responders inside the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Background

Even in major cities like New York, there can be areas where radio systems have no coverage. An example would be when underground or in situations where rubble is blocking line-of-sight communications.

After the first tower fell on 9/11, messages were sent to first responders in the second tower, instructing them to evacuate. While some received the messages – including some who heroically refused to leave those they were assisting – others did not, and were subsequently killed in the collapse of the second tower.

Apple’s emergency communication system

Apple’s patent (spotted by Patently Apple) is for a method of relaying communication from a device that has cellular coverage to one that does not. It works by solving a problem experienced with something known as ‘Lawful Intercept’ (LI), where law enforcement is granted the power to intercept mobile calls.

Wireless networks provide network connectivity to mobile communication devices, such as smart phones. The network connectivity may be provided through radio interfaces. Typically, the mobile devices connect to the wireless network through an access point that is part of the network infrastructure. For example, a device may connect to a cellular base station or a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (e.g., a WiFi access point).

Some techniques may allow devices to establish direct communication paths with one another (e.g., without going through a cellular base station or WiFi access point). For example, devices that are located in proximity to one another may discover one another and subsequently establish direct communication paths with one another. In specifications published by the 3.sup.rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), direct communication between wireless devices may be referred to as “proximity services” (ProSe). ProSe communications can have a number of advantages, such as improved spectrum utilization, improved overall throughput and performance, and improved energy consumption. In the context of public safety services, ProSe communications can provide an important fallback public safety network that may function when a cellular network (e.g., a 3GPP cellular network) has failed or is unavailable. […]

In ProSe communications, a relay device, such as a mobile device acting as a relay device, may be used to couple another mobile device (such as one that is out of the coverage area of the cellular network) to the cellular network. Implementing lawful intercept in this situation can be problematic, however, as the mobile device that is to be targeted for lawful intercept may not be visible to the cellular network.

In solving this problem, Apple’s patent also allows relaying of messages between iPhones, even if one or more of the phones has no cellular coverage.

As an example of this situation, a group of public safety personnel (e.g., firefighters) may be first responders at an accident. User Equipment (UE) of one or more members of the group may be out of the coverage range of the cellular network used by the group (e.g., some of the members may be indoors, in a tunnel, etc.).

The members of the group may continue to communicate with one another and with the cellular network using ProSe communications services.

In this scenario, the UE of one member of the group, which may be within the coverage range of the cellular network, may act as a relay device for other members of the group, which may be referred to as “remote UEs” herein, that are out of the coverage range. All members of the group may thus continue to communicate via the cellular network.

Although the patent description is geared to Lawful Intercepts first and an emergency communication system second, it’s not hard to imagine the same tech being implemented in iPhones for consumer use. It would effectively be an extension of the Personal Hotspot capability, where one iPhone owner is able to share their mobile data connection with another.

Photo: Connor Betts/Unsplash

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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

Scientists have detected a mysterious radio signal from a galaxy far, far away

20 July 2022, 16:21 | Updated: 20 July 2022, 16:47

MIT astronomers report that a Canadian radio telescope has picked up strange signals from several billion light-years away. Picture: CHIME, with edited background by MIT News

By Siena Linton

Intense bursts of radio waves have been picked up by the CHIME radio telescope, and traced back to a distant galaxy.

Astronomers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered a “strange and persistent” radio signal, emanating from deep in outer space.

The origins of the pulsing radio waves remain a mystery, but researchers say it comes from another galaxy several billion light-years away.

In an oddly lifelike metaphor, the regular pulse of the radio waves has been compared to a heartbeat, with bursts occurring every 0.2 seconds in a “clear periodic pattern”.

The signal is classified as a ‘fast radio burst’ (FRB), which is an emittance of radio waves which usually last for a few milliseconds at a time. What exactly causes these bursts is still not fully understood.

The CHIME telescope collects data from a vast portion of the sky, covering almost all the way from northern to southern horizon. Picture: CHIME

The discovery was made by Daniele Michilli, a postdoctoral candidate at MIT, after the unusual data captured his attention on 21 December 2019.

As he recalls, “there were periodic peaks that were remarkably precise, emitting every fraction of a second — boom, boom, boom — like a heartbeat”.

Previously discovered FRBs have been periodic in their cycles of appearance, but Michilli says that “this is the first time the signal itself is periodic”.

