Dear Friends of Wireless Messaging,

Welcome back. I hope you enjoy this issue of The Wireless Messaging News.

Winter

Winter in the country sure is exciting. It snowed again yesterday so I couldn't drive to town. The highway is close by, just up the hill from my house on a country road, but I frequently have trouble getting up to the top—even with sand bags in my vehicle. Had to call a tow truck last week to pull me out of the ditch.

Across the road from my house there is a small pond and flocks of geese are flying in and out “honking” as they go. It is amazing how they fly in formation. How did they learn to do that?

Today the snow plow has been by so all is back to normal—just in case I want to go the town and do something really exciting like watch the barber cut hair or go to Walmart—our modern version of the old general store. Oh yes—a major announcement—I caught another mouse in the kitchen last night, and last Friday night some guy was arrested in town for throwing a beer can at the police. If you think you can stand all this excitement you are welcome to come by for a visit. I make a mean cup of espresso.

Seriously, after traveling to over 50 countries selling paging systems, I didn't find anywhere I liked better, so I came back home to retire. My ancestors came down the Ohio River on a raft, and settled here in 1851. Wayne County, Illinois has been home for the Dye family for six generations.

Thanks to the Internet, and the telephone, I am able to keep up with the news, and report what I think might of interest to you.

This is the time of the year when I try to get caught up with invoicing my advertisers, and other paper work that I hate to do. If you are a supporter, through voluntary donations, this would be a good time to continue doing your part in helping “the cause.” I believe that this newsletter is the only remaining public source of news related to paging and wireless messaging.

I also include other information on developments in technology, and provide a “community” where readers can freely express their ideas and opinions.

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Charging wirelessly into 2015

March 6 2015 at 12:50pm
By AFP

Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge on a wireless charger. Photo: Bebeto Matthews

“Got a phone charger you can lend me? No, I need the new type. . . Oh, forget it.”

To ease the stress of a dying mobile phone battery and the hassle of bundling wires into your bag, designers are hoping to make 2015 the year of the wireless charger.

Companies at the Mobile World Congress, a top telecom fair which wrapped up Thursday in Barcelona, Spain, promised that soon you will just place your phone on a table or lamp stand for it to absorb electricity through a wireless surface.

South Korean giant Samsung included wireless charging capability in its new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S6, unveiled on March 1 in Barcelona.

Swedish furniture-maker Ikea meanwhile announced a line of bedside tables, lamps and desks equipped with wireless charging spots to be launched in Europe and North America in the coming weeks.

“This is probably the year of the wireless charger,” said Kevin Curran, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, ahead of the mobile fair.

“A lot of the top-end phones now by default are coming with a wireless charger. You just have to put the phone onto a mat or onto a stand.”

If a phone has a wireless charging receptor, just placing it over the charging pad on one of these items will transfer power to it.

The piece of furniture itself is not wireless, drawing its power from the mains, but no wire is needed to plug into the phone.

Different rival technologies for wireless charging have emerged over recent years.

For their devices, Samsung and Ikea opted for the Qi standard — a system developed by the Wireless Power Consortium, an alliance of some 200 different companies founded in 2008.

The Qi consortium claims its standard is the most widely used in the world with charging points in 3,000 hotels, restaurants, airports and public spaces. It says its system can be used in 80 models of mobile phone and various types of car.

The product announcements at the Barcelona show “will allow a big step forward,” eventually freeing users of cumbersome charging wires, said Inge Tauber of the German company L&P Automotive, part of the Qi project.

“People have no need to fear that their chargers will become obsolete, because these bases will be compatible with the new generations of smartphone.”

Even smartphones that were not made with a wireless charging receptor can be fitted with adaptors in the form of an outer case or other minor accessory costing from about 10 euros ($11).

Qi is competing with two other standards, PMA and A4WP, which between them group some 200 other telecom, computing and electronics firms.

The PMA and A4WP camps will merge in mid-2015 “to accelerate the growth of this nascent market,” they said in a statement.

Tauber denied this competition would hold back the industry from developing a common standard for compatible charging pads. She reckoned it would drive it towards a “homogenous standard”.

Makers of smartphones have so far failed to find a common standard for any kind of charger, despite attempts such as the European Union’s bid to impose universal chargers by 2016.

Analysts said it was tricky to estimate the potential value of the market for wireless chargers.

The Wireless Power Consortium estimates that 50 million chargers were sold in 2014.

According to technology consultancy Gartner, in that year consumers bought 1.8 billion handsets – which typically come with a charger included.

“In the next few years they will all have wireless chargers in-built,” Curran said.

AFP [source]

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Now on to more news and views.

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A new issue of the Wireless Messaging Newsletter is posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon central US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the web. That way it doesn’t fill up your incoming e-mail account.

There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world’s major Paging and Wireless Messaging companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers — so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It’s all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology.

I regularly get readers’ comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the Paging, and Wireless Messaging communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my web site. I am very careful to protect the anonymity of those who request it.

I spend the whole week searching the Internet for news that I think may be of interest to you — so you won’t have to. This newsletter is an aggregator — a service that aggregates news from other news sources. You can help our community by sharing any interesting news that you find.

Editorial Opinion pieces present only the opinions of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of any of advertisers or supporters. This newsletter is independent of any trade association.

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SK Telecom Signs MOUs with Taiwan Mobile, Skytel and Nokia Networks at MWC 2015

BARCELONA, Spain, March 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM) announced today that it signed MOUs with a number of overseas companies while participating in the 2015 GSMA Mobile World Congress being held in Barcelona, Spain.

Aimed at expanding its presence in the global markets with extensive knowhow and experience in industry-leading mobile network technologies, SK Telecom has entered into MOUs with three different companies namely Taiwan Mobile, Skytel and Nokia Networks.

