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independent news

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WIRELESS NEWS AGGREGATION
(With other items of interest relating to technology.)

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FRIDAY — JANUARY 3, 2014 — ISSUE NO. 587

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Paging and Wireless Messaging Home Page image Newsletter Archive image Carrier Directory image Recommended Products and Services
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Reference Papers Consulting Glossary of Terms Send an e-mail to Brad Dye

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Dear Friends of Wireless Messaging,

Please accept my best wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. I heard once that we can choose to be happy or to be miserable — it takes the same amount of work either way. The point is: we are not the victims of circumstances. It is our own behavior that determines the quality of our lives. Take charge.

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BloostonLaw

Anytime you are talking to the law offices of Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast, LLP please mention that you saw their newsletter contained in this one. Hal Mordkofsky has been a great friend and supporter of this newsletter for a long time. The content that I receive from his firm keeps us all informed about communications topics that we probably couldn't find anywhere else. Here is his bio from Blooston's web site.

Harold Mordkofsky, Partner
202-828-5520
halmor@bloostonlaw.com

Harold Mordkofsky, a co-founding partner of the firm, has been continuously engaged in the private practice of communications law since 1967, after having served for two years as senior attorney to the Chief of what is now the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. His experience covers a broad spectrum of the wireless field, including cellular, PCS, and other mobile communications technologies, 700 MHz and other fixed broadband systems, E-911, paging, point-to-point microwave, BETRS, multipoint distribution systems and RF equipment authorizations. He has been involved in every aspect of the practice: FCC applications and litigation, spectrum auctions, enforcement proceedings, rulemakings, FCC and state regulatory commission hearings and appellate practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals. Mr. Mordkofsky (who also holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering) oversees the firm's consulting engineering department as well. The firm's engineering expertise has assisted its clients in making highly technical presentations to the FCC and other agencies, and in ensuring compliance with the FCC's technical rules.

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Now on to more news and views about Wireless Messaging and Technology.

Wayne County, Illinois Weather

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Wireless Messaging News
  • Emergency Radio Communications
  • Wireless Messaging
  • Critical Messaging
  • Telemetry
  • Paging
  • WiMAX
  • Wi-Fi
WIRELESS
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MESSAGING

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About Us

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.

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Editorial Policy

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.

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Back To Paging

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Still The Most Reliable Protocol For Wireless Messaging!

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free There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. It's all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology.

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CAN YOU HELP THE NEWSLETTER?

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You can help support the Wireless Messaging News by clicking on the PayPal Donate button above.

Voluntary Reader Support

Newspapers generally cost 75¢ $1.50 a copy and they hardly ever mention paging or wireless messaging. If you receive some benefit from this publication maybe you would like to help support it financially? A donation of $50.00 would certainly help cover a one-year paid subscription. If you are wiling and able, please click on the PayPal Donate button above. Any amount will be sincerely appreciated.

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Wireless Messaging News

made on a mac

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UPDATE 2-AT&T tries luring T-Mobile users with credit

Fri Jan 3, 2014 1:17pm EST
REUTERS
By Sinead Carew

Jan 3 (Reuters) — AT&T Inc on Friday offered customers of No.4 U.S. mobile provider T-Mobile U.S. Inc a $200 credit to switch to its service, firing the first volley in what may be a price war that benefits consumers but plays havoc with profits.

AT&T, the No.2 U.S. mobile provider, announced the promotion after months of direct marketing against it by T-Mobile, and in anticipation of a new competitive offer from its smaller rival on Jan. 8.

The move might kick off a year of discounts from U.S. wireless operators, who are increasingly dependent on price to compete because they all offer similar phones and any network advantages are hard to prove.

MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett described AT&T's move as the "early makings of a price war" that might boost customer switching, also known as churn.

"Everybody's fighting for market share because there simply isn't an organic market share left to be had," Moffett said. "The natural upshot to any strategy that pays customers to change service is higher churn."

On top of the battle between AT&T and T-Mobile, analysts also worry that Sprint, which has been losing customers, will unveil some dramatic promotions in 2014 as its 80 percent owner, SoftBank Corp, tries to regain ground.

T-Mobile, 67 percent owned by Germany's Deutsche Telekom AG , has been making inroads against bigger rivals by criticizing them and selling itself as more consumer-friendly with lower prices and more flexibility.

It has already posted two quarters of subscriber growth after four years of losses as a result of the promotions, and trumping bigger rivals AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint Corp in phone customer growth.

Last summer, T-Mobile forced its bigger rivals to follow its offer of early phone upgrades to customers who pay for their phones in installment plans. Then in early December. AT&T cut service fees for customers who used its version of that offer.