Unusually, this FRB has also been recorded as lasting up to three seconds – roughly a thousand times longer than average. Labelled the FRB 20191221A after the date of Michilli’s discovery, MIT researchers have called it the “longest-lasting FRB, with the clearest periodic pattern, detected to date”.

Scientists have a number of theories as to the astrophysical origins of these radio pulses, but most point to radio pulsars or magnetars as the most likely source. These are both types of neutron stars, which are created when giant stars collapse to form “extremely dense, rapidly spinning” masses.

According to Michilli, “there are not many things in the universe that emit strictly periodic signals, and we think this new signal could be a magnetar or pulsar on steroids”.

As more research is released, and more advanced telescopes developed, this intriguing discovery could lead to new and deepened understandings of the universe’s history and expansion, as well as further knowledge of FRBs and neutron stars themselves.

Despite being a recent discovery, FRBs are by no means a rare phenomenon. Victoria Kaspi, director of the McGill Space Institute and physics professor at McGill University, says that an estimated 1,000 bursts are going off each day, but most telescopes can only see a small portion of the sky and pick up these occurrences purely by chance.

The first FRB was discovered in 2007 by Duncan Lorimer and David Narkevic, and hundreds more have been discovered in the 15 years since. Most originate from other galaxies, but in 2020 the CHIME radio telescope picked up a signal coming from within the Milky Way.

The same telescope is responsible for this mysterious signal, too. Named the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME, for short) and residing in British Columbia, the telescope was originally built to map hydrogen atoms across the universe with the aim to learn more about the history of its expansion.

This technology also makes it extremely good at detecting radio waves from deep within the universe, as it has the sensitivity to track almost all the known pulsars in the northern celestial hemisphere.

A large solar storm could knock out the Internet and power grid — an electrical engineer explains how

Every few centuries the Sun blasts Earth with a huge amount of high-energy particles. If it were to happen today, it would wreak havoc on technology.

By David Wallace, The Conversation | Published: Monday, March 21, 2022

Typical amounts of solar particles hitting Earth’s magnetosphere can be beautiful, but too much could be catastrophic.
Svein-Magne Tunli (tunliweb.no/Wikimedia

On Sept. 1 and 2, 1859, telegraph systems around the world failed catastrophically. The operators of the telegraphs reported receiving electrical shocks, telegraph paper catching fire, and being able to operate equipment with batteries disconnected. During the evenings, the aurora borealis, more commonly known as the northern lights, could be seen as far south as Colombia. Typically, these lights are only visible at higher latitudes, in northern Canada, Scandinavia and Siberia.

What the world experienced that day, now known as the Carrington Event, was a massive geomagnetic storm. These storms occur when a large bubble of superheated gas called plasma is ejected from the surface of the Sun and hits Earth. This bubble is known as a coronal mass ejection.

The plasma of a coronal mass ejection consists of a cloud of protons and electrons, which are electrically charged particles. When these particles reach Earth, they interact with the magnetic field that surrounds the planet. This interaction causes the magnetic field to distort and weaken, which in turn leads to the strange behavior of the aurora borealis and other natural phenomena. As an electrical engineer who specializes in the power grid, I study how geomagnetic storms also threaten to cause power and Internet outages and how to protect against that.

Geomagnetic storms

The Carrington Event of 1859 is the largest recorded account of a geomagnetic storm, but it is not an isolated event.

Geomagnetic storms have been recorded since the early 19th century, and scientific data from Antarctic ice core samples has shown evidence of an even more massive geomagnetic storm that occurred around A.D. 774, now known as the Miyake Event. That solar flare produced the largest and fastest rise in carbon-14 ever recorded. Geomagnetic storms trigger high amounts of cosmic rays in Earth’s upper atmosphere, which in turn produce carbon-14, a radioactive isotope of carbon.

A geomagnetic storm 60 percent smaller than the Miyake Event occurred around A.D. 993. Ice core samples have shown evidence that large-scale geomagnetic storms with similar intensities as the Miyake and Carrington events occur at an average rate of once every 500 years.

Nowadays the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration uses the Geomagnetic Storms scale to measure the strength of these solar eruptions. The “G scale” has a rating from 1 to 5 with G1 being minor and G5 being extreme. The Carrington Event would have been rated G5.

