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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.
FREE TO EVERYONE — SUPPORTED BY READERS 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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Service Monitors and Frequency Standards for Sale
(Images are typical units, not actual photos of items offered for sale here.)
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Grim Reaper starts coming for fax machines, pagers, landlinesChina will stop giving network-access permits to some legacy communication tech.SCHARON HARDING - 2/8/2023, 12:38 PM
The end is near for a bunch of old telecommunications tech in China. On Monday, the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced that as of March 1, it would no longer issue permits for fax machines, pagers, or integrated services digital network (ISDN) terminals to access Chinese networks. The announcement, spotted by The Register, also applies to "fixed telephone terminals, cordless telephone terminals, [and] group telephones," as well as modems, "multimedia terminals connected to mobile communication networks," and "frame relay for 11 types of telecommunications equipment," including switches and call center equipment, per a Google translation. While existing products will still be able to connect to Chinese networks, the country will not issue permits for new products that rely on these dated technologies. As a result, the MIIT should be able to focus its time on certifying more modern technologies. Its announcement pointed to a wait time of just 15 days. With a large geography no longer accepting new members in these tech categories, you can expect vendors to move away from updating such products while continuing to sell legacy ones that already exist. In the US, we still see people, like health care workers, relying on beepers, while plenty of homes (including those with poor cell service) still have landlines, and I can tell you exactly where my parents keep their fax machine. Whether concerned about security, record-keeping, or managing a tight budget as a small business, there's still use for much of the aging tech that China will no longer certify. While users of these old-school technologies won't feel the impact immediately, a global power shifting away from the likes of landlines and beepers is an early signal of their eventual end elsewhere. For instance, in January, the United Kingdom's Office of Communications said "farewell to the fax machine" and made it so that telecom providers are no longer required to offer fax services under the UK's universal service obligation (which still applies to affordable phone service). Despite a user base ranging from doctors to Luddites, such legislation lessens interest for vendors to focus on these aging products. No, landlines won't be torn out of homes or removed from all retailers, but as of March 1, there will be a significantly lower incentive to update these offerings. So while people will still use things like landlines and pagers for years, don't expect these technologies to see any exciting advancements. And here I was, hoping for a fax machine with a 4K OLED screen.
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| Source: | arsTECHNICA | Thanks to Barry Kanne |
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
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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Thousands of Users Worldwide Depend on Prism IPXOur Customers Trust Us To Make Sure That Their Messages Get Delivered
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| Easy Solutions |
Providing Expert Support and Service Contracts for all Glenayre Paging Systems.The GL3000 is the most prolific paging system in the world and Easy Solutions gladly welcomes you to join us in providing reliable support to the paging industry for many more decades in the future. Easy Solutions provides cost effective computer and wireless solutions at affordable prices. We can help in most any situation with your communications systems. We have many years of experience and a vast network of resources to support the industry, your system and an ever changing completive landscape.
Experts in Paging Infrastructure
Please see our web site for exciting solutions designed specifically for the Wireless Industry. We also maintain a diagnostic lab and provide important repair and replacement parts services for Motorola and Glenayre equipment. Call or Easy Solutions |
| Readers of the Newsletter who are Ham Radio Operators |
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| Source: | Amateur Radio callsigns of readers. Please click here to add yours. |
GLENAYRE INFRASTRUCTUREService ContractsI would like to recommend Easy Solutions for Support of all Glenayre Paging Equipment. This Texas company is owned and operated by Vaughan Bowden. I have known Vaughan for over 35 years. Without going into a long list of his experience and qualifications, let me just say that he was the V.P. of Engineering at PageNet which was—at that time—the largest paging company in the world. So Vaughan knows Paging. GTES is no longer offering support contracts. GTES was the original group from Vancouver that was setup to offer support to customers that wanted to continue with the legacy Glenayre support. Many U.S. customers chose not to use this service because of the price and the original requirement to upgrade to version 8.0 software (which required expensive hardware upgrades, etc.). Most contracts ended as of February 2018. If you are at all concerned about future support of Glenayre products, especially the “king of the hill” the GL3000 paging control terminal, I encourage you to talk to Vaughan about a service contract and please tell him about my recommendation. Click on the image above for more info about advertising here. |
INTERNET Protocol Terminal The IPT accepts INTERNET or serial messaging using various protocols and can easily convert them to different protocols, or send them out as paging messages. An ideal platform for hospitals, on-site paging applications, or converting legacy systems to modern protocols.