While analysts have said they expected Verizon Wireless and AT&T to shy away from very aggressive discounts in response to T-Mobile, Credit Suisse analyst Joseph Mastrogiovanni said Friday's move was a sign of pressure to raise the stakes.

"While the carriers try to remain rational while tweaking their plans and promotions, there is no doubt that they feel the need to get more competitive," Mastrogiovanni said in a research note.

He estimated AT&T's move could cut its earnings per share by one to two percent depending on T-Mobile's response.

MOST VULNERABLE

AT&T is seen as the most vulnerable to T-Mobile's promotions because both companies use the same network technology, making it easier for their consumers to switch.

T-Mobile's outspoken Chief Executive, John Legere, has been building up anticipation for a new offering expected to announce at an event on Jan. 8 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

In a New Year's Day tweet, Legere listed winning over family plan customers as a major goal this year, raising speculation his company will announce a new offer for that segment at the Las Vegas event.

In order for T-Mobile to keep up its momentum, many analysts say it needs to lure entire families from rivals. AT&T has said the vast majority of its customers are attached to family plans.

Wells Fargo analyst Jennifer Fritzsche said AT&T was likely reacting to speculation that T-Mobile's Jan. 8 offer could include a credit to customers switching from AT&T contracts that covered early contract-termination fees.

In an effort to steal T-Mobile's thunder, AT&T said that, beginning on Jan. 3, in a limited-time offer, T-Mobile customers who switch to AT&T will receive a $200 credit per line, which includes family plan customers.

The per-line credit could be on top of another credit of up to $250 if the customer trades in their current smartphone. While it said trade-in values vary based on the model and age of the smartphone, many of the latest phones will qualify for the $250 credit.

Fritzsche said that, while AT&T's move could create fears of a looming price war, she described the offer as having more "bark than bite" and should not hurt AT&T's margins.

But independent telecommunications analyst Jeff Kagan said the news was a sign of a "real boxing match" between AT&T and T-Mobile. Customer reaction to AT&T's plan could show how sustainable T-Mobile's recent customer growth will be.

He said it is unclear yet, "how happy T Mobile is making these new customers. That's what this AT&T plan could spell out."

T-Mobile shares were down $1.36, or 4.0 percent, at $32.01 in afternoon trading, while AT&T slipped 15 cents, 0.4 percent, to $34.81, against a modestly higher overall market.

Source: REUTERS

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ADVERTISERS SUPPORTING THE NEWSLETTER

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Please Support Our Advertisers
They Make This Newsletter Possible

Advertiser Index

American Messaging
Critical Alert Systems
Critical Response Systems
Eagle Telecom
Easy Solutions
Hahntech USA
Hark Technologies
Ira Wiesenfeld & Associates
Ivycorp
Leavitt Communications
Preferred Wireless
Prism Paging
Product Support Services — (PSSI)
Paging & Wireless Network Planners LLC — (Ron Mercer)
Specialty Answering Service
WiPath Communications

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IVY CORP EAGLE TELECOM

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CRITICAL RESPONSE SYSTEMS

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Skype hacked by Syrian Electronic Army, told to "stop surveillance"

by Lauren Hockenson
JAN. 1, 2014 - 4:02 PM PST
GIGAOM

SUMMARY: The Syrian Electronic Army strikes again — this time voicing an anti-surveillance message through Skype.

The Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) has voiced some loud opinions on the social media platforms of its latest victim, Skype. The hacker collective wormed its way in to the VoIP service's Twitter, Facebook and blog, and the content of the posts seem to be directed at Skype's parent company, Microsoft, as repeated calls to "stop surveillance" were made.

Don't use Microsoft emails(hotmail,outlook),They are monitoring your accounts and selling the data to the governments.More details soon #SEA— (@Skype) January 01, 2014

The anti-Microsoft message was retweeted more than 8,000 times and is still available, although Skype has already regained control of its accounts and deleted messages from Facebook and the blog.

While the tactics are nothing new for the SEA, which went after The Washington Post , Twitter and The New York Times in recent attacks, but the content of the message seems intriguing. There's no doubt that the SEA's message refers to documents leaked by Edward Snowden that detail the NSA's access while monitoring online activities of many programs — including ones by Microsoft.

At this point, the damage has been remedied, but the SEA's objections are certain to be heard on other platforms soon.