It gets even scarier when you compare the Carrington Event with the Miyake Event. Scientist were able to estimate the strength of the Carrington Event based on the fluctuations of Earth’s magnetic field as recorded by observatories at the time. There was no way to measure the magnetic fluctuation of the Miyake event. Instead, scientists measured the increase in carbon-14 in tree rings from that time period. The Miyake Event produced a 12 percent increase in carbon-14. By comparison, the Carrington Event produced less than 1 percent increase in Carbon-14, so the Miyake Event likely dwarfed the G5 Carrington Event.

Knocking out power

Today, a geomagnetic storm of the same intensity as the Carrington Event would affect far more than telegraph wires and could be catastrophic. With the ever-growing dependency on electricity and emerging technology, any disruption could lead to trillions of dollars of monetary loss and risk to life dependent on the systems. The storm would affect a majority of the electrical systems that people use every day.

The National Weather Service operates the Space Weather Prediction Center, which watches for solar flares that could lead to geomagnetic storms.

Geomagnetic storms generate induced currents, which flow through the electrical grid. The geomagnetically induced currents, which can be in excess of 100 amperes, flow into the electrical components connected to the grid, such as transformers, relays and sensors. One hundred amperes is equivalent to the electrical service provided to many households. Currents this size can cause internal damage in the components, leading to large scale power outages.

A geomagnetic storm three times smaller than the Carrington Event occurred in Quebec, Canada, in March 1989. The storm caused the Hydro-Quebec electrical grid to collapse. During the storm, the high magnetically induced currents damaged a transformer in New Jersey and tripped the grid’s circuit breakers. In this case, the outage led to five million people being without power for nine hours.

Breaking connections

In addition to electrical failures, communications would be disrupted on a worldwide scale. Internet service providers could go down, which in turn would take out the ability of different systems to communicate with each other. High-frequency communication systems such as ground-to-air, shortwave and ship-to-shore radio would be disrupted. Satellites in orbit around Earth could be damaged by induced currents from the geomagnetic storm burning out their circuit boards. This would lead to disruptions in satellite-based telephone, Internet, radio and television.

Also, as geomagnetic storms hit Earth, the increase in solar activity causes the atmosphere to expand outward. This expansion changes the density of the atmosphere where satellites are orbiting. Higher density atmosphere creates drag on a satellite, which slows it down. And if it isn’t maneuvered to a higher orbit, it can fall back to Earth.

One other area of disruption that would potentially affect everyday life is navigation systems. Virtually every mode of transportation, from cars to airplanes, use GPS for navigation and tracking. Even handheld devices such as cell phones, smart watches and tracking tags rely on GPS signals sent from satellites. Military systems are heavily dependent on GPS for coordination. Other military detection systems such as over-the-horizon radar and submarine detection systems could be disrupted, which would hamper national defense.

In terms of the Internet, a geomagnetic storm on the scale of the Carrington Event could produce geomagnetically induced currents in the submarine and terrestrial cables that form the backbone of the Internet as well as the data centers that store and process everything from email and text messages to scientific data sets and artificial intelligence tools. This would potentially disrupt the entire network and prevent the servers from connecting to each other.

Just a matter of time

It is only a matter of time before Earth is hit by another geomagnetic storm. A Carrington Event-size storm would be extremely damaging to the electrical and communication systems worldwide with outages lasting into the weeks. If the storm is the size of the Miyake Event, the results would be catastrophic for the world with potential outages lasting months if not longer. Even with space weather warnings from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, the world would have only a few minutes to a few hours notice.

I believe it is critical to continue researching ways to protect electrical systems against the effects of geomagnetic storms, for example by installing devices that can shield vulnerable equipment like transformers and by developing strategies for adjusting grid loads when solar storms are about to hit. In short, it’s important to work now to minimize the disruptions from the next Carrington Event.

David Wallace, Assistant Clinical Professor of Electrical Engineering, Mississippi State University

Crown Castle Sees Big Upside in Small Cells

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

Crown Castle (NYSE: CCI) expects to deploy about 5,000 small cells by the end of 2022. The company has an inventory of around 115,000 small cells that consists of 55,000 currently operating, or what CCI refers to as “on-air,” and the remaining 60,000 units on the books to be built over the next five years. These small cells are installed as nodes on CCI’s extensive fiber optic network that spans over 85,000 route miles and is concentrated in major U.S. markets.

