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the wireless messaging news

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Wireless News Aggregation

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Friday — July 11, 2014 — Issue No. 613

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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,

USA Mobility Announces Name Change to SPŌK

The name SPŌK is pronounced “spoke.”

“Why ‘Spok?’ Because it evokes an integral part of a greater whole: like the spokes of a wheel, each supporting the other and the overall network.”

Wow! I wonder who thought of this great concept? Sort of reminds me of The Wheel of Fortune.

Oh well . . . “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

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BS Article of the Week

(BS=Baloney Stuff) Please don't bother reading this—it ain't true!

Inefficiency of Pagers and Lack of Adoption of Secure Text Messaging Cost the Average U.S. Hospital more than $1.7 Million Annually

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Last week's newsletter was a short-holiday version, so this week is a little longer than usual.

Now on to more news and views.

The Weather in
Wayne County‚ Illinois

Find more about Weather in Fairfield, IL
Click for weather forecast

Wireless Messaging News
  • Emergency Radio Communications
  • Wireless Messaging
  • Critical Messaging
  • Telemetry
  • Paging
  • 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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Advertiser Index

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

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American Messaging

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amsi

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American Messaging

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WaveWare Technologies

wavewear
sales@wirelessmessaging.com
800-373-1466
2630 National Dr., Garland, TX 75041

New Products

SPS-5v9E Paging System

  • 1 Serial Port Connection
  • 2 Ethernet Connections
  • Browser and Serial Port Config
  • TAP, COMP2, Scope, WaveWare SNPP, COMP2, & PET Protocols
  • 2W, 5W Option

DMG Protocol Converter

  • Linux Based Embedded System
  • Up to 4 Serial Port Connections
  • Ethernet Connections
  • Browser Configuration
  • Protocol Conversion
  • TAP, XMPP, SMS, HTTP, UDP
  • Additional Protocols Available Soon
WaveWare Technologies

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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 30 years.

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

Easy Solutions
3220 San Simeon Way
Plano, Texas 75023

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

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Easy Solutions

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ceocfointerviews.com
All rights reserved!
Issue: June 30, 2014
The Most Powerful Name in Corporate News

Critical Messaging Services and Networks


J. Roy Pottle — CEO

About American Messaging
www.americanmessaging.net
American Messaging Services, LLC and its subsidiaries provide critical messaging services throughout the United States. Using proprietary and third party wireless messaging networks together with its suite of secure mobile and desktop applications the Company simultaneously delivers critical messages to pagers, smart phones, tablets and personal computers. The Company also constructs and operates dedicated messaging networks for individual customers that operate in conjunction with other third party networks, including the Company’s proprietary networks, providing redundancy and more rapid message delivery. Message delivery is easily initiated, monitored, securely archived and responses can be viewed using the Company’s secure mobile and desktop applications or through customer supporting software that is included as part of the Company’s overall service offering.

American Messaging is one of the largest critical messaging companies in the United States delivering more than 5 million critical messages per day. American Messaging provides service to approximately 875,000 customers, including more than 1,000 major healthcare and first responder clients across the US.

Our Corporate Headquarters are located at 1720 Lakepointe Drive, Suite 100, Lewisville, Texas 75057. This facility houses our Corporate Offices, our Distribution Center and our Network Operations Center. The Network Operations Center monitors all traffic and throughput over our networks to ensure our customers receive uninterrupted, quality service.

Interview conducted by: Lynn Fosse, Senior Editor, CEOCFO Magazine

CEOCFO: Mr. Pottle, what is the concept at American Messaging?
Mr. Pottle: The primary concept is that we deliver critical messages to a multitude of customers where certainty of receipt and timeliness of receipt are critical.

CEOCFO: Would you give us some examples of what might be the common areas where your services are used and areas that people would not even realize exist?
Mr. Pottle: I think the area where people recognize that the product is still used extensively is within the medical community, where delivery of critical messages can have an impact on life and death. For example, if an individual is in cardiac arrest a code blue team, which is comprised of multiple individuals, needs to be notified immediately and simultaneously. In this kind of situation our service is very relevant because of the reliability and speed of message delivery. There are several areas where our services are not recognized but one of the more prevalent areas involves machine to machine applications or what we call telemetry. In particular we provide service to numerous large utilities where we control, on their behalf, thousands of thermostats.

CEOCFO: In that situation, does the message go to a person to make the decision? Does it trigger something automatic? How does it work?
Mr. Pottle: The message is generally initiated by the Utility in the event power consumption is rising and they need to decrease demand. In such a scenario they will initiate a message that is delivered over our network simultaneously to thousands of thermostats. Those thermostats get a message that increases the temperature setting from sixty eight degrees to seventy two degrees, thereby reducing power consumption.

CEOCFO: How do you reach potential customers or do they come to you at this point, given your long history?
Mr. Pottle: A bit of both. We have a highly capable team of Account Managers that manage our existing relationships while simultaneously pursuing new opportunities, primarily from competitors. Our industry is very mature and we are recognized as an entity that excels at service delivery. Therefore, in a particular market we may service multiple accounts but inevitably there are accounts that are serviced by a competitor. In the event our competitor provides poor service our customers are often our best advocate, which coupled with regular contact with our Account Managers often leads to new opportunities.

CEOCFO: What do you do that is better, faster, easier? Does pricing come into play?
Mr. Pottle: Certainly pricing is always a factor but ultimately it is not the factor that determines customer satisfaction. We do not win new business because our price is lower. We win business because our service and customer support are better and more reliable than our competitors. Our service delivery and customer service is strong. We have a very dedicated team that is highly responsive. I think service delivery is really the difference between us and many of our competitors. If for example during a storm we get an alarm that one of our transmitters has been knocked out of service, our field technicians are highly responsive. They get in their vehicle and drive to the site, sometimes in the middle of the night, to immediately restore service because again, reliability is paramount. Ultimately, we are delivering critical messages that can impact individual lives. Customer service and network reliability are paramount. It is never how you react when it is sunny out; it is how you react when it is raining. Companies always have issues. Things do not always go perfectly. However, the real question is how you respond to situations that are not proceeding in the way that our customer and we would like. I think we are very good at recognizing when something is not working well and being honest about that and then addressing it aggressively. I think that that has helped us to build a strong reputation.

“Today, our company has evolved from what I would call a traditional paging company to what we characterize as a critical messaging company delivering messages to multiple
devices using multiple networks.” — J. Roy Pottle

CEOCFO: What are some of the newer areas or newer technologies that you make use of today that three or four years ago might not even been in existence?
Mr. Pottle: The biggest change has been our efforts to embrace other technologies, particularly broadband technology. Our roots are as a traditional paging company whereby we deliver messages over our own networks, using our own frequencies and delivering messages to our own devices. Obviously today, with the proliferation of smartphones, many individuals do not necessarily want to carry two devices or they do not necessarily need two devices throughout their entire day. Therefore, three years ago we started an aggressive effort to broaden our product suite. We developed new software for both mobile devices and desktop computers. Today, our company has evolved from what I would call a traditional paging company to what we characterize as a critical messaging company delivering messages to multiple devices using multiple networks. By that I mean that today, a hospital administrator can initiate a code blue message and that message will go to an individual’s pager, smartphone and desktop, all simultaneously. Therefore, the delivery of messages to smartphones and having a mobile application that is easily downloaded is probably the most significant change in our business.

