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This Week's Wireless Headlines
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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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There is not a lot of news about Paging these days but when anything significant comes out, you will probably see it here. I also cover text messaging to other devices and various articles about related technology.
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ROBOTEXT BLOCKING — FCC advances plan to require blocking of spam texts from bogus numbersRobotext plan approved after a year, but FCC still needs to adopt final rules.JON BRODKIN - 9/27/2022, 1:21 PM
The Federal Communications Commission today released a plan to require mobile carriers to block a wide range of illegal text messages. "In this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), we propose to require mobile wireless providers to block illegal text messages, building on our ongoing work to stop illegal and unwanted robocalls," the FCC order said. "Specifically, we propose to require mobile wireless providers to block texts, at the network level, that purport to be from invalid, unallocated, or unused numbers, and numbers on a Do-Not-Originate (DNO) list." These texts "are highly likely to be illegal," the FCC said. The NPRM seeks public comment on the plan. Once the NPRM is published in the Federal Register, there will be 30 days for comments and another 15 days for reply comments. After that, the FCC can draft new requirements for mobile carriers and set up a final vote. "The American people are fed up with scam texts, and we need to use every tool we have to do something about it," FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said. "Recently, scam text messaging has become a growing threat to consumers' wallets and privacy. More can be done to address this growing problem and today we are formally starting an effort to take a serious, comprehensive, and fresh look at our policies for fighting unwanted robotexts." In addition to seeking comment on the proposed rules, the FCC order seeks comment more generally on the problem of spoofed text messages. "We also seek comment on the extent to which spoofing is a problem with regard to text messaging today and whether there are measures the Commission can take to encourage providers to identify and block texts that appear to come from spoofed numbers," the FCC said. The FCC also asked for comment "on applying caller ID authentication standards to text messaging." Caller ID authentication is already required for phone calls on the Internet Protocol portions of voice networks. Curious vote timing for year-old itemThe timing of the NPRM's release is curious because commissioners could have voted on it any time in the past 11.5 months. The item was circulated by Rosenworcel to commissioners on October 18, 2021, according to the FCC's list of items on circulation. When the FCC chair circulates an item, commissioners can vote whenever they're ready. The NPRM, "Targeting and Eliminating Unlawful Text Messages," was the oldest one on the list of circulated items. An Axios report today said the vote was finally concluded shortly after a reporter asked why it was taking so long. "The Federal Communications Commission approved a long-delayed proposal to crack down on spam texts Friday night after Axios asked agency members why it hadn't moved on the issue," the article said, noting that it "had been awaiting a vote at the FCC for nearly a year." The spam text NPRM was approved Friday and released publicly today. The vote was reportedly 4-0, meaning both Democrats and both Republicans approved. We asked Rosenworcel's office and the other commissioners today for details on when each member voted. Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks "voted on this item well before Friday," Starks' office told Ars. A spokesperson for Rosenworcel said the chair's office defers to commissioners on whether they want to disclose the timing of their votes, but also said the robotext proposal has had Rosenworcel's "strong support" since she proposed it. Republican FCC member Brendan Carr didn't say when he voted, but he told Ars in an email, "This is a good item, and I'm hoping the FCC moves quickly to an order on it. I can tell you that I was not dragging [my] feet on it." It's not clear when Republican Nathan Simington cast a vote. We'll update this article if we get new information on the vote timing. The FCC still lacks a Democratic majority due to Senate inaction on Biden nominee Gigi Sohn. Robotexts a big and growing problemComplaints about spam texts are rising. The NPRM said the FCC "received approximately 14,000 consumer complaints about unwanted text messages, representing an almost 146 percent increase from the number of complaints the year before." Complaints rose to 15,300 in 2021, and 8,500 in the first six months of 2022. "Unwanted text messages present the same problems as unwanted calls—they invade consumer privacy, and are vehicles for consumer fraud and identity theft," the FCC said. Robocalls are still a bigger problem in terms of overall complaints, but the FCC noted that text message-based scams present some additional harms not seen with robocalls. The NPRM described how spam texts use phishing and malware to scam victims:
The FCC issued a consumer alert about the rise in robotext scams on July 28. The FCC's Consumer Advisory Committee last month finalized a report on the state of text messaging, including information on the sources of illegal and unwanted text messages and tactics used by bad actors to defraud consumers.