In its 2Q22 earnings call, the company said it will double to 10,000 the number of new small cell installations in 2023. As its mobile network operator tenants complete the lion’s share of their network upgrades to 5G and new mid-band spectrum deployments on macro towers, they will shift their focus to densifying their networks using small cells primarily in the top 30-50 urban markets around the U.S., where CCI is particularly well positioned.

CCI reported total site rental revenues for the quarter at $1.6 billion, up 10 percent year-over-year from $1.4 billion in 1Q21. With organic growth and escalators, tower revenues increased 13 percent YoY to $1.0 billion. At the end of the quarter, CCI owned and operated 40,128 towers all in the U.S. and its territories with an average occupancy of 2.4 tenants per tower.

T-Mobile is CCI’s biggest tenant and accounted for 37 percent of the latest quarter annualized site rental revenues at the end of 2Q22. AT&T and Verizon each accounted for 19 percent, while all other tenants including DISH Network made up the remaining 25 percent. In November 2020, DISH signed a multi-year leasing agreement with CCI involving locating its 5G cell sites on 20,000 of CCI towers, as Inside Towers reported.

CCI’s fiber leasing revenues grew three percent YoY to $489 million, comprising fiber solutions and small cells. The small cell segments accounted for nearly one-third of the fiber segment, but at 8 percent YoY, it is the fastest growing portion. CCI’s services revenues were up 6 percent as the company works closely with its tenants to upgrade existing sites for new 5G installations.

On the strength of its performance there the first half of the year, CCI updated its full-year 2022 outlook with midpoint revenues expected at $6.26 billion, Adjusted EBITDA at $4.35 billion and AFFO at $3.2 billion.

Capital expenditures for the quarter were $303 million, down 2 percent from $308 million in 1Q21. The company expects to invest $1.1-1.2 billion for full-year 2022, with around 80 percent of that capex going into its fiber and small cell segment. CCI expects that investment to increase in 2023 proportionally to the elevated small cell activity. The company is confident in the numbers because of the long lead times involved for MNOs to secure small cell locations and the requisite coordination with the municipalities and local utilities for site permits and approvals.

While acknowledging the effects that inflation and high interest rates are having on the overall economy, CCI CEO Jay Brown points out, “As you saw from our second quarter results and updated full year outlook, the strength of the U.S. [wireless] market continues to stand out. We are seeing the benefits of a strong leasing environment as we support our customers’ growth initiatives with their deployment of 5G.”

He goes on to say, “This activity drove 6 percent organic revenue growth in our tower business in the first half of the year, which we believe will meaningfully continue through the remainder of the year. And as a result, it’s resulting in higher operating performance relative to our expectations at the beginning of the year. In addition, we expect to double the rate of small cell deployments next year compared to the 5,000 nodes, we expect to put on air this year, to meet the growing demand from our customers as 5G networks require small cells at scale.”

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 Form 481 Due July 29

On July 11, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing that the Office of Management and Budget granted Paperwork Reduction Act approval for the annual data collection, FCC Form 481. Accordingly, filers may now certify and submit this year’s FCC Form 481 using USAC’s One Portal system. Certified filings are due no later than July 29.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Sal Taillefer.

Headlines

ECIP Program Incentivizes Transactions for Small and Rural Carriers; Comment Sought

On July 14, the FCC adopted a Report & Order establishing the Enhanced Competition Incentive Program (or “ECIP”) to incentivize beneficial transactions for small and rural interests. A Second FNPRM seeks comment on an alternative demand-based buildout standard tailored to licensees that want to use spectrum for private communications needs, as well as a new “use or offer to share” safe harbor. We urge clients to participate in comments we will be filing on the upcoming FNPRM so they can make sure that these alternative buildout mechanisms provide meaningful benefit for rural carriers. Comment deadlines have not yet been established.

The R&O creates two types of ECIP qualifying transactions. Those that focus on small carriers or Tribal nations gaining access to spectrum in any location to increase competition; and those that involve any interested party (large or small) that commits to operating in and providing service/competition to rural areas.

To qualify for benefits under the small carrier or Tribal nation prong, any eligible covered geographic area licensee must designate through a qualifying transaction a minimum of 50 percent of the licensed spectrum, and at least 25 percent of the licensed area (scaled down to 10 percent for larger licensed areas) to either a small carrier, or a federally recognized Tribal nation.