Additional/Optional Features
Prism-IPX Systems LLC. 11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
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Paging Data Receiver PDR-4 The PDR-4 is a multi-function paging data receiver that decodes paging messages and outputs them via the serial port, USB or Ethernet connectors. Designed for use with Prism-IPX ECHO software Message Logging Software to receive messages and log the information for proof of transmission over the air, and if the data was error free.
Prism-IPX Systems LLC. 11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
Wireless Network Planners
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R.H. (Ron) Mercer |
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wirelessplannerron@gmail.com  |
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The other Monet: impressionist’s brother is star of new exhibitionA Paris show will focus on Claude’s little-known elder sibling Léon Monet and his impressionist collection
The name Monet conjures up pictures of water lilies, Rouen Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament and French haystacks, some of European art’s best known works. Now a Paris exhibition will focus on another, lesser known, Monet: Léon Monet, the artist Claude Monet’s long overlooked elder brother who supported him when he was poor and struggling to make his name. It will be the first time an event — which also includes previously unseen works and sketches by the painter known as the ‘father of impressionism’ — has focused on the elder sibling. Léon Monet, a chemist and industrialist, has been largely ignored by posterity but was one of the first patrons of the blossoming impressionist movement in the 19th century. He not only supported his brother but also helped his painter friends including Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Sisley. Géraldine Lefebvre, curator of the new exhibition that opens next month at the Musée du Luxembourg, said very little was known about him. “I contacted the family, Monet’s descendants, and went through public and private archives but there was very little information,” Lefebvre said. “I saw his name here and there but not much else. It really piqued my curiosity.” Digging deeper, the curator discovered that Léon, like his brother, had been passionate about colour, and had been a key figure helping Claude financially by buying his paintings and introducing him to the rich industrialists who could support him. Léon was born in 1836, four years before Claude, the oldest son of Adolphe and Louise-Justine Monet, and both boys spent their early years in Paris before the family moved to Le Havre, Normandy, some time around 1845. He studied as a chemist and specialised in the then new field of synthetic dyes and pigments used to colour fabrics. After moving to Rouen as a sales representative for a Swiss-based factory producing Indian-style fabrics, he was one of the founder members of the Rouen Industrial Society established in 1872. “It was interesting to see Léon was interested in the chemistry side of pigments and dyes while Claude was interest in the artistic use of colour,” Lefebvre said. “Léon was conscious of the importance of his brother’s work and supported him when he was poor and could hardly afford to eat.”
Léon began collecting art — mainly impressionist works — directly from the struggling artists he met through his brother and encouraged them to take part in local exhibitions for greater exposure. His patronage of what became known as the Rouen School painters encouraged others to buy works from the nascent radical art movement officially launched in 1874 with a show in Paris made up of works rejected by the influential Académie des Beaux-Arts’ Salon — the then arbiters of artistic taste. Its name came from an insult flung by the journalist and playwright Louis Leroy who sarcastically described Monet’s painting Impression, Sunrise as worse than sketches for wallpaper. Léroy coined the word ‘impressionist’, which stuck. Although all correspondence between the brothers has disappeared, Lefebvre said Claude’s letters to his wife suggest Léon had a “lively and quick intelligence” and was “cordial and frank”. The brothers nevertheless fell out before Léon died in 1917, in part after Claude’s son Jean worked for Léon his Rouen factory. The Musée du Luxembourg is devoting three months to showcasing the little-known Monet and his impressionist collection. Pride of place will go to a portrait of Léon never seen before in public that Claude painted in 1874, showing him in a bowler-style hat and sombre black suit. Two of Claude’s first sketch books — one of which was started when he was just 15 years old — that Léon bought at auction and his brother later signed, also unseen until now, will also be on display. The exhibition will also feature 20 works by Claude Monet and others by Renoir, Sisley, Pissarro and Berthe Morisot — doyenne and co-founder of the impressionist movement — as well as paintings by lesser-known artists of the Rouen School, along with fabric samples and colour swatches from the elder Monet’s work. More personal exhibits will include drawings and photographs of the Monet brothers and family. “This is an unusual exhibition. Léon Monet’s collection was not very large — there are only about 60 works — but the quality is extraordinary and many are still in private collections and have never been seen by the public,” Lefebvre added. Léon Monet, artist’s brother and collector opens at the Luxembourg Museum on 15 March and runs until 16 July.