Source: GIGAOM

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leavitt

Specialists in sales and service of equipment from these leading manufacturers, as well as other two-way radio and paging products:

UNICATIONbendix king
ZETRON

motorola blue Motorola SOLUTIONS

COMmotorola red Motorola MOBILITY spacer
Philip C. Leavitt
Manager
Leavitt Communications
7508 N. Red Ledge Drive
Paradise Valley, AZ 85253
CONTACT INFORMATION
E-mail: pcleavitt@leavittcom.com
Web Site: www.leavittcom.com
Mobile phone:847-494-0000
Telephone:847-955-0511
Fax:270-447-1909
Skype ID:pcleavitt

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BlackBerry sues Typo over its familiar-looking iPhone keyboard

BY JON FINGAS
January 3, 2014
engadget

Typo keyboard for iPhone

If you thought Typo's iPhone keyboard looked an awful lot like the keyboard from a BlackBerry Q10 , you're not alone. BlackBerry has just sued Typo in a Northern California court for alleged patent infringement. The slide-on peripheral is a "blatant" copy of BlackBerry's signature input feature, according to the company. We've reached out to Typo for commentary, but it may not have many options — the crew in Waterloo has patented a lot of keyboards , and it's hard to deny the strong resemblance.

Source: engadget

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American Messaging

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amsi

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American Messaging

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Easy Solutions

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easy solutions

Easy Solutions provides cost effective computer and wireless solutions at affordable prices. We can help in most any situation with your communications systems. We have many years of experience and a vast network of resources to support the industry, your system and an ever changing completive landscape.

  • We treat our customers like family. We don't just fix problems...
    • We recommend and implement better cost effective solutions.
  • We are not just another vendor — We are a part of your team.
    • All the advantages of high priced full time employment without the cost.
  • We are not in the Technical Services business...
    • We are in the Customer Satisfaction business.

Experts in Paging Infrastructure
Glenayre, Motorola, Unipage, etc.
Excellent Service Contracts
Full Service—Beyond Factory Support
Contracts for Glenayre and other Systems starting at $100
Making systems More Reliable and MORE PROFITABLE for over 28 years.

Please see our web site for exciting solutions designed specifically for the Wireless Industry. We also maintain a diagnostic lab and provide important repair and replacement parts services for Motorola and Glenayre equipment. Call or e-mail us for more information.

Easy Solutions
3220 San Simeon Way
Plano, Texas 75023

Vaughan Bowden
Telephone: 972-898-1119
Website: www.EasySolutions4You.com
E-mail: vaughan@easysolutions4you.com

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Easy Solutions

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Product Support Services, Inc.

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Repair and Refurbishment Services

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pssi

Product Support Services, Inc.

511 South Royal Lane
Coppell, Texas 75019
(972) 462-3970 Ext. 261
sales@pssirl.com left arrow
www.pssirl.com left arrow

PSSI is the industry leader in reverse logistics, our services include depot repair, product returns management, RMA and RTV management, product audit, test, refurbishment, re-kitting and value recovery.

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LEAVITT Communications

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its stil here

It's still here — the tried and true Motorola Alphamate 250. Now owned, supported, and available from Leavitt Communications. Call us for new or reconditioned units, parts, manuals, and repairs.

We also offer refurbished Alphamate 250's, Alphamate IIs, the original Alphamate and new and refurbished pagers, pager repairs, pager parts and accessories. We are FULL SERVICE in Paging!

E-mail Phil Leavitt ( pcleavitt@leavittcom.com ) for pricing and delivery information or for a list of other available paging and two-way related equipment.

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Phil Leavitt
847-955-0511
pcleavitt@leavittcom.com

leavitt logo

7508 N. Red Ledge Drive
Paradise Valley, AZ 85253
www.leavittcom.com

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Consulting Alliance

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Brad Dye, Ron Mercer, Allan Angus, Vic Jackson, and Ira Wiesenfeld are friends and colleagues who work both together and independently, on wireline and wireless communications projects. Click here left arrow for a summary of their qualifications and experience. Each one has unique abilities. We would be happy to help you with a project, and maybe save you some time and money.

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Consulting Alliance

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advertise

 

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HahntechUSA

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HahntechUSA

Telemetry solution

Easy Application & Better Performance

 

NPCS Telemetry Modem

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E-mail: sales@hahntechUSA.com

Website: hahntechUSA.com

 