The rural-focused transaction prong of ECIP would permit any entity that is committed to meeting the program’s requirements to participate. Qualifying transactions would include a minimum of 50 percent of the licensed spectrum, and a minimum amount of Qualifying Geography that covers at least 300 contiguous square miles of rural area, with appropriate upward scaling for larger licensed areas. And would include specific construction and operational requirements.

Three benefits of the ECIP program include:

• A five-year extension of license term for the assignee and assignor in partitioning and disaggregation transactions; for the lessor in qualifying leasing transactions; and for the assignee in full license transactions;
• A one-year extension of interim and final construction and service deadlines applicable for all parties to a qualifying transaction; and
• A substitution of 100% of coverage of the ECIP Qualifying Geography in lieu of current construction requirements for assignees in rural-focused transactions.

To ensure program integrity, the ECIP rules will impose: (1) a post-assignment holding period of five years for licenses assigned through partitioning or disaggregation as well as a minimum five-year lease term; (2) an operational requirement of 100% coverage of the Qualifying Geography for three consecutive years for rural-focused transactions; (3) an automatic termination of the ECIP license for an assignee’s failure to comply with the five-year holding period, or to meet applicable buildout and operational requirements; and (4) one-time cap on ECIP benefits for each license subject to a Qualifying Transaction (e.g., the original license and the subsequent license(s) issued from a partition and/or disaggregation).

Independent of ECIP (and as strongly supported by AT&T), the R&O adopted a proposal to permit previously partitioned geographic licenses to be “re-aggregated” back to the original license provided all performance and renewal obligations have been met.

The Second FNPRM seeks comment on whether the FCC should expand the small carrier or Tribal nation prong of ECIP to provide eligibility for non-common carriers offering service in non-rural areas. It also seeks comment, independent of ECIP, on whether the FCC should adopt a construction requirement that provides an alternative to population-based requirements, for cases where a licensee is putting spectrum to use for private, internal needs. The new demand-based benchmark would be available for all flexible-use radio services and may be especially useful for rural carriers looking to support critical infrastructure, IoT, and private internal uses.

Another proposal is a “use or offer to share” safe harbor metric for buildout and renewal where the licensee would be required show: (1) it is using the spectrum in order to meet a private internal need within the licensed area, and (2) it has an ongoing public offering to sell or lease any unused geographic area under reasonable terms and conditions. The Second Further Notice seeks comment on definitions of the relevant terms and concepts within the proposed safe harbor, and additional ways to avoid spectrum warehousing and abuse.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell.

Treasury Announces Fourth Additional Capital Projects Fund Awards

On July 14, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the approval of an additional group of four states under the American Rescue Plan’s Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPF): Kansas, Maine, Maryland, and Minnesota. As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, the CPF provides $10 billion to states, territories, freely associated states, and Tribal governments to fund critical capital projects that enable work, education, and health monitoring in response to the public health emergency.

• Kansas, approved for $83.5 million (representing 58% of its available CPF funding), estimates it will connect 21,300 homes and businesses by building high-speed Internet service in areas where there is a demonstrated need. The Broadband Acceleration Grant Program, a competitive grant program, will contribute to bridging the digital divide by providing access to reliable high-speed Internet connections. CPF dollars will help build reliable infrastructure that is affordable in the areas the program is designed to serve.
• Maine, approved for $110 million (representing 86% of its available CPF funding), estimates it will connect 22,500 homes and businesses by supporting the Maine Infrastructure Ready to invest in qualified locations that can be served by line extensions of existing networks or new networks. This competitive grant program is focused on serving locations that currently lack access to reliable high-speed Internet access, including remote locations in Maine’s most rural counties.
• Maryland, approved for $95 million (representing 55% of its available CPF funding), estimates it will connect 16,667 homes and businesses by supporting the Network Infrastructure Grant Program, a competitive broadband grant program that will provide funding directly to Internet service providers (ISPs) for qualifying large-scale broadband projects in areas that lack service. The program aims to close the racial and socioeconomic digital divide across the state.
• Minnesota, approved for $68.4 million (representing 38% of its available CPF funding), estimates it will connect 23,517 homes and businesses by using the funds for its Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Program, a competitive grant program designed to provide financial resources for new and existing ISPs to invest in building broadband infrastructure in areas of the state that currently lack high-speed Internet

The state plans approved in this group will support broadband infrastructure and are designed, upon project completion, to deliver reliable Internet service that meets or exceeds symmetrical download and upload speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps), speeds that are needed for a household with multiple users to simultaneously access the Internet to telework and access education and health monitoring. Treasury designed its guidance to prioritize connecting families and business with poor and inadequate service—particularly those in rural and remote areas. Treasury also requires states to explain why communities they have identified to be served with funds from the CPF have a critical need for those projects. In accordance with Treasury’s guidance, each state’s plan requires service providers to participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer.