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| Source: | The Guardian |
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 |
Security Game ChangerFinally end-to-end encryption comes to iCloud. The system can be a bit buggy, but promises a substantial security upgrade.
The cloud has always been a convenient place to store your files, but a hostile place for security. With your files backed up on a company’s servers somewhere, they are at risk to demands from authorities to access them, or hackers that may break into the company’s infrastructure. Apple’s recently launched “Advanced Data Protection” offers to upend that idea by using end-to-end encryption for its iCloud service. This means that device and messages backups, notes, photos, voice memos, and more should be much better protected from third-parties when stored or synced across iCloud. The promise is that not even Apple will be able to access your data stored in the cloud, and by extension, third parties. This is because the keys for decrypting the content are stored on the user’s devices. This is a notable and welcome change; for years, Apple has encrypted data stored on individual devices, but often backups synced to the cloud did not have a similar level of protection. For years we’ve had to deal with the fact that an entire copy of our phone lives on a server that’s outside of our control. Now the data on that server is under our control. That’s really all that’s changed here,” Matthew Green, associate professor at Johns Hopkins University, told Motherboard in an online chat. “I think it’s an extremely important development.”
In my tests, the process of setting up Advanced Data Protection was a bit buggy, but if the system delivers what it promises, iCloud’s new security add-on could be a game changer for people who have avoided cloud backup tools due to the lack of end-to-end encryption. “The ability to have end-to-end encryption for cloud storage such that it is a personal vault to which only you hold the keys is a big step for Apple,” Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity professor at the University of Surrey, told Motherboard in an online chat. “It has been a bit of an alternate route for law enforcement in the past to obtain data that was stored on devices when users hadn’t quite realised it was being synchronised to iCloud. Closing the ‘loophole’ is doubtless going to bring some push back from law enforcement but clearly Apple believe it is something the customers want.” Apple launched Advanced Data Protection for Mac, iPhone, and iPad users throughout December and January. To turn it on, users have to go into their iCloud settings where a box will read “Advanced Data Protection.” After clicking that, the device will run the user through the process. Setup takes a few minutes. Devices have to be updated to the latest version of the available operating systems. Data recovery is especially important when setting Advanced Data Protection because Apple will not be able to help if you lose your own access. To mitigate this, Apple asks you to write down a 28 character recovery code and keep it somewhere else. Apple also asks users if they want to set up a “recovery contact,” someone trusted who also uses Apple products that can then give you a code to help you regain access to your account. The full list of data that falls under Advanced Data Protection according to the explainer box in the iCloud settings is device backup, messages backup, iCloud drive, notes, photos, reminders, safari bookmarks, siri shortcuts, voice memos, and wallet passes. (The explainer adds that passwords, health, and map data is already protected with end-to-end encryption). When I tested Advanced Data Protection, I enabled it from an iPad. But when checking whether it was also enabled from a Mac signed into the same Apple ID, the Mac settings said Advanced Data Protection was not enabled. This appears to be a bug. I then enabled Advanced Data Protection from the Mac as well. Apple declined to provide a statement about this issue. In 2020, Reuters reported that Apple previously dropped plans to encrypt device backups in iCloud after complaints from the FBI. Advanced Data Protection seems to have overridden those complaints. Green added, “It’s really amazing to me that this was ever controversial, but judging from the reaction of law enforcement officials: I guess it still is for some people.” Woodward said “It’s interesting that the Advanced Protection is optional and not standard. It’s almost as if Apple are dipping their toe in the water to see if there really is demand for this.”. For some, end-to-end encryption may still not be enough. Woodward added “at the end of the day anything in the cloud is somebody else’s computer. I might be that I’m an old cynic but I’d prefer to control my data myself even with the personal vault features now on offer. It may be I’ll not be able to do that [in the] future.” |
| Source: | vice.com |
| Leavitt Communications |
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| Inside Towers Newsletter |
Wireless Upgrades Have State Farm Stadium Ready for Super Bowl LVII