CEOCFO: What is the key to keeping up with the new technologies, as to what may become the next big thing and what might fall by the wayside?
Mr. Pottle: The most important thing we do with respect to keeping up with technology is making certain we have ongoing dialogue with our customers. We learn from our customers what they are seeking and what they are considering and that allows us to shape our products to meet their needs. When our customer talks about their end user and the demographic differences in their end users we better understand their challenges. For example, a fifty five year old doctor is often very comfortable with their pager whereas a twenty five year old resident much prefers a smartphone. Therefore, as our customers interact with their end users, they share with us their challenges, which in this case are trying to meet the needs of end users that have different requirements or different perspectives. Through that we developed mobile applications to meet those needs. Essentially, like any business, you have to listen to your customer. Aside from that, we have a strong technical team that follows technology very closely, particularly the technology associated with wireless messaging. Obviously, there are many applications related to the delivery of wireless messages therefore you have to have smart, dedicated people following technology generally, but how you deploy that technology and how you develop around that technology is largely a product of what we hear from our customers.

CEOCFO: Would you tell us about your Campus Solutions? It seems to be an area that really needs attention.
Mr. Pottle: It has been very interesting and more challenging than I expected. It really was an outgrowth of, in part, a personal experience I had when my son was looking at various universities. Inevitably one of the first questions that would come out of a campus tour was “how do you handle campus security”. The universities generally try hard and have deployed broadband solutions that although marginally effective have some limitations. Again, it goes to the issue of critical messages. If you have a shooter on campus, the need to simultaneously notify your entire campus within seconds becomes paramount. Broadband technologies do not work very well in that regard as messages are delivered sequentially rather than simultaneously. Therefore, if you have to notify twenty thousand students you have to deliver twenty thousand messages sequentially and as soon as the initial messages are delivered, recipients use their smartphone to call their loved ones and the networks really cannot delivery timely information thereafter. We recognized this limitation and developed a new messaging device to take advantage of our messaging protocol, which delivers messages simultaneously. When we developed the product service was priced at thirty dollars per student, which seemed relatively modest compared to cost of tuition. However, compared to the cost of broadband solutions most universities have found it difficult to absorb or charge students for the incremental cost. While it has been challenging we remain optimistic.

CEOCFO: There should be some moral requirements as well!
Mr. Pottle: Yes, I agree. At times some of my colleagues would get frustrated with me because I would get frustrated with decision makers because, knowing the current limitations associated with current efforts, I thought they had a moral obligation to do more and I often made my views very clear.

CEOCFO: Would you tell us about your working with NASCAR?
Mr. Pottle: That is a by-product of a transaction that we did with a company called Aquis Communications. We acquired them at the beginning of the year and their owner, Rich Gdovic and his son, Brandon are both NASCAR drivers that were very committed to developing a more robust NASCAR team. Therefore, as part of our discussions related to acquiring his company, we learned more about what his ambitions were and what his strategic thinking was behind developing a team. We saw an opportunity to align our efforts in terms of acquiring his company and integrating it into ours, but also partnering with him in a sponsorship arrangement, whereby we could expand the profile of American Messaging through NASCAR, which is obviously very popular and gets tremendous exposure.

CEOCFO: You did a couple of acquisitions last year. Is that part of an overall growth strategy or is it more opportunistic?
Mr. Pottle: I would say it is a combination of both. It is very opportunistic and it provides growth in an otherwise mature industry. Generally, we are fortunate in that our coverage areas often overlap with the companies we acquire so the economics of doing a transaction can be highly beneficial to us and to a seller. Therefore, it provides growth but it is also opportunistic for both us and the underlying seller.

CEOCFO: How do you spend your time as CEO?
Mr. Pottle: I generally like to say that I work hard at making certain we have the right people, in the right jobs, working on the right priorities and although this is definitely true I believe my role is to make certain we collectively maintain a culture of accountability. Our tag line is the “Dependable Choice” and in order for us to be dependable in the eyes of our customers we must first be dependable to one another. That means building a culture whereby we are accountable to one another, a culture whereby we are honest about our strengths and weaknesses and a culture whereby we challenge each other and our collective thinking. If we do this collectively our efforts to identify and pursue new strategic initiatives will be far more successful.

CEOCFO: Why pay attention to American Messaging today?
Mr. Pottle: I think the interesting thing about American Messaging is that when we started in June 2005 the question we heard most was “people still use pagers”, whereas today we are increasingly recognized for our broader product suite and our critical messaging expertise. Paging is just a simple name associated with our original wireless messaging networks but what makes this company interesting, is that we have a very robust wireless messaging protocol that is very different from today’s broadband networks. Yet we have embraced other messaging protocols as well. Therefore, today we have a much broader product suite capable of delivering wireless messages using multiple protocols and redundant networks — that makes us unique. The combination of having robust wireless messaging capabilities combined with an extensive track record of excelling at service delivery makes this company very interesting.

BIO: Roy Pottle co-founded American Messaging in November 2005 and is responsible for its overall direction. He has over thirty years of experience in the telecommunications industry with particular knowledge of the wireless messaging. From 1998 to 2004, Roy was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Arch Wireless, Inc., the then largest wireless messaging company in the United States. During this period, Roy was one of three senior executives responsible for managing all aspects of the company. Prior to joining Arch Wireless, Roy was a senior executive for a publicly traded cable television company in Denver, CO and a banker to the media and telecommunications industries in New York and Toronto.

 

Source: CEOCFO Magazine

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infostream

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State-of-the-art paging network infrastructure, fully supported at an affordable price – and it integrates with your other gear, include most makes of transmitters

Whether you are replacing or upgrading your existing network or building out new infrastructure, Infostream has the new equipment and systems that you need.

  • POCSAG & FLEX
  • Optimised for mission critical and public safety networks
  • Highly integrated base station controller
    • GPS
    • 3G modem
    • HTML User Interface
    • Ethernet switch, IP and router
    • Optional integrated radio modems
    • Dual channel capable
    • Integrated off-air (self monitoring) receiver
  • Ultra high reliability configuration (99.999%)
  • Message encryption plug-in
  • Fully featured central site VOIP, CAD, HTML, TAP, TNPP, SMPP access
  • NMS integration including Nagios, SNMP and syslog
  • Comprehensive diagnostics including adjacent site monitoring
  • Deployed internationally in mission critical applications
  • 21 years of industry experience in design, build and integration

Infostream is a world leading supplier of paging and messaging infrastructure, specialized paging receivers and consultancy services. The company was founded in 1993 and has engineered and supplied equipment for some of the largest public safety networks and private paging customers around the world.

Medical • Fire • Police • Security • Mining • Petrochemicals • Financial Markets • Telemetry • Custom Applications

infostreamInfostream Pty Limited
Suite 10, 7 Narabang Way, Belrose, NSW 2085, AUSTRALIA
Sales Email: sales@infostream.com.au | Phone: +61 2 9986 3588 | Afterhours: +61 417 555 525

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USA MOBILITY ANNOUNCES NAME CHANGE TO SPOK

USA MOBILITY WIRELESS AND AMCOM SOFTWARE COME TOGETHER UNDER SINGLE IDENTITY, FURTHER INTEGRATING CRITICAL COMMUNICATION SOLUTIONS

SPRINGFIELD, VA – July 8, 2014 – USA Mobility, Inc. (NASDAQ: USMO), including Amcom Software and USA Mobility Wireless, today announced a new corporate name—Spok—launching a new era in critical communications with an innovative and combined identity. The name Spok (pronounced "spoke") is effective today, and the Company’s stock will begin trading tomorrow, July 9th, under the NASDAQ stock ticker symbol "SPOK."