Chairwoman Rosenworcel Circulates NOI Proposing to Increase Broadband Standard to 100/20

On July 15, the FCC issued a Press Release announcing that Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has circulated a Notice of Inquiry initiating the FCC’s annual evaluation of the state of broadband across the U.S. As part of this assessment, Chairwoman Rosenworcel proposed increasing the national standard for minimum broadband speeds to 100/20 and proposed setting a long-term goal for broadband speed of 1 Gbps/500 Mbps. It is important to note that while changing the national standard will affect how the FCC analyses and creates broadband policy, it will not impact existing broadband speed obligations under various funding programs.

Specifically, the NOI proposes to increase the national broadband standard to 100 megabits per second for download and 20 megabits per second for upload, and discusses a range of evidence supporting this standard, including the requirements for new networks funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The FCC previously set the broadband standard at 25/3 Mbps in 2015.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer.

Law and Regulation

FCC Proposes $100,000 Fine Against Verizon for Failure to Provide Information to FCC

On July 8, the FCC proposed a $100,000 fine against Verizon Wireless for apparently violating its obligation to provide the FCC with information requested during the investigation of an informal complaint regarding the accessibility of its premium visual voicemail service. The proposed action, formally called a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL), contains only allegations that advise a party on how it has apparently violated the law and may set forth a proposed monetary penalty. The party will be given an opportunity to respond and the FCC will consider the party’s submission of evidence and legal arguments before acting further to resolve the matter.

The NAL comes as a result of an investigation into an informal complaint alleging that Verizon Wireless’ Premium Visual Voicemail service was not accessible, as required by the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA). According to the Press Release, the FCC investigated the complaint and found in favor of the consumer on the ground that Verizon Wireless had not met its burden of proof to show that the service was either accessible or that accessibility was not readily achievable. As part of that investigation, Verizon Wireless failed to produce information requested by the FCC and required in response to the informal complaint. According to the NAL, the FCC was unable to make a substantive determination about whether or not the service was accessible, and that Verizon Wireless’s lack of responsiveness negatively impacted the FCC’s ability to carry out its duties, wasted FCC resources, and delayed potential relief to the complainant.

“The Enforcement Bureau takes seriously its investigations of companies’ compliance with the FCC’s accessibility rules,” said Acting FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan A. Egal. “We will take appropriate action to ensure others appreciate the importance of these investigations and the need to fully respond to our requests for information.”

BloostonLaw attorneys are experienced in handling both formal and informal complaint matters and are available to assist.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer.

FCC Proposes $116 Million Fine for Robocalls Made in Traffic Pumping Campaign

On July 14, the FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability to Mr. Thomas Dorsher and his company, ChariTel Inc., for apparently making 9,763,599 prerecorded voice message calls to toll free numbers. The FCC also indicated that Mr. Dorsher had entered into a prohibited traffic pumping arrangement with ChariTel. Mr. Dorsher and ChariTel will have an opportunity to respond to the NAL before it is finalized.

According to a Press Release, an FCC investigation found that the illegal calls were made, between January 1, 2021, and March 2, 2021. Businesses reported receiving unsolicited prerecorded voice message calls that referenced an entity called “ScammerBlaster”. The prerecorded messages mentioned the harms associated with scam calls and directed the recipient to report such calls to government regulators, telephone carriers, and “ScammerBlaster,” an entity that Dorsher controls.

The FCC worked with the Industry Traceback Group to trace the calls to Mr. Dorsher and ChariTel. Dorsher apparently targeted toll-free numbers specifically with his robocalls because he received financial compensation for every call made to a toll free number. Moreover, Dorsher apparently used revenue received for making large volumes of robocalls to toll free numbers to cover the costs of another robocalling scheme, in which Dorsher apparently used the OnTel Inc entity to proliferate the use of telephony denial of service (TDoS) tools to debilitate the telecommunication systems of entities he suspected of making illegal robocalls while employing inadequate verification methods to confirm that was the case. The Press Release indicates that Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has stated that TDoS events present a unique challenge to public safety stakeholders and can severely impede a jurisdiction’s ability to provide emergency response services.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Sal Taillefer.