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| Source: | ars technica |
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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The Wireless Messaging News
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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 |
EWA-BLL-2022-20
FCC Extends Filing and Regulatory Deadlines in Areas Affected by Hurricane IanThe Wireless Telecommunications and Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureaus of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have extended certain deadlines occurring from September 24, 2022, to October 24, 2022, for affected licensees and applicants in the State of Florida as a result of Hurricane Ian. In this context, “affected” licensees and applicants include those licensees and applicants that operate facilities, or, in a significant manner essential to the business or public safety operation, rely on personnel, records, or financial institutions located in the affected areas to provide services or to conduct substantial business activities with the Commission. The Public Notice released September 29 provides full details of the emergency provisions. Deadline Extension
Licensees and applicants making delayed filings in accordance with this extension must include with those filings a certification that the deadlines could not be met within the time otherwise provided in the Commission’s rules because of Hurricane Ian. Per the Public Notice, licensees and applicants will not need to file individual waiver or extension requests, or to pay individual waiver fees. Special Temporary Authority (STA) and Waiver Requests To file STA and waiver requests via email, or to request an STA orally, licensees and applicants may contact the following personnel for Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Licensees and Applicants:
Operation During Emergencies
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| Source: | EWA |
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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wirelessplannerron@gmail.com  |
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Google wants to set HDR video and 3D audio free from Dolby’s clutches with ‘Project Caviar’SEPTEMBER 28, 2022 BY MICHAEL PERRIGO
The Alliance for Open Media — an organization that Google is a founding member of — is not stopping at the creation of the controversial AV1 codec. AV1, for those who are unfamiliar, is an open source, royalty-free video codec format meant to reduce the high cost of delivering online media to you, the consumer by cutting out the negotiated licensing fees between hardware and software developers.
What is Project Caviar?Now, according to Protocol, Google has revealed behind closed doors that it plans to take on yet another industry giant to free media formats to create a “healthier, broader ecosystem” with something called “Project Caviar”. Dolby has charged fees to manufacturers to equip their hardware with HDR video and 3D audio and to be honest, those fees stack up. The end user — you — end up paying those fees in the form of more expensive shelf prices. Project Caviar is not another video codec like AV1, but it is being developed by AOMedia. Instead, it will make use of codecs that are already available to give everyone an alternative to Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. While a leaked video to Protocol did not directly mention Dolby, it was made extremely clear that these two brands are exactly what Google and other alliance members are seeking to build an alternative for. Others have tried and failed to dethrone DolbyJust because AOM is building something to rival the long-established Dolby brand, doesn’t mean it will succeed. In fact, something called HDR10+ tried and failed. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that Google and all of the other tech giants that are members in the Alliance for Open Media will be the ones to dethrone the king of audio and video for home televisions. I support lower costs for manufacturing premium experiences, especially as better audio and video are required for the most ideal enjoyment of entertainment nowadays. Unfortunately, an organization full of greedy bohemoths hiding behind the guise of free and open source sets my radars off big time, and somehow, I believe that in the end, such an initiative only places Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and others in more powerful positions at the root of essential technologies — something that’s either very good or very bad for our future. |
| Source: | chrome unboxed |
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 |
FCC approves new orbital debris ruleby Jeff Foust — September 29, 2022
Updated 2:45 p.m. Eastern with OSTP comments. KIHEI, Hawaii — The Federal Communications Commission adopted a new rule Sept. 29 that will shorten the time for satellite operators to deorbit low Earth orbit satellites from 25 to 5 years. Commissioners voted 4-0 to adopt the draft rule, published earlier this month, intended to address growing debris in LEO. Under the new rule, spacecraft that end their lives in orbits at altitudes of 2,000 kilometers or below will have to deorbit as soon as practicable and no more than five years after the end of their mission. The rule would apply to satellites launched two years after the order is adopted, and include both U.S.