By Paul Kapustka, Editor in Chief of Stadium Tech Report Eight years ago, the state-of-the art networks inside the venue now known as State Farm Stadium [in Glendale, AZ] set one-day records for fan wireless data consumption at Super Bowl XLIX. While the stadium has remained one of the most active large-event venues since then, the ever-increasing demands of wireless users meant that to properly host this year's big game, a full network rip-and-replace was required. As it gets ready to host Super Bowl LVII on February 12, State Farm Stadium is once again at the forefront of big-venue network technology deployments, with a brand-new Cisco WiFi 6 network and a completely upgraded digital cellular DAS using gear from CommScope that includes support for shared 5G services, alongside separate 5G millimeter-wave gear from all the leading carriers. When it comes to the history of advanced wireless networks inside large public venues, State Farm Stadium holds a unique spot. While its first Super Bowl, XLII in 2008, was before the current explosion of mobile device usage (the first Apple iPhone had only been available since June 2007), by the 2015 game the stadium-networking revolution was in full motion. With a new Cisco WiFi network that included mostly top-down and some handrail antenna deployments, the stadium saw 6.23 TB of WiFi data used, the most seen to that day. The cellular DAS from third-party operator Crown Castle, using CommScope gear, brought improved signals to areas both inside and outside the venue, which helped Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint to host a combined total of 6.56 TB used in and around the stadium. The combined total, 12.79 TB was, according to us at the time, “far and away the biggest single day of wireless data use we’ve ever heard of.” Now just eight years later, those totals seem like numbers a big venue might see in the first hour after fans’ arrival. At last year’s Super Bowl, SoFi Stadium [in Inglewood, CA] set the new high-water mark with 31.2 TB of WiFi data and 30.4 TB of cellular data on the Verizon and AT&T networks. To handle the new requirements of the NFL’s big game, and of subsequent big events that will follow, State Farm Stadium replaced its entire WiFi network (along with its core network components) with new Cisco gear, including 300 of the new 9104 “Marlin” antennas, which provide a longer, more focused connectivity beam. According to Mark Feller, vice president of technology for the Arizona Cardinals, the 9104s were part of a new combination WiFi design — for the upper seating deck, the 9104s were mounted overhead in the roof infrastructure, an area that was too far away for previous WiFi antenna designs to work properly. In the lower bowl, the stadium added approximately 600 under-seat enclosures for both WiFi and DAS gear. The underseat deployment, which Feller said was started in 2021 and completed last year, was able to use existing expansion seams to cut down on the number of concrete core drills required. While underseat has become a proven design, the farther-reach capabilities of the newer Cisco gear is already winning rave reviews. On the 5G millimeter-wave front, both Verizon and AT&T have each added hundreds of antennas to support their different spectrum bands, with placements in the upper infrastructure as well as in small-cell deployments outside the venue. T-Mobile said it has also added new millimeter wave deployments, both inside and outside the stadium. According to representatives for both Verizon and AT&T, their designs and deployment have also been a two-year project, a process similar for every Super Bowl these days. Inside Towers readers can download a free copy of the latest Stadium Tech Report by clicking here. |
| Source: | Inside Towers newsletter | Courtesy of the editor of Inside Towers, Jim Fryer. Inside Towers is a daily newsletter by subscription. |
| BloostonLaw Newsletter |
Sohn Confirmation Finally on the Horizon?Recent news reports suggest the Senate is looking to move quickly on the re-nomination of Gigi Sohn. Specifically, Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell reportedly said during an interview last week that, “[the Senate is] trying to get it scheduled to be sometime in February.” This would mark the third confirmation hearing for Sohn since her initial nomination in 2021. Without a fifth commissioner, the FCC has been deadlocked on a number of issues. BloostonLaw Contact: Ben Dickens. HeadlinesFCC Issues CPNI Enforcement Advisory; Certifications Due March 1On February 1, the FCC issued an Enforcement Advisory reminding telecommunications carriers and interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers of their obligation to file their annual certification documenting compliance with the Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) rules by March 1, 2023. According to the Advisory:
BloostonLaw is prepared to help our clients meet this requirement, by assisting with preparation of their certification filing; reviewing the filing to make sure that the required showings are made; filing the certification with the FCC and obtaining a proof-of-filing copy for your records. Clients interested in obtaining BloostonLaw's CPNI compliance manual should contact the firm. CPNI includes sensitive personal information that carriers collect about their customers during the course of their business relationship (e.g., telephone numbers of calls made and received; the frequency, duration, location, and timing of such calls; and any services purchased by the consumer, such as call waiting and voicemail). BloostonLaw Contact: Cary Mitchell. Comments on ReConnect Program Rule Revisions Due March 31On January 30, the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) published in the Federal Register its final rule and request for comment on updates to the Rural eConnectivity Program (ReConnect) regulations. Comments are due March 31, and there will be no opportunity for reply comments. According to RUS, the intent of these proposed changes is to remove outdated requirements, and ensure that the requirements in the regulation are clear, accurate as presented and in compliance with federal reporting requirements. The proposed changes, along with the agency’s rationale, are as follows:
The ReConnect Program provides loans, grants, and loan/grant combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas. BloostonLaw Contacts: Cary Mitchell, Ben Dickens. Treasury Announces Capital Projects Fund Awards in Alabama, Kentucky, Nevada, and TexasOn January 26, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the approval of broadband projects in four additional states under the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund in President Biden’s American Rescue Plan: Alabama, Kentucky, Nevada, and Texas. Together, these projects are planned to connect over 292,000 homes and businesses to high-speed Internet in total. BloostonLaw attorneys are available to assist carriers in seeking funding under new programs, including those supported by the Capital Projects Fund. The following descriptions summarize the four state’s plans that Treasury approved today:
The Capital Projects Fund (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. In addition to the $10 billion provided by the CPF, many governments are using a portion of their State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) toward meeting the Administration’s goal of connecting every American household to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet. Together, these American Rescue Plan programs and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are working in tandem to close the digital divide – deploying high-speed Internet to those without access and lowering costs for those who cannot afford it. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer. Law and RegulationThune, Lujan, Klobuchar, and Fischer Reintroduce Rural Internet Improvement ActOn January 30, the Rural Internet Improvement Act was reintroduced by U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), ranking member and chairman, respectively, of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, as well as Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) . According to a Press Release, the Rural Internet Improvement Act would:
The Press Release also indicated that Thune will continue introducing farm bill proposals ahead of the current bill’s expiration in September 2023. BloostonLaw Contact: Ben Dickens. FCC Updates List of Competitive Markets under BDS Testing RulesOn January 27, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing that it has updated the results of the competitive market test required every three years by the Business Data Services Order. The counties deemed newly competitive can be found in the Appendices here. On May 15, 2017, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing the public release of lists of counties and county-equivalents where lower speed DS1 and DS3 end user channel terminations and certain other lower speed TDM-based business data services provided by price cap incumbent local exchange carriers are deemed competitive, non-competitive, or grandfathered pursuant to the Price Cap Business Data Services Order. The lists resulted from the competitive market test adopted in the Business Data Services Order that deregulated counties according to either of one of two conditions based on (1) locations served over the facilities of a competitive provider as reported in the 2015 business data services data collection and (2) census blocks in which cable operators provided broadband at minimum bandwidths of 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload according to the FCC’s Form 477 reports. The Price Cap Results can be viewed here: Word | PDF | Excel On October 25, 2018, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing the public release of a list of study areas where lower speed DS1 and DS3 end user channel terminations and certain other lower speed TDM-based business data services provided by rate-of-return carriers eligible to elect incentive regulation pursuant to the Rate-of-Return Business Data Services Order are deemed competitive. The list resulted from the competitive market test adopted in the Rate-of-Return Business Data Services Order that eliminated ex ante pricing regulation for electing rate-of-return study areas based on a percentage of census blocks in which cable operators provided broadband at minimum bandwidths of 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload according to the FCC’s Form 477 reports. The Rate of Return results can be viewed here: Word | PDF | Excel BloostonLaw Contact: Sal Taillefer. FCC Extends Waiver of Lifeline/ACP Recertification for Tribal ResidentsOn January 30, the FCC issued an Order extending its standing waiver of the Lifeline recertification and reverification requirements for those Lifeline subscribers residing on Tribal lands through April 30, 2023. Because many Lifeline participants are also enrolled in the ACP, the FCC also temporarily waived the related rule sections for Lifeline subscribers on Tribal lands that also participate in the ACP. The FCC