"We believe our new corporate name reflects the significant changes our Company has undergone in recent years," said Vincent D. Kelly, president and chief executive officer, "and will better define the strategic direction we are pursuing toward a successful future. Why 'Spok?' Because it evokes an integral part of a greater whole: like the spokes of a wheel, each supporting the other and the overall network. It’s about movement, strength, reliability, and speed—all the things needed in your critical communications. After all, a closed loop is what it’s all about."

Spok delivers smart, reliable critical communication solutions to help protect the health, well-being, and safety of people around the globe, providing more than 125,000 organizations worldwide with effective solutions for workflow improvement, secure texting, paging services, call center optimization, and public safety response. Dependable critical communications are paramount for individuals in healthcare, public safety, and a host of other industries Spok serves. In short, the Company’s technology is used by people who save lives. Whether these customers are doctors treating patients or emergency operators responding to a critical event, having quick and easy access to the information they need to assess a situation is essential. Spok is a leader in critical communications, and its solutions are accessible from a variety of mobile devices to help ensure information is delivered when and where it matters most.

"Speed, accuracy and reliability are essential for communications in any industry, and we now enjoy a hard-won position of leadership in the critical communication space," said Kelly. "Our new name and brand positions us for an exciting future as we innovate solutions backed by decades of experience in helping organizations respond quickly when seconds count." With the wealth of information available today, everyone needs to work smarter to leverage automation, share knowledge, and coordinate efforts toward security and safety. Spok’s integrated solutions create efficiencies in communications to improve safety and the user experience. This is particularly relevant in healthcare and public safety where consolidation is a major trend.

"This is a unique time for our Company as we evolve from providing reliable paging services and market-leading software offerings to an expanded, integrated set of solutions that solve a host of complex challenges in a variety of industries," Kelly added. "Our new single identity creates more value for our key audiences, including customers, partners, employees, and stockholders as we transition our business to a global software leader in critical communications."

In 2011, USA Mobility, the market leader in paging and wireless messaging, purchased Amcom Software, an industry-leading communication software company offering solutions for clinical alerting, contact centers, emergency management, and secure texting. Today Spok is a fully integrated company employing approximately 650 employees around the globe.

ABOUT SPOK
Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPOK) is proud to be a leader in critical communications for healthcare, government, public safety, and other industries. We deliver smart, reliable solutions to help protect the health, well-being, and safety of people around the globe. More than 125,000 organizations worldwide rely on Spok for workflow improvement, secure texting, paging services, contact center optimization, and public safety response. When communications matter, Spok delivers. Visit us at spok.com or find us on Twitter @Spoktweets .

Media Inquiries:

Bob Lougee
(800) 611-8488
Bob.Lougee@spok.com

Laura Telander Graf
(651) 698-4006
ltg@mcfarlandcomm.net

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act: Statements contained herein or in prior press releases which are not historical fact, such as statements regarding Spok's future operating and financial performance, are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause Spok's actual results to be materially different from the future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expectations include, but are not limited to, declining demand for paging products and services, continued demand for our software products and services, our ability to develop additional software solutions for our customers and manage our development as a global organization, the ability to manage operating expenses, future capital needs, competitive pricing pressures, competition from both traditional paging services and other wireless communications services, competition from other software providers, government regulation, reliance upon third-party providers for certain equipment and services, as well as other risks described from time to time in our periodic reports and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although Spok believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. Spok disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Source: SPOK

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Ivy Corp 

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ivy

ivy

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German court backs LPKF in Motorola dispute

By David Eldridge
Posted 11 July 2014

A German court has told Motorola it must stop selling cell phones which have antennas made with a patented plastic electronics process.

LPKF Laser & Electronics, based in Garbsen, Germany, said it has won a preliminary victory in a legal dispute concerning the infringement of its patent for Laser Direct Structuring (LDS). On July 8, the Mannheim Regional Court ordered Motorola Deutschland and Motorola Mobility USA to stop selling cell phones in Germany that infringe the patent and ordered Motorola Deutschland to recall all cell phones that infringe the patent from commercial customers. The court also ruled that both defendants must pay compensation.

The judgment may be appealed, but Motorola has not said whether it will do so. When contacted by European Plastics News, Motorola said it would comply with the court’s decision by selling phones that use alternative technology.

“We are disappointed in the decision but Motorola has taken steps to avoid any interruption in supply or recall issues by using authorised, non-infringing components in its phones,” said William Moss, in Motorola Mobility’s corporate communications department.

The LDS process was developed by LPKF to tap into the growing market for moulded interconnect devices (MIDs) , in which injection moulded components have embedded circuit traces, thereby reducing the size and cost of electronic components. In LDS, the component is moulded using a polymer with a metal additive, which is activated by laser that writes the course of the later circuit trace on the plastic.

LPKF said LDS has increasingly been used by electronics companies to produce complex antennas for cell phones or tablet PCs. But in 2013, the patent was declared invalid in China.

“LPKF subsequently submitted an application to reopen proceedings, which China’s Supreme People’s Court accepted for review. Furthermore, LPKF is systematically taking action against cell phone manufacturers that bring counterfeit LDS components into circulation outside China,” said the company in a statement.

LPKF has not named the other companies it is taking action against.

Ingo Bretthauer, CEO of LPKF, said he feels vindicated by the judgment against Motorola in his fight for the LDS patent: “The more attractive a patent is, the harder you have to work to defend it. We will continue to fight for our patent in China and systematically take action against infringers outside China. This is part and parcel of a technology company’s everyday business.”

Source: European Plastics News

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Critical Response Systems

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More than Paging.
First Responder Solutions.

Our patented technology notifies clinical personnel immediately, while tracking who receives and responds to each alarm. Users confirm or defer each event with a single button press, and analytic dashboards display response statistics in real time, as well as historically broken down by time, unit, room, and individual.

Our systems not only notify your personnel quickly and reliably, but also provide actionable feedback to fine-tune your procedures, reduce unnecessary alarms, and improve patient outcomes.

www.criticalresponsesystems.com

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Stadium in Berlin Gets Turned Into Giant Living Room with 750 Couches and 700″ TV

For the duration of this year’s World Cup, Berlin’s Stadion An der Alten Försterei (home to FC Union Berlin) will be transformed into a gigantic living room. The field will be outfitted with 750 couches (brought in by fans), complete with side tables and lamps for each along with a massive 700″ TV surrounded by cheesy wallpaper.

Admission is free and the giant living room, known as WM Wohnzimmer will offer a capacity up to 12,000 people. Couch seats are assigned by application/lottery and you can sign up here. Organizers will also cover every couch in the event of rain. Can you think of a better atmosphere to watch matches? It should be quite the scene when Germany plays.