-licensed satellites as well as those licensed by other jurisdictions but seeking U.S. market access. The rule replaces a longstanding guideline that called for deorbiting satellites up to 25 years after the end of their mission. “Twenty-five years is a long time. There is no reason to wait that long anymore, especially in low Earth orbit,” Jessica Rosenworcel, FCC chairwoman, said at the meeting. She and other commissioners cited the growth of both satellites and debris in LEO, and projections of potentially tens of thousands of satellites to be launched in the next decade, as driving the need for the reduced post-mission disposal timeframe. “It will mean more accountability and less risk of collision that increase orbital debris and the likelihood of space communications failures,” Rosenworcel said. Other commissioners offered similar arguments in support of the rule. “Most new systems in LEO don’t need 25 years for that post-mission disposal,” said Geoffrey Starks. “With this order, we do take that practical step of reducing the demise times in LEO to no more than five years, a timeframe that is readily achievable. Compliance will be the new rule here to bend the curve of debris proliferation.” Commissioners did not mention a letter from the bipartisan leadership of the House Science Committee Sept. 27 calling on the FCC to delay consideration of the rule, citing questions about the FCC’s authority to regulate orbital debris and concerns about a lack of coordination with other agencies. “I’ve long expressed a little bit of skepticism about the FCC going alone here,” said Brendan Carr. “We need to make sure we’re leaning on the expertise of other agencies that do, in fact, have a cadre of rocket scientists to help inform this. I hope that we do that here.” Despite that skepticism, he said he supported the rule. “I continue to believe that the FCC must work collaboratively throughout the government, but we must leverage our collective expertise here as well,” Starks said. “We are right to move ahead.” Another commissioner, Nathan Simington, saw the rule as an opportunity to set a de facto global standard. “We have, through the option of extending our orbital debris rules to any who seek U.S. market access, a regulatory hook for creating a default rulebook for commercial operators globally,” he said. “That’s a powerful, even irresistible, incentive.” He added that he hoped that technologies like active debris removal or close cooperation among operators to avoid collisions could turn the five-year rule into “a largely unused backstop” but that the FCC could not count on it. “We can’t bet exclusively on that. Hope is not a plan.” The FCC’s move to shorten the post-mission disposal timeframe comes as NASA is leading a review of the federal government’s Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices, directed by a National Orbital Debris Implementation Plan released by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in July. That review included a “short-term study” examining whether the 25 years for deorbiting currently in that document should be shortened. Speaking at the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference Sept. 29, Ezinne Uzo-Okoro, assistant director for space policy at OSTP, said the FCC’s order did not necessarily conflict with that ongoing review. “The FCC is part of, and continues to be part of, the orbital debris interagency working group,” she said. “It’s all working in tandem. It’s not a separate effort.” “We do need an updated review because 25 years is too long,” she added. |
| Source: | Space News |
| Leavitt Communications |
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| Inside Towers Newsletter |
Daylight Reveals Ian’s Brutal Aftermath in Florida
Hurricane Ian’s combination of wind, rain and storm surge killed at least a dozen people, flooded homes, cut off roads, and left millions in Florida without power Thursday. The storm that made landfall Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane in Southwest Florida was downgraded to a tropical storm that continued dropping heavy rain on central and northeast Florida throughout yesterday. Ian is forecast to strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane and make a second landfall in South Carolina today, according to the National Hurricane Center. “This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida’s history,” President Joe Biden said Thursday, according to CNN. “The numbers are still unclear, but we’re hearing early reports of what may be substantial loss of life.” More than 2.5 million were without power in Florida yesterday morning, according to PowerOutage.us. “The catastrophic nature of this storm means that we may need to rebuild parts of our system in Southwest Florida, which will take time,” Florida Power and Light Chairman/CEO Eric Silagy stated Thursday. “We recognize the road to recovery will be long and challenging.” FPL is the state’s largest electricity provider, with 5.8 million customers, reports UtilityDive. FPL said it restored power to more than a half million customers, but as of 5 a.m. EDT Thursday, about 1.2 million remained in the dark. Duke Energy said restoration efforts were hampered by “treacherous and dangerous conditions due to high winds, heavy rain and extensive flooding.” Cell SitesAs Ian’s aftermath became more clear, more cell sites were beginning to falter. Out of a total of 14,188 sites, 1,552 or 10.9 percent, were not working yesterday, according to the FCC’s Disaster Information Reporting System. The bulk of those, 795 had no power. 577 had data transport issues and 180 were damaged. An additional 527 sites were operating on backup power. Every Florida County is part of the DIRS report. Lee County was the hardest hit, with 259 out of 394 sites not working. Most of those, 136, had data transport issues while 118 had no power and five were damaged. An additional 64 sites were running on backup power. Hillsborough County was the second-hardest hit, with 144 out of 1,297 cell sites out of service. 