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HahntechUSA

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Preferred Wireless

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preferred logo

Terminals & Controllers:
1Motorola ASC1500
3CNET Platinum Controllers 
2GL3100 RF Director 
45SkyData 8466 B Receivers
6Skydata 8466 A Receivers
1GL3000L Complete w/Spares
1Zetron 2200 Terminals
1Unipage—Many Unipage Cards & Chassis
9Zetron M66 Transmitter Controllers  
Miscellaneous:
4Glenayre Universal Exciters, 1 UHF, 3 VHF
5Hot Standby Panel—2 Old Style, 3 New Style
25New and Used Cabinets & Open Racks 
38Andrews PG1N0F-0093-810 Antennas 928-944 MHz, Omni, 10dBi, 8 Degree Down-Tilt
4Andrews PG1D0F-0093-610 Antennas 928-944 MHz, Omni, 10dBi, 6 Degree Down Tilt
Link Transmitters:
1QT-5701, 35W, UHF, Link Transmitter
4Glenayre QT4201 & 6201, 25 & 100W Midband Link TX
2Glenayre QT6201 Link Repeater and Link Station in Hot Standby
1Glenayre QT6994, 150W, 900 MHz Link TX
3Motorola 10W, 900 MHz Link TX (C35JZB6106)
1Motorola 30W, Midband Link TX (C42JZB6106AC)
2Eagle 900 MHz Link Transmitters, 60 & 80W
5Glenayre GL C2100 Link Repeaters
2Motorola Q2630A, 30W, UHF Link TX
VHF Paging Transmitters
1Glenayre QT7505
1Glenayre QT8505
UHF Paging Transmitters:
20Glenayre UHF GLT5340, 125W, DSP Exciter
900 MHz Paging Transmitters:
3Glenayre GLT 8600, 500W
2Glenayre GLT8200, 25W
15Glenayre GLT-8500 250W
40Motorola Nucleus 900MHz 300W CNET Transmitters
9Motorola PURC 5000 300W, 900MHz ACB Control

SEE WEB FOR COMPLETE LIST:

www.preferredwireless.com/equipment left arrow

Too Much To List • Call or E-Mail

Rick McMichael
Preferred Wireless, Inc.
10658 St. Charles Rock Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63074
888-429-4171 or 314-429-3000
rickm@preferredwireless.com left arrow

preferred

SEE PHOTO REPORT HERE

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Preferred Wireless

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critical alert CA Partner’s Program
 

Providing better communications solutions to hospitals across the country — together!

For CAS, strong partnerships remain key to providing our software-based communications solutions to our customers. These solutions include:

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nurse call systemscritical messaging solutionsmobile health applications

We provide the communication, training and resources required to become a CA partner. In turn, our partners provide customers with the highest levels of local service & support. CA Partners may come from any number of business sectors, including:

  • Service Providers
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  • Expert Contractors
If you would like to hear more about our CA Partners program, we’d love to hear from you. criticalalert.com

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Selected portions of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, and/or the BloostonLaw Private Users Update — newsletters from the Law Offices of Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast, LLP are reproduced in this section with the firm's permission.

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BloostonLaw Private Users Update Vol. 14, No. 12 December 2013

Members of Rescue Squad Indicted for Putting Law Enforcement Channels on Squad Radios

The Bluefield Daily Telegraph and other media sources in Southwest Virginia are reporting that two members of a local rescue squad in Southwest Virginia were indicted on felony charges of using a computer to convert the property or computer program of another and making an unauthorized copy of a program or property of another. The charges arose from an investigation into the unauthorized use of the Tazewell County sheriff's office radio frequencies on radios belonging to their rescue squad — which is an agency licensed by the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services. Essentially, the two individuals are being accused of downloading encryption keys which then allowed them to listen in on encrypted police communications. It is because the proprietary encryption keys were also downloaded that Tazewell County was able to proceed with these criminal charges. In addition to the Tazewell County issue, authorities are also investigating whether or not frequencies assigned to Russell County Fire and EMS and the Virginia State Police were improperly programmed into the radios.

In addition to criminal action by authorities in Virginia, the FCC could potentially take enforcement action against the rescue squad for this sort of activity, since the FCC's rules require permission from a licensee before their channels may be programmed into another agency's public safety radio system. For this reason, it is critically important that companies ensure that end-users do not have the capability of modifying or otherwise programming their radios, and that these functions be reserved only for authorized maintenance personnel.

Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Announces Comment Deadlines for Proposals to Improve Mobile Wireless Network Resiliency and Service Transparency

This item will be of interest to our public safety clients because of the concern that the public have access to public safety communications at all times, especially in the event of a disaster — whether natural or man-made. In this regard, the FCC is seeking to promote transparency to consumers about the status of wireless networks during times of disaster, the FCC adopted an NPRM (FCC 13-125) with proposed regulations that would require facilities-based wireless carriers to submit daily reports to the Commission so the public can be aware of what percentage of carrier's cell sites are operational during and immediately after a disaster.

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on this topic was originally released on September 27, 2013, but the FCC has now announced the publication of the NPRM in the Federal Register. As a result, comments in this proceeding will be due on January 17, 2014 and reply comments will be due on February 18, 2014.

Under the Commission's proposals, which come in the wake of disasters like Hurricane Katrine, the Derecho Storm and Superstorm Sandy, carriers would have to report the percentage of active cell sites in each county within the designated disaster area. This would allow consumers to see how wireless service providers compare in keeping their networks operational in emergencies.