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[Our friend and colleague—in Berlin— Dr. Dietmar Gollnick, sent in this great photo of his 10-year old son Maxim.]

By the way — just in case you haven't heard — Germany beat Brazil 7-1 in the World Cup semifinals.

Source: Twisted Sifter

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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
 usalert
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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Amazon allowed kids to spend millions on in-app purchases, FTC says

Grant Gross
Jul 10, 2014 10:53 AM
PC World

Amazon.com has billed parents for millions of dollars’ worth of unauthorized in-app purchases made by their children, the FTC said in a complaint filed Thursday in a U.S. court.

The FTC’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, seeks a court order requiring Amazon.com to refund parents for unauthorized purchases made by their children. The FTC also wants the court to ban the company from billing parents and other account holders for in-app charges without their consent, the agency said in a press release.

Amazon.com keeps 30 percent of all in-app charges, the FTC said in its complaint. The Amazon case “highlights a central tenant” of consumer protection laws in the U.S., that companies should get customer permission before charging them, said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC’s Consumer Protection Bureau, during a press conference about the lawsuit.

Amazon employees raised concerns about in-app purchases by children years before the company changed its procedures, Rich said. Amazon customers seeking refunds found a process “unclear and rife with deterrents,” she said. Amazon’s official policy on in-app purchases said it does not give refunds, she added.

Amazon, in a letter to the FTC July 1, said it was “deeply disappointed” that the agency was moving toward filing a lawsuit. “We have continuously improved our experience since launch, but even at launch, when customers told us their kids had made purchases they didn’t want we refunded those purchases,” wrote Andrew DeVore, Amazon’s associate general counsel.

The FTC’s lawsuit against Amazon.com echoes a complaint brought by the agency against Apple. In January, Apple agreed to pay at least $32.5 million to customers in a settlement with the FTC over children’s in-app purchases.

This week, Politico reported that Apple has complained to the FTC that Google allows the same kinds of in-app purchases in its mobile app store.

The FTC’s recent focus on in-app purchases by children has drawn criticism. This week, Senator Deb Fischer, a Nebraska Republican, questioned the FTC’s actions in a letter to the agency.

“Few, if any, doubt that the app marketplace established in recent years by Amazon and its competitors has fundamentally expanded and improved the American economy,” Fischer wrote. “To pursue enforcement against these companies for specific policies in place at the market’s nascent stage would constitute a de facto tax on innovation that threatens future growth and opportunity.”

In the Amazon case, the FTC noted that the company offers many children’s apps for mobile devices such as the Kindle Fire. The company violated the FTC Act, prohibiting unfair and deceptive business practices, by billing parents and other Amazon account holders for charges incurred by children without adult consent.

Amazon’s app store allowed children playing games to spend “unlimited amounts” of money to pay for virtual items without parental involvement, the FTC alleged.

When Amazon introduced in-app charges to the Amazon app store in November 2011, there were no password requirements of any kind, the FTC alleged. Many kids’ games encouraged children to acquire virtual items in ways that blur the lines between spending virtual currency and real money, the agency said.

In one app, Ice Age Village, children can use virtual coins and acorns to buy items in the game without a real-money charge. However, they can also purchase additional coins and acorns using real money on a screen that is visually similar to the one that has no real-money charge, the FTC said. A one-time purchase in the app could cost as much as $99.99.

As early as December 2011, Amazon employees raised concerns about in-app purchases, the FTC said in its complaint. One internal Amazon communication said that allowing unlimited in-app charges without any password was “clearly causing problems for a large percentage of our customers,” the FTC said.

In March 2012, Amazon updated its in-app charge system to require an account owner to enter a password for individual in-app charges over $20. But Amazon continued to allow children to make an unlimited number of individual purchases of less than $20 without a parent’s approval, the FTC said.

An Amazon employee noted at the time of the change that “it’s much easier to get upset about Amazon letting your child purchase a $99 product without any password protection than a $20 product,” according to the complaint.

Then in early 2013, Amazon updated its in-app charge process to require password entry for some charges, but the process worked in different ways in different contexts, the FTC alleged. Even when a parent was prompted for a password to authorize a single in-app charge made by a child, that single authorization often opened an undisclosed window of 15 minutes to an hour allowing the child to make unlimited charges, the agency said.

Amazon changed its in-app purchase policy again in June, “roughly two and a half years after the problem first surfaced,” the FTC said in a press release.

Updated at 11:50 a.m. PT with comments from the FTC, Amazon, and a U.S. Senator.

Source: PC World

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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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90 percent of 911 calls made in Washington, DC lacked accurate location info

BY MAT SMITH @THATMATSMITH
July 11, 2014
engadget

Data pulled from a recent Freedom of Information Act request reveals that an overwhelming majority of 911 wireless calls made over a six-month period last year in Washington, DC were delivered "without accurate location information to find callers who are lost, confused, unconscious or otherwise unable to share their location." Only ten percent of calls from the first half of 2013 within the city included detailed location data. At the moment, FCC regulations demand higher location accuracy only on outdoor calls, making built-up areas like DC harder to hone in on. Public safety officials told the Washington Post that these location issues are widespread.

According to Find Me 911 , carriers typically able to offer "Phase I' data, which covers a phone number and the location of the base station transmitting the call. 'Phase I' data, meanwhile, includes latitude and longitude coordinates, accurate to between 50 and 300 meters. According to the data, Verizon and Sprint offered this detailed information on 24.6 percent and 23.3 percent of emergency calls. However, T-Mobile included this location data on a dire 3.2 percent of emergency calls. Worse still, AT&T only did so on 2.6 percent of calls made. Fortunately, the FCC approved new technology last year that will apparently more accurately locate callers indoors. It reckons that updated rules regarding location accuracy from wireless callers would save around 10,000 lives a year.

Source: engadget Thanks to Barry Kanne, our “unpaid” assistant editor. Actually, he pays to read the newsletter, and it is very much appreciated.

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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

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Paradise Valley, AZ 85253
www.leavittcom.com

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Sirens, phones sound erroneous alert in California

By MATT HAMILTON | The Associated Press
First Published Jun 28 2014 07:50 pm
Last Updated Jun 28 2014 07:50 pm

Los Angeles — Residents in San Luis Obispo County received a series of unsettling, erroneous emergency alerts Friday as repairs were being made to a nuclear power plant’s siren system, including a vague cellphone message that told them to "prepare for action."

The chain of mistaken alerts began arousing confusion and fear when a siren that’s part of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant’s warning system began wailing Friday afternoon for no apparent reason, county emergency services Manager Ron Alsop said.

Earlier in the day, crews had upgraded the siren as part of Pacific Gas & Electric Co.’s summer-long revamp of the emergency system.

To indicate there was no emergency, county officials issued an alert.

"Unbeknownst to us, with a new emergency alert system, it also triggered the new wireless alert cellphone system," Alsop said.

Across the county, people’s cellphones buzzed with a special tone and a message that said there was a "civil emergency in this area" and people should "prepare for action."

The warning halted wine tasting at the Saucelito Canyon Vineyard & Winery in San Luis Obispo, Manager Katherine Taylor said.

"I had 15 people here, looking at their phones and asking what to do," she said.

Nisse Noble, 27, was at her online apparel company’s office when she received the message. The vague warning was "unsettling," leading her to think there was a mass shooting, a nuclear accident or a criminal at large in the area, she said.