noted, however, that it anticipates this will be the last such extension. According to the extension request filed by Smith Bagley, Inc., Tribal governments continue to issue advisories recommending restrictions for communities residing on Tribal lands in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Tribal areas are now facing additional pressures from increasing influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) diagnoses. This is the fourteenth Order extending the recertification waivers. The limited extension of the waiver of the reverification process for subscribers on Tribal lands will prevent the de-enrollment of any such subscribers who would otherwise have been required to certify their continued eligibility to the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier (National Verifier) during the waiver period. The waiver was also expanded to include Lifeline subscribers on Tribal lands that also participate in the ACP. According to the FCC, such subscribers may have been required to respond to ACP recertification outreach during the waiver period. Absent a waiver, in some instances these subscribers would have been required to separately recertify for Lifeline and the ACP because of the timing of Lifeline recertifications under the original Tribal Lifeline subscriber waiver period. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer. Bi-Annual Fee Schedule CPI Update Effective March 2On January 31, the FCC published in the Federal Register its Order of December 22, 2022 adjusting its fees for processing applications and other filings to reflect increases or decreases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Accordingly, these revisions will go into effect on March 2, 2023. Specifically, the Order adjusts the application fees to reflect the net change in the CPI of 11.6%, an increase of 30.958 index points calculated from 267.054 to 298.012. Since the methodology and timing of adjustments to application fees are prescribed by statute, the FCC has no discretion and prior notice and comment is unnecessary. As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, last year the FCC adopted a new application fee schedule that significantly updated the previous fee schedule in both types of applications and other processes covered by the fee requirement and in the fee amounts. The application fees for the Office of Engineering and Technology and the Media Bureau became effective on July 15, 2021, for the Enforcement Bureau, the Wireline Competition Bureau, and the International Bureau on December 15, 2021, and for the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau on April 19, 2022. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and John Prendergast. IndustryUSDA Launches Rural Data GatewayOn February 3, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled the Rural Data Gateway, a new resource to make the Department’s data for rural projects easier to access for its partners and for people living in rural communities. According to a Press Release, the Rural Data Gateway features Rural Investments Dashboards that significantly expand access to RD financial data through an interface that allows data from more than 65 RD programs to be viewed and downloaded. It includes more than 20 data visualizations to spotlight investments made in the last 11 years. NTIA Highlights Lack of Competition in Mobile App Stores in New ReportOn February 1, the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued a report indicating that the current mobile app store model is “harmful to consumers and developers,” and recommended policy changes to correct the issue. Specifically, NTIA found that the companies’ policies have the potential to harm consumers by inflating prices and reducing innovation. NTIA identified two key policy issues hindering a more competitive app ecosystem:
While the current app store policies do offer some benefits to consumers, including the potential for tighter security controls, the report found that the costs far outweigh the benefits and that privacy and security protections can still be achieved in a more competitive environment. The report recommends several changes to improve the app ecosystem for users, including:
The report concludes that new legislation and additional antitrust enforcement actions are likely necessary to boost competition in the app ecosystem. DeadlinesMARCH 1: COPYRIGHT STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT FORM FOR CABLE COMPANIES. This form, plus royalty payment for the second half of last year, is due March 1. The form covers the period July 1 to December 31 and is due to be mailed directly to cable TV operators by the Library of Congress’ Copyright Office. BloostonLaw Contact: Sal Taillefer MARCH 1: CPNI ANNUAL CERTIFICATION. Carriers should modify (as necessary) and complete their “Annual Certification of CPNI Compliance” for this year. The certification must be filed with the FCC by March 1. Note that the annual certification should include the following three required Exhibits: (a) a detailed Statement Explaining How the Company’s Operating Procedures Ensure Compliance with The FCC’S CPNI Rules to reflect the Company’s policies and information; (b) a Statement of Actions Taken Against Data Brokers; and (c) a Summary of Customer Complaints Regarding Unauthorized Release of CPNI. A company officer with personal knowledge that the company has established operating