According to the FCC, Superstorm Sandy disabled at its peak more than twenty-five percent of cell sites in 158 counties in all or part of ten states and the District of Columbia. The most extensive wireless service disruptions were heavily concentrated in New Jersey and the New York City metro area, where residents found themselves without reliable and continuous access to mobile wireless communications throughout the storm and its aftermath. Several counties had outages of more than double the twenty-five percent aggregate figure. The State of New Jersey, all of which was included in the reporting area, had aggregated cell site outages on the order of forty percent. The Commission believes that requiring reporting and public disclosure of the information proposed could benefit consumers while also advancing public safety.

The FCC currently relies on periodic reporting from communications providers to gauge network reliability. Under Part 4 of its Rules, mobile wireless service providers are required to apprise the Commission of network outages that exceed certain quantitative thresholds, depending on the type of services provided. The FCC collects this information in its Network Outage Reporting System (NORS), and then uses the information to identify larger trends and vulnerabilities in the nation's communications infrastructure. In addition, the Commission operates a Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS), which is activated during emergencies to collect near "realtime" status information from mobile wireless and other providers to improve the situational awareness of federal agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and streamline emergency response. Reporting in DIRS is voluntary; however, the Commission generally suspends the otherwise mandatory NORS reporting obligations of DIRS participants throughout periods when the latter system is fully activated. Information reported to the Commission in either of these reporting systems is afforded a presumption of confidential treatment, a policy the Commission adopted to protect filing parties from competitive harm and prevent terrorist targeting of vulnerable communications assets.

In particular, the Commission seeks comment on the following issues:

  • Whether the proposed reporting and disclosures would provide consumers with useful information for making comparisons about mobile wireless products and services;
  • Whether such disclosures, by holding providers publicly accountable, could incentivize improvements to network resiliency while allowing providers flexibility in implementing such improvements;
  • Whether such information would be useful to policymakers at state and local levels;
  • Whether the proposed disclosures comport with "smart disclosure" principles;
  • Whether the proposed disclosure would lead to adverse unintended consequences for consumers and mobile wireless providers; and
  • Whether the Commission should consider other measures, including alternative informational disclosures, performance standards or voluntary measures, or refer issues of what information would be helpful to consumers to an advisory committee before acting.

Signal Booster Manufacturers Warned of March 1, 2014 Compliance Date

The FCC has released a Public Notice reminding manufacturers of Signal Booster devices that new technical, operational and registration requirements for signal booster equipment will become effective on March 1, 2014. These requirements will apply to all signal boosters — consumer and industrial — that are sold and marketed in the United States.

Specifically, "no person, manufacturer, distributor or retailer may market, distribute or offer for sale or lease any Consumer Signal Booster that does not comply with the requirements of [Section 20.21(g) of the FCC's Rules] to any person in the United States or to any person intending to operate the Consumer Signal Booster within the United States at any time on or after March 1, 2014."

Because signal boosters will require FCC equipment authorizations and labeling in accordance with the new technical requirements, the FCC is cautioning manufacturers to ensure that sufficient time is provided for review and processing of applications for authorization.

FCC Rules Impose New Requirements, Annual Certification Requirement on Wireline and Wireless 911 Service Providers

The FCC has adopted new rules regarding 911 service reliability that require all "Covered 911 Service Providers" to meet an annual certification requirement and to take "reasonable measures" to ensure 911 circuit diversity, availability of backup power at central offices that directly serve PSAPs, and diversity of network monitoring links. (PS Docket Nos. 13-75, 11-60).

A "Covered 911 Service Provider," is defined as "any entity that provides 911, E911, or NG911 capabilities such as call routing, ALI, ANI, or the functional equivalent of those capabilities, directly to a PSAP, statewide default answering point, or appropriate local emergency authority, or that operates one or more central offices that directly serve a PSAP." A central office "directly serves a PSAP" if it "(1) hosts a selective router or ALI/ANI database (2) provides functionally equivalent NG911 capabilities, or (3) is the last service-provider facility through which a 911 trunk or administrative line passes before connecting to a PSAP." This includes virtually all providers, including wireline, wireless, and voice over internet protocol (VoIP). The FCC declined to adopt exemptions from these rules for rural local exchange carriers.

Thus, rather than take enforcement action against the individual carriers with demonstrated poor performance in connection with the provision of 911 service during emergency situations, such as the Derecho and Super-storm Sandy, the FCC has imposed on all carriers even more reporting requirements, which will disproportionately burden already overburdened small and rural telecom service providers.