"We didn’t know where we should turn or what we should prepare for," Noble said.

Source: The Salt Lake Tribune

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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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Preferred Wireless

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1GL3000 ES — 2 Chassis
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3Zetron 2200 Terminals
1Unipage—Many Unipage Cards & Chassis
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4Glenayre Universal Exciters, 1 UHF, 3 VHF
5Hot Standby Panel—2 Old Style, 3 New Style
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38Andrews PG1N0F-0093-810 Antennas 928-944 MHz, Omni, 10dBi, 8 Degree Down-Tilt
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Link Transmitters:
1QT-5701, 35W, UHF, Link Transmitter
4Glenayre QT4201 & 6201, 25 & 100W Midband Link TX
1Glenayre QT6994, 150W, 900 MHz Link TX
3Motorola 10W, 900 MHz Link TX (C35JZB6106)
2Eagle 900 MHz Link Transmitters, 60 & 80W
8Glenayre GL C2100 Link Repeaters
2Motorola Q2630A, 30W, UHF Link TX
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1Glenayre QT7505
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20Glenayre UHF GLT5340, 125W, DSP Exciter
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40Motorola Nucleus 900 MHz 300W CNET Transmitters

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Preferred Wireless

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Blackphone, the privacy-focused Android smartphone, begins shipping to pre-order customers

Blackphone , the privacy-focused Android smartphone unveiled back in January, is finally a real product. Collaborators Silent Circle , an encrypted communications firm and Geeksphone , a Spanish smartphone maker today announced that the first handsets have begun shopping to pre-orders customers.

It’s been a long time coming. Pre-orders opened in February , during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and the first handsets were expected to ship in April. The handset itself sports a quad-core 2 GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage and support for LTE networks.

The components aren't bleeding-edge, but bundled with the $629 asking price is a suite of apps developed by Silent Circle. Some of these, such as Silent Phone, Silent Text and Silent Contacts , are available on other Android and iOS devices, but the following are exclusive to the new handset: Blackphone Security Center, Blackphone Activation Wizard and Blackphone Remote Wipe.

The hope is that this smartphone will offer greater protection than its mainstream rivals and appeal to those who care about keeping their personal data under lock and key.

Source: The Next Web

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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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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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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 Telecom UpdateVol. 17, No. 26July 2, 2014

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BloostonLaw Telecom UpdateVol. 17, No. 27July 9, 2014

CAF Phase II Challenge Process Officially Begins

The FCC has released a Public Notice commencing the Connect America Fund Phase II challenge process for price cap territories. Parties have until August 14 to file challenges. A map of census blocks that have been deemed initially eligible for Phase II support is available online.

Clients should vigorously challenge the areas they serve from being labeled as unserved, and should consider challenging the designation of census blocks they may potentially be interested bidding on in later phases. BloostonLaw is experienced in helping clients participate in both types of FCC challenge proceedings, having helped numerous clients successfully make challenge showings regarding support in their service areas, as well as defeat challenges to their own bids for support.

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Comment Deadlines Set for Omnibus USF/ICC Report and Order and Further Rule Making Proposal

The FCC published its Report and Order (and Declaratory Ruling, Order, Memorandum Opinion and Order, Seventh Order on Reconsideration, and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) on USF/ICC Reform in the Federal Register today, establishing August 8 as the initial comment deadline for the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and the effective date for the other portions of the document (except §54.301(e)(1), which requires OMB approval).

The FNPRM seeks comment on a wide variety of topics that are sure to affect rural carriers, including increasing broadband speed requirements to 10/1; excluding areas served by any provider (rather than unsubsidized providers) from funding eligibility; and re-targeting the focus of Mobility Fund Phase II to areas without LTE.

Clients interested in filing comments should contact the firm without delay.

Headlines

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FCC Releases Local Telephone Competition Report, Internet Access Services Report

The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau last week released its Local Telephone Competition Report , summarizing information collected on Form 477 from ILECs, CLECs and mobile telephony providers about telephone services as of June 30, 2013.

Highlights of the report show as of June 30, 2013, there were 90 million end-user switched access lines in service, 45 million interconnected VoIP subscriptions, and 306 million mobile subscriptions in the United States, or 441 million retail local telephone service connections in total. Over a three year period, interconnected VoIP subscriptions increased at a compound annual growth rate of 16 percent, mobile telephony subscriptions increased at a compound annual growth rate of 3 percent, and retail switched access lines declined at 10 percent a year.

Retail Local Telephone Service Connections, 2010-2013

(In Thousands)

Concurrent with the Local Telephone Competition Report, the WCB also released its Internet Access Services Report , summarizing information about Internet access connections over 200 kbps in at least one direction in service in the United States on June 30, 2013, as collected by FCC Form 477.

Notable developments between June 2012 and June 2013 include:

  • Internet connections overall are growing. The number of connections over 200 kbps in at least one direction increased by 13% year-over-year to 276 million.
  • In June 2013, there were 70 million fixed and 93 million mobile connections with download speeds at or above 3 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds at or above 768 kbps as compared to 57 million fixed and 43 million mobile connections a year earlier.

Form 477 gathers standardized information about subscribership to Internet access services in the fifty states, District of Columbia, and inhabited insular areas (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands). The information is reported by telephone companies, cable system operators, terrestrial wireless service providers, satellite service providers, and other facilities-based providers of advanced telecommunications capability. This is the tenth report to include details about subscribership differences among census tracts and counties, as well as subscribership differences among the states.

FCC Applies Default Comment Cycle to Requests for Review of USAC Contributions

On July 2, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau issued a Public Notice announcing that it will immediately begin applying the “default comment cycle” described in §1.45 of the FCC’s rules to requests for review of USAC decisions concerning USF contributions.

According to the rule, comments will be due ten days after the initial application for review of a USAC decision is filed, and reply comments will be due five days after that. Previously, the comment cycle for such appeals was set when the filing went on Public Notice, meaning an indeterminate amount of time could pass between filing the appeal and the FCC’s taking comment. The Bureau also indicated that it may extend any such comment cycle, on its own volition, in cases of particular complexity or industry significance.

However, an indeterminate amount of time can still pass between the filing of comments and a decision by the FCC.

FCC invites Iowa National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program Applications

In 2012, the FCC certified 53 programs to distribute equipment under the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP) in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For Iowa, the FCC designated the Iowa Utilities Board. However, recently the Iowa Utilities Board informed the FCC that it was unable to continue participating in the NDBEDP, effective July 1, 2014.

To ensure that Iowa is able to continue participating in the NDBEDP, the FCC is inviting applications from entities interested in receiving certification to distribute equipment under the NDBEDP to qualifying residents in Iowa. Any public program or private entity may apply to the Commission for certification to become the sole authorized entity for Iowa to participate in the NDBEDP and receive reimbursement for NDBEDP activities from the TRS Fund. There is no application form or fee to apply for certification in the NDBEDP pilot program.