87 had no power, while 40 had data transport problems and 17 were damaged. An additional 65 were operating on backup power. Glades County Emergency Management, Hendry County Sheriff’s Department, Highlands County Sheriff’s Department, and Sanibel Police Department Headquarters communications were rerouted to another 911 call center with location information. Cable and wireline companies reported 525,966 subscribers out of service in the disaster area for Hurricane Ian; this includes the loss of telephone, television, and/or Internet services. This is up from 26,716 subscribers out of service on Wednesday. Broadcasters began reporting outages. Fifteen FMs reported being off-air; So too, did six television and AM stations. The FCC gave a verbal waiver to Florida public safety officials to use 700 – 800 MHz interoperability channels. It granted a request from the American Radio Relay League to relax some rules to allow ham radio operators to assist in restoration efforts. 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 |
BloostonLaw Offices Moving to Suite 825 on October 1 On October 1, our firm will be moving to a new suite in the same building. Our new address will be:
Our phone and e-mail contact information will remain the same. We ask that our clients bear with us during this transition, which we hope to be seamless but for the change in mailing address. BloostonLaw Contact: John Prendergast HeadlinesFCC Expands List of Communications Equipment Posing Threat to SecurityOn September 20, added equipment and services from two entities – Pacific Network Corp. (and its wholly-owned subsidiary, ComNet (USA) LLC) and China Unicom (Americas) Operations Limited – to its list of communications equipment and services that have been deemed a threat to national security. The full Covered List is available here: https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist NTIA, acting on behalf of the Executive Branch interagency bodies, determined that PacNet/ComNet and China Unicom are subject to the exploitation, influence and control of the Chinese government, and the national security risks associated with such exploitation, influence, and control. In recent filings, the Department of Justice, in coordination with the Department of Defense, confirmed these findings, and likewise views these companies as posing “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons” under section 2 of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019—thus requiring the addition of these services to the Covered List. Today’s actions are part of our ongoing effort to protect and strengthen the integrity of our nation’s critical communications network. As we have reported in previous editions of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act requires the FCC to publish and maintain a list of communications equipment and services that pose an unacceptable risk to national security or the security and safety of U.S. persons. The FCC published the initial list, commonly referred to as the “Covered List,” in March 2021, and will continue to update the list as other communications equipment and services meet the criteria under the law. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer. Comments on Program to Incentivize Transactions for Rural Carriers Due Oct. 20 On September 21, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing the comment deadlines for its Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, in which comment was sought on future expansion of the Enhanced Competition Incentive Program (ECIP) and creating alternatives to population-based performance requirements for wireless radio service stakeholders. Comments are due on October 20, and reply comments are due on November 21. 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. It would also include specific construction and operational requirements. Three benefits of the ECIP program include:
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. Law and RegulationCertain Filing Deadlines Extended for Carriers Affected by Hurricane FionaOn September 20, the FCC issued a series of Public Notices extending certain filing deadlines for carriers in Puerto Rico, the area affected by the recent Hurricane Fiona. The storm has caused significant damage within its path, including storm surge flooding, wind damage, mudslides, and flooding. It also has caused substantial damage to the communications network, resulting in service disruptions and outages throughout areas in Puerto Rico. In recognition of this damage, the FCC extended the following deadlines for affected carriers:
For all other carriers, i.e. those not affected by Hurricane Fiona, the original deadlines for these items remain in effect. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer. Senators Introduce Bill Funding Equipment ReplacementOn September 12, Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced a bill, titled the “Protecting Communications Networks from Chinese Communist Party Espionage Act,” to authorize the FCC to borrow $3.7 billion in funds from the Treasury, to be repaid out of auction proceeds, “to ensure rural communications providers have the resources to replace communications equipment and services to protect their networks from Chinese Communist Party espionage.” The bill specifies that within a little less than two years from its adoption, the Secretary of Commerce must identify 350 megahertz of spectrum between the frequencies of 3100 megahertz and 3450 megahertz to be reallocated by the FCC through a system of competitive bidding for non-Federal use or shared Federal and non-Federal use, or a combination thereof. The proceeds of this auction are to be used to repay the funds borrowed from the Treasury. The bill does not define exactly what equipment replacement will be eligible for this funding, but it would seem likely that funding should apply to equipment to be replaced under the FCC’s “Rip and Replace” program implanted pursuant to the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and John Prendergast. Comments on Part 74 LPTV/TV Translator Rule Update Due Oct. 24On September 23, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing that its Sixth Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking to update Part 74 rules for low power television (LPTV) and TV translator services (collectively “LPTV/translator”) was published in the Federal Register. Accordingly, comments are due October 24, and reply comments are due November 7. Specifically, the FCC seeks comments on additional amendments to the LPTV/translator rules, including proposing to adopt rules previously applicable to analog operations for digital operations, updating geographic coordinates to the current North American Datum (NAD) standard, modifying station identification requirements, requiring LPTV stations to transmit with a virtual channel that avoids conflicts with other stations, updating the process for filing applications with the FCC, and making certain technical modifications. Carriers interested in filing comments in this proceeding may contact the firm for more information. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Sal Taillefer. IndustryTechnical Assistance Workshop for Bulk Challenge Data Filers to be Held Sept. 28On September 22, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing that it will hold an online Technical Assistance Workshop on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, starting at 4:00 p.m. EDT to assist state, local, and Tribal governments, service providers, and other entities who plan to file bulk challenges to data in the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric (Fabric), which serves as the foundation for the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) fixed availability maps. According to the Public Notice, the workshop will review how to open and work with the Fabric dataset, and will also demonstrate possible approaches to identifying missing or mislabeled locations in the Fabric data set. To participate in the workshop, interested parties should register to attend here. As we have reported in previous editions of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, the Fabric is a common dataset of all locations in the United States where fixed broadband Internet access service is or can be installed. On June 23, 2022, the FCC made the production version of the Fabric available to fixed broadband service providers and state, local and Tribal governmental entities. Starting on September 12, 2022, those entities that have obtained access to the Fabric data may submit bulk challenges in the BDC system. USDA Announces $502 Million in ReConnect Funding for Rural BroadbandOn September 22, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it is awarding $502 million in loans and grants for high-speed Internet access for rural residents and businesses in 20 states. These investments are being made through the third funding round of the ReConnect Program. The Department will make additional investments for rural high-speed Internet in the coming months, including funding from the recent Infrastructure Law, which provides $65 billion worth of investment to expand affordable, high-speed Internet to all communities across the U.S. Specifically, USDA is making 32 awards in Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming. Many of the awards will help rural people and businesses on Tribal lands and people in socially vulnerable communities. Awards in this announcement include:
A full list of the awards can be found here. USDA has announced $858 million in the third round of ReConnect funding so far and plans to make more investment announcements under this program in the coming weeks. DeadlinesSEPTEMBER 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. SEPTEMBER 30: FCC FORM 611-T, DESIGNATED ENTITY REPORT. Each year on September 30, entities that won licenses at auction with bid credits must file a combined 611-T Designated Entity report for any licenses still subject to the “unjust enrichment” rule, which requires licensees to maintain their eligibility for small business and rural service provider bid credits for the first five years of the license term. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell. OCTOBER 15: 911 RELIABILITY CERTIFICATION. Covered 911 Service Providers, which are defined as entities that “[p]rovide[] 911, E911, or NG911 capabilities such as call routing, automatic location information (ALI), automatic number identification (ANI), or the functional equivalent of those capabilities, directly to a public safety answering point (PSAP), statewide default answering point, or appropriate local emergency authority,” or that “[o]perate[] one or more central offices that directly serve a PSAP,” are required certify that they have taken reasonable measures to provide reliable 911 service with respect to three substantive requirements: (i) 911 circuit diversity; (ii) central office backup power; and (iii) diverse network monitoring by October 15. Certifications must be made through the FCC’s portal. BloostonLaw Contact: Sal Taillefer. NOVEMBER 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 and John Prendergast.