According to the FCC, a service provider can demonstrate its compliance with the requirement to take "reasonable measures" to ensure reliable 911 service, by complying with the "best practices" which make up the certification and which are based on the industry best practices developed by the Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC). Although a service provider may depart from best practices, if it does so, the FCC states that the service provider should have a reasonable basis for its decisions, coupled with appropriate steps to compensate for any increased risk of failure. According to the FCC, "where service providers employ alternative measures in lieu of best practices, they should be able to explain why those measures are appropriate and reflect reasonable measures to provide reliable 911 service."

The Order also requires all Covered 911 Service Providers to certify annually to certain basic measures in three substantive areas, including 911 circuit auditing, backup power at central offices that directly serve PSAPs, and diverse network monitoring links. According to the FCC, a "certification that the Covered 911 Service Provider has performed all the elements will be deemed to satisfy the obligation to take reasonable measures to provide reliable 911 service, provided that the certification is accurate and complete." The FCC states that "if a Covered 911 Service Provider cannot certify affirmatively to every element in a substantive area, but believes that its actions are nevertheless reasonably sufficient to mitigate the risk of 911 service failure based on the configuration of its network and other factors, then it may certify that it has taken alternative measures in that substantive area. For each element where the Covered 911 Service Provider certifies to taking alternative measures, it must include with its certification a brief explanation of those alternative measures with respect to each PSAP, central office, or 911 service area where they are in use, and why those measures are reasonable under the circumstances to mitigate the risk of failure." Where certain elements of the certification do not apply, a Covered 911 Service Provider may so indicate. However, in this circumstance, "it must include with its certification a reasonable explanation of why those elements are not applicable."

The FCC specifies that "each certification must be made by a corporate officer responsible for network operations in all relevant service areas," and that "the certifying official must have supervisory and budgetary authority over a Covered 911 Service Provider's entire 911 network, not merely certain regions or service areas." Covered 911 Service Providers must maintain for two years the records supporting each annual certification and make such records available to the Commission upon request.

Finally, the FCC amended section 4.9 of its Rules, which required carriers to notify PSAPs when communications outages occur that affect 911 service "as soon as possible." Under the amended rule, Covered 911 Service Providers "must notify PSAPs of outages potentially affecting 911 service to that PSAP within thirty minutes of discovering the outage and provide contact information such as a name, telephone number, and e-mail for followup."

The new rules, including the underlying obligation to take reasonable measures to provide reliable 911 service, become effective thirty days after publication in the Federal Register. However, the information collection requirements pursuant to the rules will not become effective until approval by the Office of Management and Budget.

The FCC also adopted a phase-in of the annual certification requirement. Under the phase-in, Covered 911 Service Providers must file an initial certification one year after the effective date of the rules, indicating that they have made substantial progress toward meeting the standard of the full certification. According to the FCC, "[t]o allow service providers time to implement the best practices reflected in the certification, we define "substantial progress" as at least 50-percent compliance with each of the three substantive certification requirements."

FCC Grants Extension of November 20 deadline for 800 MHz Rebanding Cost Estimates

On August 16, 2013, the FCC released a public notice which established the rebanding schedule for 800 MHz licensees in the U.S.–Mexico border regions. Under the adopted schedule, licensees were required to provide Sprint with all cost estimates by November 20, 2013.

The FCC received numerous requests for extension of the November 20, 2013 deadline for 800 MHz licensees in the U.S.–Mexico border region to provide rebanding cost estimates to Sprint. Most licensees requested a short extension of time for January, February or early March, 2014 within which to provide the complete cost estimate to Sprint. Because the FCC was concerned that a delay by even one licensee could have a "domino effect" that could cause further delays to the rebanding efforts of other 800 MHz licensees, the waiver request justifications received a high degree of scrutiny. As a result, the FCC only granted those requests that where the licensee demonstrated that a grant would not unreasonably delay the rebanding of the 800 MHz band in the U.S.–Mexico border region. While the Commission could have dismissed those requests were licensees did not make an adequate showing, it chose instead to hold those requests — presumably so that licensees would have an opportunity to supplement their requests with an appropriate justification. In all, the FCC granted 26 requests allowing extension for submission of the cost estimate on or before the earlier of the date requested or March 10, 2014. For the four licensees that had requested additional time, the FCC indicated that supplemental requests for extension could be filed.

Failure to Timely Renew Earth Station License Results in $16,000 fine and Compliance Program

KSBJ Educational Foundation has entered into a voluntary consent decree with the FCC's Enforcement Bureau because it failed to timely renew its license for Domestic Earth Station E940280 in June 2004. KSBJ continued to operate its earth station for over 7 years even though its license had automatically expired. Upon discovery of its error, KSBJ immediately requested special temporary authority (STA) from the FCC to continue operating — which it continued to do until its initial request was dis-missed, as defective.