Law & Regulation

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FCC Proposes to Terminate Older Proceedings

The FCC Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau (“CGB”) seeks comment on whether numerous docketed Commission proceedings should be terminated as dormant in its third Dormant Proceedings Termination Public Notice. The proceedings to be terminated include dockets in which no further action is required or contemplated by the FCC, as well as those in which no pleadings or other documents have been filed for several years. The termination of a dormant proceeding includes dismissal as moot of any pending petition, motion, or other request for relief that is procedural in nature or otherwise does not address the merits of the proceeding. The records in terminated proceedings remain part of the Commission’s official records, and the various pleadings, orders, and other documents in these dockets continue to be accessible to the public, post-termination.

Parties with pending proceedings at the FCC should review the list and consider filing comments. According to the FCC, proceedings in which petitions addressing the merits are pending should not be terminated, absent the parties’ consent. However, to the extent that a particular proceeding includes a petition addressing the merits or other pending pleadings, a party’s failure to file comments in response to the FCC's Public Notice will be construed as consent to termination of that proceeding.

Comments on the proceedings to be terminated will be due 30 days and reply comments will be due after 45 days after Federal Register publication of the Public Notice.

EPA to Adopt Wage Garnishment Under the Debt Collection Improvement Act

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published in the July 2, 2014, Federal Register notice that it is taking direct final action to amend its claims collection standards to implement the wage garnishment provisions of the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1982, as amended by the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA). The direct final rule will allow the EPA to garnish non- Federal wages to collect delinquent non-tax debts owed to the United States, such as fines levied by the EPA, without first obtaining a court order. EPA may garnish up to 15 percent of the disposable pay of a debtor to satisfy a delinquent non-tax debt owed to the United States.

Under the rules, employers of an individual subject to wage garnishment must remit payment as directed by the EPA and shall be liable for any amount that the employer fails to withhold from wages due an employee following receipt by such employer of notice of the withholding order, plus attorneys’ fees, costs, and, in the court’s discretion, punitive damages.

The EPA has drawn scrutiny recently for very large fines imposed on individuals for seemingly innocuous actions. For example, The Washington Times reports that the EPA threatened to fine a Wyoming man $75,000 per day for building a pond on his property without a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers and a Missouri man paid a $20,000 penalty to the EPA when his work crew dumped dirt into tributaries of a creek while working on a dam.

The direct final rule will be effective September 2, 2014 without further notice unless EPA receives adverse comments by August 1, 2014. According to EPA, if it receives such comments, "it will publish a timely withdrawal of the direct final rule in the Federal Register and inform the public that the rule will not take effect."

House and Senate Democrats Support Municipal Government Broadband Overbuilds

Eight Democratic lawmakers are encouraging the FCC to eliminate barriers for municipal governments to enter into the broadband marketplace, and have asked that the FCC to report within 30 days on what steps the agency will be taking to promote community broadband.

A June 27 letter sent to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler by Democratic Sens. Ed Markey (MA), Al Franken (MN), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Richard Blumenthal (CT) and Cory Booker (NJ), and Democratic Reps. Henry Waxman (CA), Anna Eshoo (CA) and Mike Doyle (PA) praised Wheeler for his recent comments asserting that municipal governments should not be inhibited if they wished to pursue the creation of their own networks.
“[L]ocal communities should have the opportunity to decide for themselves how to invest in their own infrastructure,” the lawmakers wrote. Options mentioned in the letter included working with willing incumbent carriers, creating incentives for private sector development, entering into creative public-private partnerships, or buildout of their own networks.

The Congressional letter is a clear signal that key Democratic lawmakers support the FCC Chairman’s previously announced plans to preempt state laws that ban or restrict competition from community broadband. A June 10 blog post by Wheeler described efforts by the City of Chattanooga, Tennessee, to construct its own fiber optic network as a response to network upgrade delays by local cable and phone companies, and despite a state law that is inhibiting the expansion of Chattanooga’s network to adjoining communities.

Chattanooga is sometimes known as “Gig City” because it boasts one of the least expensive and fastest Internet services in the country. The fiber-optic network provides transfer rates of up to one gigabit per second (200 times the speed of the national average) at a cost of less than $70 per month.

“I understand that, like any venture, community broadband there hasn't always been a success,” wrote Wheeler. “But a review of the record shows far more successes than failures. If the people, acting through their elected local governments, want to pursue competitive community broadband, they shouldn't be stopped by state laws promoted by cable and telephone companies that don’t want that competition.”

Republican lawmakers had earlier criticized Wheeler for statements viewed as promoting “taxpayer funded competition” at the National Cable and Telecommunications Association trade show last May.

“Inserting the Commission into the states’ economic and fiscal affairs in such a cavalier fashion shows a lack of respect for states’ rights,” said a June 5 letter signed by eleven Republican Senators.

Laws in at least twenty (20) states either discourage or prevent local governments from constructing broadband networks that compete with incumbent commercial cable companies and other ISPs, according to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Illegal Retransmission of TV Signals leads to $2.25 Million Fine Against Cable Operator

The Federal Communications Commission has issued a $2.25 million fine against TV Max, Inc. and Broadcast Ventures Six, LLC and certain of their affiliates and subsidiaries for illegal retransmission of over the air broadcast televisions signals from six Houston area television stations. In each case, TV Max continued to retransmit the television signals from its head-end to its 10,000 customers in the Houston, Texas Designated Market Area (DMA), in 245 multiple-dwelling unit buildings (MDUs) even though its retransmission agreements with the television broadcast licensees had either been allowed to expire or had been terminated pursuant to the terms of the agreement. This illegal rebroadcasting continued for six months even though TV Max had been notified by the Broadcasters to cease operation and by the FCC’s Media Bureau that its retransmission of the over the air television signals was illegal and in violation of the FCC’s Rules. Despite these warnings, the FCC found that TV Max’s illegal retransmissions continued.

TV Max claimed that its retransmission fell into an exception that is reserved for the use of master antenna television (MATV) systems on multiple-dwelling unit buildings. However, while TV Max was transitioning to the MATV systems on its 245 buildings, it continued to retransmit the signals from its head-end. Additionally, even after it finally converted its buildings, it continued to retransmit television signals from its head-end via fiber ring and the master antennas that had been installed on its buildings rather than just by the master antennas. As a result, the FCC concluded that the retransmissions were illegal, since TV Max was not providing the signal that had been taken off the air at each building.

In calculating the fine that was originally proposed in the Notice of Apparent Liability, the FCC noted that TV Max would have been liable for a fine of over $16 million. However, because of TV Max’s size, it reduced the fine at the outset to $2.25 million even though the FCC had concluded that TV Max’s conduct was egregious.

Office clients with questions regarding retransmission rights and copyright questions in connection with video programming should promptly contact our office.

Industry

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FTC Sues T-Mobile Over Alleged Bogus Charges on Customer Bills

In a unanimous decision, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington seeking a court order to (a) prevent T-Mobile from engaging in mobile cramming, (b) require refunds for consumers and (c) disgorge T-Mobile’s ill-gotten gains. In filing its complaint, the FTC noted the valuable assistance that it received from the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau. As a result, it is possible that the FCC could likewise take action against T-Mobile.