FCC Reaches Settlements with Auction 105 Applicants that Exceeded Four-PAL Aggregation Limit

The FCC last week entered into consent decrees with five Auction 105 (3.5 GHz CBRS) applicants whose Priority Access License (or “PAL”) holdings, when combined with PAL holdings of non-controlling investors of 10% or greater, were found to exceed the four-PAL aggregation limit set in the FCC’s Part 96 Rules. Absent taking the actions required by the consent decree, the companies would have defaulted on the subject licenses and been subject to default penalties.

The apparent rule violation came about because BlackRock, Inc., a private equity firm, holds a 10% or greater interest in Cable One, Inc. (12.20%); NorthWestern Corporation (14.70%); SAL Spectrum, LLC (11.65%); Shenandoah Cable Television, LLC (13.75%); and US Cellular (16.70%). As part of the long-form application review process, staff compared each applicant with other applicants that won PALs in the same license area to determine whether the applicants had attributable interests pursuant to the rules and, if so, whether the applicants would exceed the four-PAL aggregation limit upon license grant. In total, the five applicants implicate a total of 462 PALs in 80 license areas in which the four-PAL aggregation limit would be violated if their applications were granted.

The violation does not appear to be an intentional attempt to skirt the rules, but rather a case of the PAL licensees failing to account for attributable interests of a disclosable interest holder. Under the Commission’s rules governing mobile spectrum holdings, non-controlling interests of 10 percent or more in spectrum are deemed attributable.

The terms of the settlements require each company to amend its long-form application to remove the excess PALs (enabling use of the spectrum for GAA in the subject counties), to withdraw any pending waiver requests, and to implement a compliance plan. The FCC waived default penalties for each because the default was the product of the settlement, and not due to a failure to pay timely its full bid amount or a failure to file a timely long-form.

A primary objective of the bright-line four-PAL aggregation limit is to promote a minimum degree of ownership diversity by preventing one party from obtaining all seven available PALs in each license area, thereby facilitating competition, innovation, and the efficient use of the 3.5 GHz band.

BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell

Industry

FCC Precision Ag Task Force Meeting Scheduled for Thursday, July 21

The next meeting of the Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States (Precision Ag Connectivity Task Force) will be held Thursday, July 21, 2022, beginning at 12:00 p.m. EDT. The meeting will be wholly electronic, and is open to the public on the Internet via live feed from the FCC’s web page at www.fcc.gov/live.

At this meeting, the Task Force will hear presentations on cybersecurity, the future of agriculture production in the United States, and updates from the Working Group leadership on their progress. A full meeting agenda is HERE.

USAC Releases CAF Map 5.0

On July 12, USAC announced the release of version 5.0 of the Connect America Fund Broadband Map (CAF Map), the interactive online map that shows the impact of the Connect America Fund (CAF) on broadband expansion to close the digital divide in rural America. First launched in 2018, the CAF Map displays the geographic locations – by latitude and longitude – where carriers that receive CAF support have built out mass-market, high-speed Internet service. Version 5.0 of the map contains updated information to include deployment completed in 2021. The dataset that serves as the foundation for the map can be found here.

The map currently contains broadband deployment data from carriers participating in the following Connect America Fund programs:

• Connect America Fund Phase II Model (CAF Phase II Model)
• Alternative Connect America Cost Model (ACAM)
• Revised ACAM
• Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support (CAF BLS)
• Alternative Connect America Cost Model II (ACAM II)
• Alaska Plan
• Rural Broadband Experiments (RBE)
• Connect America Fund Phase II Auction (CAF II Auction)
• Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF)

USAC indicates that it will update the CAF Map with additional broadband deployment data in future releases as carriers participating in these CAF programs file and certify more locations annually in the HUBB, and as USAC adds more CAF programs to the map. Information in the map is also subject to change as carriers increase network speeds, revise geographic coordinates and address information and/or correct inaccuracies.

FCC to Hold Workshop on Environmental Compliance, Historic Preservation Sept. 13

The FCC announced that it will host a September 13 workshop on the environmental compliance and historic preservation review process required for the construction of communications facilities supporting FCC-licensed services. According to the Public Notice, the workshop will include information relevant to the construction of new communications towers and the collocation of communications equipment on existing towers and other structures, including requirements for Antenna Structure Registration. The workshop will take place on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM EDT in the FCC Meeting Room at FCC Headquarters, and will also stream live via the FCC’s YouTube channel.