As part of the consent decree, the FCC required KSBJ to make a "voluntary contribution" to the US Treasury in the amount of $16,000. Additionally, KSBJ is required to

(a) designate a compliance officer and establish a compliance plan which includes operating procedures to ensure that all "covered" employees comply with the FCC's rules,
(b) create and distribute a compliance manual which explains the licensing rules and shows the Operating Procedures that all "covered" employees must follow and
(c) establish a compliance training program for all "covered" employees.

Should KSBJ violate any FCC Rule or the terms of its consent decree with the FCC, it is required to report any violations within 15 days of discovery of the violations.

While consent decrees can be a valuable tool when addressing issues of non-compliance with the FCC, it is important to note that they bring additional obligations since the FCC will mandate compliance programs for any "covered" employee.

The development of a proactive compliance program may assist you in avoiding FCC rules violations that could lead to enforcement action by the FCC — including substantial fines and possible loss of licenses. It is not unusual for the FCC to fine licensees for technical rules violations, including improper operation or antenna tower violations. Please let us know if you would like assistance in developing a compliance program.

This newsletter is not intended to provide legal advice. Those interested in more information should contact the firm. For additional information, please contact Hal Mordkofsky at 202-828-5520 or halmor@bloostonlaw.com .

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CRIMP SUPPLY'S CRIMPING 101

Crimping Tips

A bad crimp will cause premature failure of your electrical connection. Below are a few tips to ensure you get a proper crimp.

 

Insulated terminals need two crimps, a crimp of the nylon or plastic sleeve onto the wire jacket and a crimp of the metal insert onto the wire. High quality crimping tools will perform both crimps with one squeeze of the handle, 37A13001 is an example. To ensure the insulation is not broken, the crimps are general arcs that flatten the circular body into more of an oval shape, like this:

Heat shrink terminals need even more care from a crimp than insulated terminals because if the heat shrink is punctured, the terminal is compromised. Our specialized heat shrink terminal crimper, 37A13011 , has a broad crimping surface to apply pressure across a large space to ensure the heat shrink is not cut.

Bare terminals require only one crimp of the barrel onto the wire. 37A13002 is an example. The crimping zone has more of a soft B shape to it, that creates a crimp that looks like this:

Metri-Pack, Weather Pack, Deutsch terminals require specialized crimpers. While a basic crimping tool might appear to get the job done, what you can't see, may affect you. Ensure you find a tool that can crimp your specific terminal. A few suggestions below:

Source: Crimp Supply

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FRIENDS & COLLEAGUES

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Ira Wiesenfeld, P.E.

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Complete Technical Services For The Communications and Electronics Industries Design • Installation • Maintenance • Training • Engineering • Licensing • Technical Assistance

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Ira Wiesenfeld, P.E.
Consulting Engineer
Registered Professional Engineer

Tel/Fax: 972-960-9336
Cell: 214-707-7711
Web: IWA-RADIO.com
7711 Scotia Dr.
Dallas, TX 75248-3112
E-mail: iwiesenfel@aol.com

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Ira Wiesenfeld, P.E.

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Wireless Network Planners

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WIRELESS NETWORK PLANNERS LLC
WIRELESS SPECIALISTS

www.wirelessplanners.com
rmercer@wirelessplanners.com

R.H. (Ron) Mercer
Consultant
217 First Street South
East Northport, NY 11731
ron mercer

Cellphone: 631-786-9359

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Wireless Network Planners

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PRISM PAGING

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prism
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PRISM IP MESSAGE GATEWAY

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THE ULTIMATE IN COMMERCIAL AND PRIVATE RADIO PAGING SYSTEMS

prism
  • VoIP telephone access — eliminate interconnect expense
  • Call from anywhere — Prism SIP Gateway allows calls from PSTN and PBX
  • All the Features for Paging, Voicemail, Text-to-Pager, Wireless and DECT phones
  • Prism Inet, the new IP interface for TAP, TNPP, SNPP, SMTP — Industry standard message input
  • Direct Connect to NurseCall, Assisted Living, Aged Care, Remote Monitoring, Access Control Systems
prism
prism

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WiPath Communications

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Intelligent Solutions for Paging & Wireless Data

WiPath manufactures a wide range of highly unique and innovative hardware and software solutions in paging and mobile data for:

  • Emergency Mass Alert & Messaging
  • Emergency Services Communications
  • Utilities Job Management
  • Telemetry and Remote Switching
  • Fire House Automation
  • Load Shedding and Electrical Services Control

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PDT3000 Paging Data Terminal

pdt 2000 image

  • FLEX & POCSAG
  • Built-in POCSAG encoder
  • Huge capcode capacity
  • Parallel, 2 serial ports, 4 relays
  • Message & system monitoring