procedures adequate to ensure compliance with the rules must execute the Certification, place a copy of the Certification and accompanying Exhibits in the Company’s CPNI Compliance Records, and file the certification with the FCC in the correct fashion. Our clients can send the original to BloostonLaw in time for the firm to make the filing with the FCC by March 1, if desired. BloostonLaw is prepared to help our clients meet this requirement, which we expect will be strictly enforced, by assisting with preparation of their certification filing; reviewing the filing to make sure that the required showings are made; filing the certification with the FCC, and obtaining a proof-of-filing copy for your records. Clients interested in obtaining BloostonLaw's CPNI compliance manual should contact the firm for more information. Note: If you file the CPNI certification, you must also file the FCC Form 499-A Telecom Reporting Worksheet by April 1. BloostonLaw contact: Cary Mitchell. MARCH 1: HUBB LOCATION DATA FILING AND CERTIFICATION. Carriers participating in modernized Connect America Fund (CAF) programs with defined broadband buildout obligations have until March 1 of each year to file deployment data with USAC's High Cost Universal Broadband (HUBB) portal showing where they built out mass-market, high-speed Internet service in the previous calendar year. Carriers that have no locations to upload must certify this fact in the HUBB. Affected programs include: CAF Phase II Model; Alternative Connect America Cost Model (Original A-CAM) and Revised ACAM; ACAM II; Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support (CAF BLS); Rural Broadband Experiments (RBE); Alaska Plan (other than carriers with individualized performance plans that only require them to maintain service at existing levels); CAF Phase II Auction; and Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). Carriers with 2022 deployment milestones must also complete milestone certifications as part of the annual HUBB filing and will face verification reviews tied to those milestones. Carriers subject to defined deployment milestones must notify the FCC and USAC, and relevant state, U.S. Territory or Tribal governments if applicable, within 10 business days after the applicable deadline if they have failed to meet a milestone. Carriers that miss milestones face increased reporting obligations and potential loss of support. BloostonLaw attorneys have successfully assisted clients in uploading and certifying their HUBB location data, as well as obtain petitions for waiver of the FCC’s rules where necessary. BloostonLaw Contact: Sal Taillefer. APRIL 1: FCC FORM 499-A, TELECOMMUNICATIONS REPORTING WORKSHEET. This form must be filed by all contributors to the Universal Service Fund (USF) sup-port mechanisms, the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund, the cost recovery mechanism for the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA), and the shared costs of local number portability (LNP). Contributors include every telecommunications carrier that provides interstate, intrastate, and international telecommunications, and certain other entities that provide interstate telecommunications for a fee. Even common carriers that qualify for the de minimis exemption must file Form 499-A. Entities whose universal service contributions will be less than $10,000 qualify for the de minimis exemption. De minimis entities do not have to file the quarterly report (FCC Form 499-Q), which was due February 1, and will again be due May 1. Form 499-Q relates to universal and LNP mechanisms. Form 499-A relates to all of these mechanisms and, hence, applies to all providers of interstate, intrastate, and international telecommunications services. Form 499-A contains revenue information for January 1 through December 31 of the prior calendar year. And Form 499-Q contains revenue information from the prior quarter plus projections for the next quarter. (Note: the revised 499-A and 499-Q forms are now available.) Block 2-B of Form 499-A requires each carrier to designate an agent in the District of Columbia upon whom all notices, process, orders, and decisions by the FCC may be served on behalf of that carrier in proceedings before the FCC. Carriers receiving this newsletter may specify our law firm as their D.C. agent for service of process using the information in our masthead. There is no charge for this service. BloostonLaw Contact: Sal Taillefer. APRIL 1: ANNUAL ACCESS TO ADVANCED SERVICES CERTIFICATION. All providers of telecommunications services and telecommunications carriers subject to Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act are required to file with the FCC an annual certification that (1) states the company has procedures in place to meet the recordkeeping requirements of Part 14 of the Rules; (2) states that the company has in fact kept records for the previous calendar year; (3) contains contact information for the individual or individuals handling customer complaints under Part 14; (4) contains contact information for the company’s designated agent; and (5) is supported by an affidavit or declaration under penalty of perjury signed by an officer of the company. BloostonLaw Contact: Sal Taillefer.
Calendar At-a-GlanceFebruary March April Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, & 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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