According to the FTC, the cramming charges arise out of a variety of conduct by T-Mobile, stemming from its alleged practice of placing charges on its customers’ mobile phone bills for purported “premium” SMS subscriptions that were often never authorized by its subscribers. These “premium” services included subscriptions to services to provide horoscopes, flirting tips and celebrity gossip. The FTC alleges that T-Mobile retained 35 – 40% of the total amount charged for subscriptions – which generally was $9.99 per month. Additionally, the FTC claims that T-Mobile engaged in other misconduct, including: (a) billing customers for third party services offered by scammers after becoming aware of the signs that the charges were fraudulent, (b) designing and/or using invoice structures (both on paper and paperless) that made it difficult for the consumer to find and detect the fraudulent charge, (c) continuing to charge customers for crammed services even though it was issuing refunds for up to 40 percent of the charges in a particular month – which the FCC stated should have been an obvious sign that the charges were most likely never authorized by its customers, and (d) failure to provide requested refunds, either because T-Mobile required customers to seek redress from the 3rd party scammer (without providing accurate contact information) or only provided a partial refund.

Edith Ramirez, Chairwoman of the FTC stated that “[i]t’s wrong for a company like T-Mobile to profit from scams against its customers when there were clear warning signs the charges it was imposing where fraudulent. The FTC’s goal is to ensure that T-Mobile repays all its customers for these crammed charges.” Additionally, the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau stated that “[c]onsumers should not be charged for services they did not order.” Travis LeBlanc, Acting Chief of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau continued that “[w]e will coordinate our investigation with the FTC, and use our independent enforcement authority to ensure a thorough, swift, and just resolution of the numerous complaints against T-Mobile.” In this regard, over the past four years, the FCC has proposed more than $33 million in fines for cramming in nine separate enforcement actions.

T-Mobile’s website includes a statement calling the charges “unfounded and without merit”, and asserting that all carriers faced the problem of unscrupulous third party scammers. T-Mobile claims it was aggressive in responding to the problem.

Supreme Court Rules Against Aereo Streaming TV Service

In a 6-3 ruling seen as a significant victory for broadcasters, the United States Supreme Court last week held that the TV streaming service known as Aereo violated copyright law by capturing broadcast signals on miniature antennas and transmitting them to subscribers for a fee.

The ruling in American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. v. Aereo, Inc ., delivered by Justice Breyer, overturned lower court decisions that had found in favor of the streaming TV upstart. The Supreme Court found that Aereo's business model was no different than that of a cable television provider, despite differences in the technology.

“We have decided to pause our operations temporarily as we consult with the court and map out our next steps,” said Aereo chief executive Chet Kanojia in a letter announcing suspension of the company’s service last weekend.

By way of background, Aereo’s customers paid $8 to $12 per month to rent one of the company’s dime-sized antennas, which in turn allowed subscribers to stream and record programs to their mobile phones, tablets, personal computers and Internet-connected televisions. The company did not disclose its subscriber counts publicly, but it offered service in ten metropolitan areas as of last January and analysts estimated that Aereo had signed up between 300,000 to 500,000 subscribers. Reviews of the service have been generally positive.

The Copyright Act of 1976 gives a copyright owner the exclusive right to perform the copyrighted work publicly. The Act’s “Transmit Clause” defines that exclusive right as including the right to transmit or otherwise communicate a performance of the work to the public by means of any device or process. Relying on a close reading of that law, Aereo claimed that because it transmits from user-specific copies, using individually-assigned antennas, and because each transmission was available to only one subscriber, that it did not transmit a performance “to the public.”

The majority opinion instead looked at the intent of the Copyright Act and Congress’s regulatory objectives and concluded that behind-the-scenes technological differences did not distinguish Aereo’s system from cable TV systems, which do perform publicly. The Court then concluded that Congress would as much have intended to protect a copyright holder from the unlicensed activities of Aereo as those of cable companies.

Justices Scalia, Thomas and Alito joined in a dissenting opinion that agreed with Aereo on the public performance issue and which criticized the majority for adopting “an improvised standard (“looks-like-cable-TV”) that will sow confusion for years to come.”

Before the decision, Aereo, which was founded in 2012, said that it had “no Plan B” if it lost in court.

Carlos Slim to “Dismantle” Mexican Telecom Empire to Avoid Antitrust Action

Bloomberg and other sources are reporting that Carlos Slim’s telecom giant America Movil SAB is planning a breakup of its phone operations in Mexico in the face of recent regulatory changes in Mexico. The regulations would force America Movil to share parts of its network and eliminate the fees it charges other operators to connect calls to its customers, unless it reduced its Mexican market share below 50%.

America Movil is the largest operator in the Americas, with 272 million wireless subscribers, and the largest in Mexico with 70 percent of Mexico's mobile market and 80 percent of the fixed line business. In response to the new regulations, which the company will divest assets to an independent company, reducing its market share in Mexican landlines and mobile phones to below 50 percent; separate its wireless towers from the rest of the business; and will renounce its rights to acquire control of satellite-TV provider Dish Mexico . Bloomberg reports that America Movil may fetch about $8.6 billion by selling assets and will need to divest about 21 million wireless users and 4 million landlines to reduce its market share below 50 percent.

According to The New York Times , the government hopes that the new law will add an additional $19 billion to $23 billion in telecommunications investment over the course of President Peña Nieto’s six-year term, which ends in 2018.

Deadlines

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AUGUST 1: FCC FORM 502, NUMBER UTILIZATION AND FORECAST REPORT: Any wireless or wireline carrier ( including paging companies ) that have received number blocks—including 100, 1,000, or 10,000 number blocks—from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA), a Pooling Administrator, or from another carrier, must file Form 502 by August 1. Carriers porting numbers for the purpose of transferring an established customer’s service to another service provider must also report, but the carrier receiving numbers through porting does not. Resold services should also be treated like ported numbers, meaning the carrier transferring the resold service to another carrier is required to report those numbers but the carrier receiving such numbers should not report them. Reporting carriers file utilization and forecast reports semiannually on or before February 1 for the preceding six-month reporting period ending December 31, and on or before August 1 for the preceding six-month reporting period ending June 30.

Calendar At-A-Glance

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July
Jul. 10 – Comments are due on T-Mobile Data Roaming Petition.
Jul. 14 – Comments are due on Citizens Broadband Radio Service FNPRM.
Jul. 14 – Reply comments on Market Analysis for CenturyLink Forbearance Petition are due.
Jul. 14 – Reply comments are due on proposed FCC fee revisions.
Jul. 15 – Comments are due on the Open Internet NPRM.
Jul. 15 – Comments are due refreshing the record on the 2010 Broadband NOI.
Jul. 23 – Comments are due on LMCC Petition to Expand Conditional Temporary Authorization
Jul. 31 – FCC Form 507 (Universal Service Quarterly Line Count Update) is due.
Jul. 31 – Carrier Identification Code (CIC) Report is due.
Jul. 31 – FCC Form 690 (Mobility Fund Phase I Auction Winner Annual Report) is due.

August
Aug. 1 – FCC Form 502 due (North American Numbering Plan Utilization and Forecast Report).
Aug. 1 – FCC Form 499-Q due (Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet.
Aug. 1 – Reply comments are due on Citizens Broadband Radio Service FNPRM.
Aug. 4 – Reply comments on LMCC Petition to Expand Conditional Temporary Authorization are due.
Aug. 8 – Comments are due on the FCC’s Omnibus USF/ICC Order.
Aug. 11 – Reply comments are due on T-Mobile Data Roaming Petition.
Aug. 14 – Deadline for CAF Phase II Challenges.
Aug. 29 – Copyright Statement of Accounts is due.