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Paging Controlled Moving Message LED Displays

welcom wipath

  • Variety of sizes
  • Indoor/outdoor
  • Integrated paging receiver

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PDR3000/PSR3000 Paging Data Receivers

paging data receiver

  • Highly programmable, off-air decoders
  • Message Logging & remote control
  • Multiple I/O combinations and capabilities
  • Network monitoring and alarm reporting

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Specialized Paging Solutions

paging data receiver

  • Emergency Mass Alerting
  • Remote telemetry switching & control
  • Fire station automation
  • PC interfacing and message management
  • Paging software and customized solutions
  • Message interception, filtering, redirection, printing & logging Cross band repeating, paging coverage infill, store and forward
  • Alarm interfaces, satellite linking, IP transmitters, on-site systems

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Mobile Data Terminals & Two Way Wireless  Solutions

mobile data terminal

radio interface

  • Fleet tracking, messaging, job processing, and field service management
  • Automatic vehicle location (AVL), GPS
  • CDMA, GPRS, ReFLEX, conventional, and trunked radio interfaces

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Contact
Postal
Address:
WiPath Communications LLC
4845 Dumbbarton Court
Cumming, GA 30040
Street
Address:
4845 Dumbbarton Court
Cumming, GA 30040
Web site: www.wipath.com left arrow CLICK
E-mail: info@wipath.com left arrow CLICK
Phone:770-844-6218
Fax:770-844-6574
WiPath Communications

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Hark Technologies

black line hark logo Wireless Communication Solutions black line USB Paging Encoder paging encoder

  • Single channel up to eight zones
  • Connects to Linux computer via USB
  • Programmable timeouts and batch sizes
  • Supports 2-tone, 5/6-tone, POCSAG 512/1200/2400, GOLAY
  • Supports Tone Only, Voice, Numeric, and Alphanumeric
  • PURC or direct connect
  • Pictured version mounts in 5.25" drive bay
  • Other mounting options available
  • Available as a daughter board for our embedded Internet Paging Terminal (IPT)

black line Paging Data Receiver (PDR) pdr

  • Frequency agile—only one receiver to stock
  • USB or RS-232 interface
  • Two contact closures
  • End-user programmable w/o requiring special hardware
  • 16 capcodes
  • POCSAG
  • Eight contact closure version also available
  • Product customization available

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  • Please see our web site for other products including Internet Messaging Gateways, Unified Messaging Servers, test equipment, and Paging Terminals.
Contact
Hark Technologies
717 Old Trolley Rd Ste 6 #163
Summerville, SC 29485
Tel: 843-821-6888
Fax: 843-821-6894
E-mail: sales@harktech.com left arrow CLICK
Web: http://www.harktech.com left arrow CLICK
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HARK—EXHIBITS AT CONFERENCE

hark David George and Bill Noyes
of Hark Technologies.

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Hark Technologies

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Click on the logo above for more info.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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From:Daniel Gignac
Subject:  Can You Help?
Date:December 21, 2013
To:Brad Dye

Hello,

I fire departement is looking for a system to receive alpha POCSAG paging in a vehicule (adresse of fire) and this adresse is put direct in a GPS to help fireman to find the good house. Do you see someone make that in the business they annonce in your magazine.

merci

Daniel Gignac
Directeur général et Directeur des ventes
Télécommunications de l'Est
Matane, Quebec

341, 2e Rue Est, Rimouski (Qc) G5L 2G4
Tél.: 418 722-7717, poste 203 • Téléc.: 418-721-0812
Sans frais: 1-866-400-7717
daniel.gignac@tde.ca www.tde.ca

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UNTIL NEXT WEEK

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Wireless Messaging News


With best regards,
brad's signature
Newsletter Editor
73 DE K9IQY

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

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CONTACT INFO & LINKS
Skype: braddye
Twitter: @BradDye1
Telephone: 618-599-7869
E–mail: brad@braddye.com
Wireless: Consulting page
Paging: Home Page
Marketing & Engineering Papers
K9IQY: Ham Radio Page

Back To Paging
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Still The Most Reliable Wireless Protocol For Emergencies!

WIRELESS
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MESSAGING

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THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

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Fear, Anger, and Resentment are three things that can negate our serenity.

  • Fear is worry about the possibility of not getting our way in the future.
  • Anger is about not getting our way in the present.
  • Resentment is about having not gotten our way in the past.

Life should be lived, “one day at a time.”

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left arrow Newspapers generally cost 75¢ $1.50 a copy and they hardly ever mention paging or wireless messaging. If you receive some benefit from this publication maybe you would like to help support it financially? A donation of $50.00 would certainly help cover a one-year paid subscription. If you are wiling and able, please click on the PayPal Donate button on the left. Any amount will be sincerely appreciated.

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