At the workshop, FCC and other federal agency subject-matter experts will provide information on a range of topics related to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and the FCC’s implementing regulations and related agreements. FCC applicants (including licensees and registrants), those who construct or manage communications facilities for FCC licensees, environmental consultants, State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) staff and Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO) staff, and staff from federal agencies that fund or permit wireless facilities are encouraged to attend. Topics to be discussed at the workshop may include: recent changes to FCC environmental rules and procedures, coordination with Tribes during the NHPA process, compliance with the Endangered Species Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the FCC’s NEPA and NHPA compliance processes generally. The tentative agenda for the workshop will be posted prior to the event at http://www.fcc.gov/FCCenvironmentalworkshop

Deadlines

JULY 29: 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 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. 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: Sal Taillefer.

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. SEPTEMBER 1: FCC FORM 477, LOCAL COMPETITION AND BROADBAND REPORTING FORM. Four types of entities must file this form: (1) Facilities-based Providers of Broadband Connections to End User Locations (must complete and file the applicable portions of this form for each state in which the entity provides one or more such connections to end user locations); (2) Providers of Wired or Fixed Wireless Local Telephone Services (must complete and file the applicable portions of the form for each state in which they provide local exchange service to one or more end user customers (which may include “dial-up” ISPs)); (3) Providers of Interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Service (must complete and file the applicable portions of the form for each state in which they provide interconnected VoIP service to one or more subscribers, with the state determined for reporting purposes by the location of the subscriber’s broadband connection or the subscriber’s “Registered Location” as of the data-collection date); and (4) Providers of Mobile Telephony Services (must complete and file the applicable portions of this form for each state in which they serve one or more mobile telephony subscribers).

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

SEPTEMBER 30: FCC FORM 396-C, MVPD EEO PROGRAM REPORTING FORM. Each year on September 30, multi-channel video program distributors (“MVPDs”) must file with the FCC an FCC Form 396-C, Multi-Channel Video Programming Distributor EEO Program Annual Report, for employment units with six or more full-time employees. Users must access the FCC’s electronic filing system via the Internet in order to submit the form; it will not be accepted if filed on paper unless accompanied by an appropriate request for waiver of the electronic filing requirement. Certain MVPDs also will be required to complete portions of the Supplemental Investigation Sheet (“SIS”) located at the end of the Form. These MVPDs are specifically identified in a Public Notice each year by the FCC.

BloostonLaw Contacts: Gerry Duffy and Sal Taillefer.

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

Calendar At-a-Glance

July
Jul. 18 – Comments are due on Enhanced A-CAM proposal NPRM.
Jul. 18 – Reply comments on NFL Request for Extension of CBRS Waiver are due.
Jul. 19 – Reply comments are due on Wireless Emergency Alert FNPRM.
Jul. 25 – Comments are due on ACP Data Collection NPRM.
Jul. 25 – Reply comments are due on location-based wireless 911 routing NPRM.
Jul. 27 – Auction 109 – AM/FM Broadcast Auction begins.
Jul. 27 – Reply comments are due on Pole Replacement FNPRM.
Jul. 29 – Auction 108 – 2.5GHz Flexible-Use Auction begins.
Jul. 29 – FCC Form 481 (Carrier Annual Reporting Data Collection Form) is due.
Jul. 31 – Carrier Identification Code (CIC) Report is due.
Jul. 31 – FCC Form 507 A-CAM/Alaska Plan Line Count Data 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. 1 – Reply comments are due on Enhanced A-CAM proposal NPRM.
Aug. 8 – Comments on ATSC 3.0 NPRM are due.
Aug. 8 – Reply comments are due on ACP Data Collection NPRM.
Aug. 29 – Copyright Statement of Accounts is due.

September
Sep. 1 – FCC Form 477 due (Local Competition and Broadband Report).
Sep. 1 – Broadband Data Collection filings are due.
Sep. 6 – Reply comments on ATSC 3.0 NPRM are due.
Sep. 30 – Middle Mile Infrastructure Program grant applications are due.
Sep. 30 – FCC Form 396-C (MVPD EEO Program Annual Report).

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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