September
Sep. 1 – FCC Form 477 due (Local Competition and Broadband Reporting).
Sep. 10 – Reply comments are due on the Open Internet NPRM.
Sep. 10 – Reply comments are due refreshing the record on the 2010 Broadband NOI.

 

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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LG Unveils Display That Can Be Rolled Up Like A Piece Of Paper

TECH 7/11/2014 @ 8:23 AM
By Jay McGregor
Forbes

Imagine the scene: You’re about to move house and you’ve got a gigantic 60-inch TV to carefully ferry across town to your new home, so you just roll it up like a poster and shove it into the back of your van. According to LG, this could be a reality by 2017.

LG’s display division yesterday announced two new types of panels, a rollable 18-inch OLED panel and an 18-inch transparent OLED panel. LG claims that the rollable display has a resolution of 1200 x 810, with almost 1 million mega-pixels. The panel can also be rolled up to a radius of 3cm without affecting the quality of the display.

Instead of using plastic to achieve this level of flexibility, LG said the panel is made out of a “high molecular substance-based polyime film”.

The transparent panel, as LG explained, has 30% transmittance, which is significantly higher than the 10% transmittance in existing transparent LCD panels. LG says that it achieved this by adopting the company’s transparent pixel design technology and incorporating it into the new display.

LG hopes that it will be able to combine the two new technologies and launch a TV that’s both rollable and transparent by 2017. Byung Kang, senior vice president of LG, said “ We are confident that by 2017 we will successfully develop an Ultra HD flexible and transparent OLED panel of more than 60 inches, which will have transmittance of more than 40% and a curvature radius of 100R”.

However, head of corporate PR, Jean Lee told me that more work needs to be done before the product can be commercialised: “We expect that it should take time to see the products in market because all related components should also be fully ready.”

LG has already shown-off some impressive flexible TV technology at CES earlier this year. It also joins Samsung and Nokia , who are both producing increasingly pliable displays.

At the Society for Information Display conference last month, Nokia demoed its high-resolution “book-type” and “three-fold” displays that can be folded within a 2mm radius, but also max-out at 100,000 folds.

Source: Forbes

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Friends & Colleagues

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Ira Wiesenfeld, P.E.

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Cellphone: 631-786-9359

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Boston Using Solar-Powered Benches as Phone Charging Stations

Tiffany Kaiser - July 1, 2014 1:09 PM

They're rolling out over the next week

Benches won't just be benches in some parts of Boston anymore — they'll also be outdoor charging stations for consumer electronics.

According to the city of Boston , it plans to install benches called "Soofas," which are solar-powered, outdoor charging stations that also collect information like air quality and noise level data.

The city of Boston teamed up with MIT Media Lab firm Changing Environments to make the benches, which will be deployed in Boston areas including Titus Sparrow Park in the South End, the Boston Common and the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Not only will the Soofas provide extra seating area for citizens and tourists, but they'll also allow two phones to be charged at a time.

A Soofa [SOURCE: City of Boston]

“Your cell phone doesn’t just make phone calls, why should our benches just be seats?” said Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. “We are fortunate to have talented entrepreneurs and makers in Boston thinking creatively about sustainability and the next generation of amenities for our residents.”

The Soofa benches are expected to be rolled out over the next week with testing continuing in areas like Babson College and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

For the Bostonians out there, you can submit ideas for names of the Soofas in each park by July 11 through Twitter to @mysoofa or via the website, soofa.co. If your idea is picked, you'll be invited to visit designers at the MIT Media Lab and see how Soofa came to be.

Source: City of Boston

Source: Daily Tech

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China calls Apple’s iPhone a security threat

July 11, 2014, 12:00 p.m. EDT
By MarketWatch

MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE

The influential Chinese state broadcaster says a location-tracking function in the iPhone is a “national security concern”, in China’s latest backlash against U.S. technology firms.

Source: MarketWatch

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WiPath Communications

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Intelligent Solutions for Paging & Wireless Data

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Postal
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WiPath Communications LLC
4845 Dumbbarton Court
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Street
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Cumming, GA 30040
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USB Paging Encoder

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Paging Data Receiver (PDR)

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Other products

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Please see our web site for other products including Internet Messaging Gateways, Unified Messaging Servers, test equipment, and Paging Terminals.

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717 Old Trolley Rd Ste 6 #163
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ARRL, FEMA to Sign Memorandum of Agreement at National Centennial Convention

The ARRL and the Federal Emergency Management Agency ( FEMA ) will sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) at the ARRL National Centennial Convention , taking place July 17-19 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, will join FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ, on Friday, July 18, at 4:15 PM, in signing the MOA, which is aimed at fostering greater cooperation between the League and FEMA in the area of disaster communication and support. Fugate will speak at the Centennial Banquet later that evening, and more than 850 are expected to attend.

All-day workshops and a Thursday lunch at the Convention Center will kick off the Centennial Convention (advance online registration required). Keynoting the Thursday lunch will be ARRL First Vice President Rick Roderick, K5UR. ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Director Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, will serve as the MC. Later in the day, a reception will be held to welcome international guests. Delegations from several countries are expected to attend the convention, along with individual visitors. The League is anticipating some 4000 visitors, with registrations received from all 50 US states and more than 30 countries.


FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ, will be the Convention Banquet speaker on Friday, July 18.

The official opening ceremony and ribbon cutting take place Friday morning at 8:30, with President Craigie and Convention Co-Chairs ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, and New England Division Vice Director Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF, welcoming attendees.

The theme for the ARRL National Centennial Convention is "Advancing the Art and Science of Radio — Since 1914." On Friday and Saturday, more than 100 vendors and exhibitors will be in the main Convention Center exhibit hall, and dozens of presenters will lead nearly 70 hours of forums. Transportation to Newingtwon will be available to shuttle convention registrants for tours of ARRL Headquarters and W1AW.

President Craigie will host a Presidents Breakfast on Saturday morning, and Nobel Laureate Joe Taylor, K1JT, will speak at noon. The closing ceremony and prize drawing will take place Saturday at 4 PM in the Convention Center Ballroom.

Online registration is now limited to 2-day adult and youth tickets ($25), good on Friday and Saturday. Online registration ends on Tuesday, July 15. Two-day tickets will be available at the Convention Center for $30.

Source: ARRL Letter

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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From:Philip C Leavitt pcleavitt@leavittcom.com
Subject: Cook Paging Screen Room
Date:July 8, 2014
To:Brad Dye

Brad:

You know Tom Cook sold to American Messaging. He has 3 Lindgren screen rooms in Fresno, CA which must be removed before the end of the month. He is giving them away. They are:

  • #1 Largest One" 10' x 6'8" & 8' High
  • #2 By the Door 6' x 6'8" & 6' 9" High
  • #3 SE Corner of room 8' x 8' & 6'9" High

I want nothing but hate to see them go for scrap. Can you publish in your next newsletter and ask for a donation from anyone who expresses interest? I can give you Tom’s new e-mail.

[Tom Cook tomcook@tlcpmc.com ]

—Phil

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UNTIIL NEXT WEEK

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The Wireless Messaging News


Best regards,
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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

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THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

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“Your beliefs don't make you a better person, your behavior does.”

—Unknown

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