Calendar At-a-GlanceSeptember
October November 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.
BloostonLaw Offices Moving to Suite 825 on October 1On October 1, our firm will be moving to a new suite in the same building. Our new address will be:
Our phone and e-mail contact information will remain the same. We ask that our clients bear with us during this transition, which we hope to be seamless but for the change in mailing address. BloostonLaw Contact: John Prendergast Certain Filing Deadlines Extended for Carriers Affected by Hurricane FionaOn September 20, the FCC issued a series of Public Notices extending certain filing deadlines for licensees and carriers in Puerto Rico, the area affected by the recent Hurricane Fiona. The storm has caused significant damage within its path, including storm surge flooding, wind damage, mudslides, and flooding. It also has caused substantial damage to the communications network, resulting in service disruptions and outages throughout areas in Puerto Rico. In recognition of this damage, the FCC extended the following deadlines for affected licensees and carriers:
For all other carriers, i.e. those not affected by Hurricane Fiona, the original deadlines for these items remain in effect. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast, Richard Rubino and Sal Taillefer FCC Emphasizes Need for All Towers to Evaluate Compliance Before ConstructionOn September 13, the FCC held a virtual workshop on environmental and historic preservation for owners and licensees using towers and other antenna structures. The all-day workshop emphasized that virtually any tower or other structure that is intended to host wireless antennas must be evaluated for compliance with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The latter generally requires that the owner and/or licensee reach out to the relevant State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO), and affected tribes. The FCC has established the Tower Construction Notification System (TCNS) to help facilitate this process. By filing a Form 620 report (for new towers) or Form 621 report (for modification of existing towers), antenna structure owners and licensees can efficiently seek out tribal input and determine what further consultations may be needed for an antenna structure project. The FCC has reached “Programmatic Agreements” with other NEPA/NHPA stakeholders that create total exemptions from the above requirements (primarily for antenna colocations if certain criteria are met); and partial exemptions if other criteria are met (primarily for building antenna structures in certain industrial areas, strip malls, utility rights of way and other circumstances). These partial exemptions generally still require consultation with affected tribes. NOTE: Unlicensed radios on a tower, building or pole can trigger NEPA/NHPA requirements, if the structure must seek FAA clearance and therefore FCC antenna structure registration (ASR). Antenna structure owners and licensees using a structure must also determine in advance whether there will be any environmental impact from the proposed structure, by consulting with the appropriate Federal and state officials about the presence of wilderness areas, endangered species, wetlands, flood plains and other considerations. For all licensed radio operations on a structure, the licensee must determine whether there will be harmful radiation, taking into consideration not only their proposed radio operations but also the cumulative impact of all radios at the site. This must generally be determined by calculations and/or measurements, since the FCC has done away with the “categorical exclusions” that exempted most of our common carrier and private radio clients from having to verify compliance with the harmful RF radiation standards. It is critically important that all NEPA and NHPA reviews be completed (and where required, FCC approval obtained) before construction commences. In this regard, the FCC has indicated that construction includes activities such as cutting grass, installing access roads and/or drive ways as well as laying utilities to the proposed site. The FCC’s workshop discussed recent nuances in the compliance process, such as the impact of the NEPA/NHPA requirements on the implementation of “small cells” that are critical to advanced wireless services such as 5G. The presentations can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/hxDCutJmnT8. BloostonLaw can help our clients to comply with the various NEPA and NHPA requirements for new projects, and to come into compliance with any requirements that may have been overlooked for existing structures (an issue that often comes up during tower sales, due diligence for company acquisitions, agreements to lease space on the tower, and protest situations). BloostonLaw contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino FCC Expands List of Communications Equipment Posing Threat to SecurityOn September 20, added equipment and services from two entities – Pacific Network Corp. (and its wholly-owned subsidiary, ComNet (USA) LLC) and China Unicom (Americas) Operations Limited – to its list of communications equipment and services that have been deemed a threat to national security. The full Covered List is available here: https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist. NTIA, acting on behalf of the Executive Branch interagency bodies, determined that PacNet/ComNet and China Unicom are subject to the exploitation, influence and control of the Chinese government, and the national security risks associated with such exploitation, influence, and control. In recent filings, the Department of Justice, in coordination with the Department of Defense, confirmed these findings, and likewise views these companies as posing “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons” under section 2 of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019—thus requiring the addition of these services to the Covered List. Today’s actions are part of our ongoing effort to protect and strengthen the integrity of our nation’s critical communications network. The Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act requires the FCC to publish and maintain a list of communications equipment and services that pose an unacceptable risk to national security or the security and safety of U.S. persons. The FCC published the initial list, commonly referred to as the “Covered List,” in March 2021, and will continue to update the list as other communications equipment and services meet the criteria under the law. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer Chairwoman Rosenworcel Proposes Measures to Secure and Strengthen Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency AlertsChairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed action to enhance the security of the nation’s public emergency alert and warning systems – more commonly known as “the Emergency Alert System” and “Wireless Emergency Alerts.” These systems are designed to provide real-time warnings to the public about emergencies through alerts on televisions, radios, and wireless phones. In making this proposal, Chairwoman Rosenworcel said that “[t]he Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts are used every day across the country to warn the public about severe weather, missing children, and other crises — and to help save lives. It is critical that these public safety systems are secure against cyber threats, which means that we must be proactive. The draft proposals . . . will help ensure that our national alerting systems work as intended during emergencies and the public can trust the warnings they receive.” If these proposals are adopted by the full Commission, the ensuing Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would seek public comment on:
BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino FCC Cites Tower Owners for Painting, Lighting and Registration ViolationsThe FCC has cited Stephen Castleman and Opal Castleman for violations in connection with a 200-foot antenna tower in Augusta, Illinois. In particular, the Castlemans were cited for failure to (a) maintain the required obstruction lighting for an antenna structure that exceeds 60.96 meters (200 feet) in height above ground level; (b) observe the Antenna Structure lighting at least once each 24 hours visually or use an automatic indicator or alarm system to detect a lighting outage; (c) notify the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about lighting outages; (d) repaint the Antenna Structure as often as necessary to maintain good visibility; and (e) notify the Commission of a change in Antenna Structure ownership information. In issuing the citation, the FCC noted that the tower lights had not been functioning properly for approximately four years. Further investigation revealed that the FAA had not been notified so that a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) could be issued for the tower. As a result, the FCC made the appropriate notification to the FAA and contacted the owner at the time – who assured the FCC that repairs would be made to the tower’s obstruction lighting. Further inspections of the tower at night revealed continued issues with the tower lighting, and a daytime inspection revealed that the paint on the tower was severely chipped and faded. In addition to maintaining a tower’s required obstruction marking and lighting (which is necessary for the safety of air navigation), owners of any tower that is registered with the FCC must promptly file applications to notify the FCC of an ownership change. This is because the FCC needs to be able to promptly contact a tower owner in the event that a safety issue arises (such as light outages), so that the matter can be promptly remedied. Additionally, those towers with obstruction lighting requirements that the tower lights must either be observed once each 24-hour period or connected to a properly maintained indicator or alarm system to detect a lighting outage or malfunction and the FAA notified of such lighting outages or malfunctions. This is all true even if the tower is no longer in use, since the obligations remain until the tower is dismantled. At that point, the FAA and the FCC would need to be notified of the dismantlement. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino FCC Cites Health and Medical Sales, Inc. for Illegal Marketing of Unauthorized RF DevicesThe FCC has issued a citation which notifies Health and Medical Sales, Inc. dba HealthandMed.com (“Heath and Med”) that it unlawfully marketed radio frequency devices in the United States in violation of the Commission’s equipment authorization requirements. Specifically, Health and Med marketed 14 models of different equipment without obtaining an equipment authorization in violation of Section 302(b) of the Communications Act, as amended, and Section 2.803(b) of the Commission’s Rules. As a result, the FCC directed Health and Med to comply with the Commission’s equipment authorization requirements for these devices, and to cease any marketing of unauthorized radio frequency devices in the United States. The FCC has made clear that if Health and Med fails to comply, it may be liable for significant fines of up to $22,021 per day for each model marketed, as well as other sanctions. Health and Med is a Utah-based company that sells wellness products through its website HealthandMed.com. These products include ionic, detoxing footbaths. The Commission received a complaint regarding Health and Med’s marketing of the IonizeME Maxx ionizing footbath, without a proper Part 18 authorization for ISM devices. The Enforcement Bureau observed that the ionic footbath models marketed on the Health and Med website have digital displays, use digital power supplies, and have other indicia that they are unintentional radiators or ISM devices, either of which require an authorization prior to being marketed in the United States. In response to the Enforcement Bureau’s Letter of Inquiry, Health and Med stated that it sold 14 models of its ionizing footbaths. Health and Med provided the dates for which sales commenced for each model of footbath sold. The Company admits unauthorized sales of the 14 models for more than two years, through August 27, 2020. Health and Med asserts that the devices were not radio frequency equipment and that neither the manufacturers nor the suppliers believed the equipment was subject to FCC rules. In response to additional inquiries from the Enforcement Bureau, the IonizeME Maxx, the IonizeME Maxx Dual, and the IonizeME Maxx Go devices were tested under Part 15 of the FCC’s rules, and were found to be unintentional radiators, since the devices emitted radio frequency energy (conducted and radiated). While Health and Med advised the Enforcement Bureau that it discontinued the sale of other models to avoid testing expenses, it continues to sell the IonizeME Touch and the IonizeMe Maxx 5 even though it has not yet provided information about the authorizations for those models. This case demonstrates the importance of testing and obtaining proper FCC authorizations for RF equipment (whether intentional or unintentional radiators) prior to marketing for sale in the United States. The FCC takes its equipment authorization rules seriously because these rules are designed to ensure safe operation of intentional and unintentional RF energy radiators without causing harmful interference to humans or to licensed radio services. This case also demonstrates that devices which may not seem to be RF devices, could in fact emit RF energy. A classic example are exterior LED lights – which have gotten some users in trouble in years past. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino |
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| TECHNICIAN'S CORNER |
Sep 25, 2022 Information for this video was primarily sourced from specifications included in the Document Library made available by the USB Implementers Forum at: https://www.usb.org/ CORRECTION: Note that in the initial graphic showing all connectors and standards (c. 00:34 in the video) the labels Mini-A SS, Mini-B SS and Mini-AB SS should be Micro-A SS, Micro-B SS and Micro-AB SS. You can see a corrected version of the graphic here: https://www.explainingcomputers.com/i... Everything is correctly labelled elsewhere in the video where each connector is covered in depth. My apologies. This video was reviewed and corrected four times before upload, but this still crept through the checking process. :( Inevitably, as always, I also had to decide what to leave out, as well as what to include. Given the number of USB specifications and revisions that exist — for example, there have now been 17 just for power delivery — the only sure way to check anything for certain is to look at the instruction manual or online specification for your particular device. This said, right now, if you need the highest specification, go for a device with USB4 ports, and purchase USB power cables that support 100W — or 240W if you can get hold of them. :) |
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"Lonesome Road”Tuba Skinny @ Ridgefield, CT 2022 |
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