Under the MOU with Taiwan Mobile, a leading telecommunications company in Taiwan with about 28 percent of market share, SK Telecom will share its know-how on better LTE network performance and customer experience management (CEM) aimed at enhancing Taiwan Mobile's network efficiency and competitiveness in mobile broadband service. The two companies will also work together to develop next-generation mobile network technologies and mobile solution business.

SK Telecom and Taiwan Mobile have cooperated since 2013 in 3G and LTE network planning and performance optimization. Taiwan Mobile has successfully commercialized LTE in June 2014 and has attracted more than 1 million LTE subscribers, which accounts for over 30 percent of the LTE market, within only six months of the service launch.

SK Telecom has also entered into an MOU with Mongolia's Skytel. Through the MOU, SK Telecom will provide Skytel with consulting service in LTE network technologies and network-based solutions developed by SK Telecom to enable real-time management of customer experience. The MOU is expected to serve as a chance for Skytel to become a leading LTE service provider in Mongolia, where spectrum allocations for LTE will likely take place within this year.

Moreover, SK Telecom and Nokia Networks have signed an MOU in Barcelona to further expand their collaboration in exporting diverse network operational solutions. By joining hands with Nokia, SK Telecom aims to create new opportunities in the overseas markets by providing its network operational knowhow to Nokia's 600 plus customers spread across 150 nations.

"Since launching Korea's first LTE service in 2011, SK Telecom has led the industry by introducing advanced mobile network technologies including Multi-Carrier, LTE-Advanced and tri-band LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation," said Lee Jong-bong, Executive Vice President and Head of Network Division at SK Telecom. "We will make ceaseless efforts to keep enhancing the quality and stability of our mobile networks to provide the highest level of customer experience, and share it with mobile operators around the world."

About SK Telecom

SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM, KSE: 017670), established in 1984, is Korea's largest telecommunications company with more than 28 million mobile subscribers, accounting for over 50% of the market. The company reached KRW 17.164 trillion in revenue in 2014. As the world's first company to commercialize CDMA, CDMA 2000 1x, CDMA EV-DO and HSDPA networks, SK Telecom launched the nation's first LTE service in July 2011. SK Telecom also became the world's first mobile carrier to commercialize 150Mbps LTE-Advanced in June 2013 and 225Mbps LTE-Advanced in June 2014 through Carrier Aggregation(CA). In line with its efforts to swiftly move towards the next-generation mobile network system, or 5G, it successfully commercialized 300Mbps tri-band LTE-A CA. As of December 2014, the company has over 16.7 million LTE and LTE-Advanced subscribers. Based on its strength in network operations business, SK Telecom is seeking new growth engines in areas of platform, Big Data and convergence business. For more information, please visit www.sktelecom.com or email to press@sktelecom.com.

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Microsoft’s Greg Sullivan gives 1.5 billion reasons why Windows 10 will change everything

Melissa Riofrio
Mar 2, 2015 10:54 AM
PCWorld

BARCELONA—You know that moment in spy thrillers when the hero suddenly realizes the scope of the evil genius’s nefarious plan? I had a moment like that at Mobile World Congress, when I sat down to talk with Greg Sullivan, Microsoft’s Windows Phone Director of Public Relations. Not that anything he said was evil. He just made me stop short and realize why Windows 10 really could change everything for Microsoft.

The reason why is encapsulated in one number: 1.5 billion. That’s how many Windows users exist worldwide, according to Sullivan. “We expect many will upgrade,” Sullivan said. How many? “Very many,” he repeated, with a dastardly smile.

Now’s the time when the hero puts together all the clues. A lot of people will upgrade to Windows 10. Windows 10 will work across all devices, from phones to desktop PCs and everything in between. Windows 10 will have universal apps that will work across all these devices. Let that all sink in.

IMAGE: MICHAEL HOMNICK

What app gap?

Now think about the “app gap” that plagued lonely little Windows Phone. Once Windows Phone becomes part of this unified Windows 10 ecosystem, the app gap is gone. Poof. Obliterated from the face of the earth. In its place, a huge installed base of users will rise, ready and waiting for universal apps to work across all their devices. “You will suddenly have critical mass and a compelling reason for developers to make universal apps,” Sullivan explained.

Did I hear a cackle of glee?

It’s a great plan. Universal apps will be able to scale their interface to the screen size of the device, as Microsoft demonstrated at a press conference Monday morning. An Office app moved from a Windows Phone to a Surface tablet to the huge, 84-inch Surface hub display. The view redistributed itself neatly as it moved from device to device. Sometimes items shifted, but never so jarringly as to throw you off.

At the press conference, Microsoft’s Stephen Elop (the former Nokia boss) also confirmed that phones that shipped with Windows 8.1 will be upgradable to Windows 10. Universal apps will have their own icon in the Windows Store, Sullivan said, and we’ll hear more about them at the company’s Build developer’s conference, April 29 to May 1 in San Francisco.

Microsoft isn't the only evil genius plotting to rule the device world, of course. If Windows 10's universal apps gain any traction, a three-way fight with Apple and Google could develop. Now that would be fun to watch. Break out the popcorn, folks: This could be a very interesting year for the OS wars.

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

	Motorola SOLUTIONS
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February 24, 2015

American Red Cross Deploys AtHoc Networked Crisis Communication to Accelerate Disaster Response Nationwide

Partnership between AtHoc and American Red Cross yields emergency notification system that will reach the entire Red Cross workforce across all Red Cross Chapters with on demand interoperability with federal, state and business partners.

SAN MATEO, Calif. — February 25, 2015 — AtHoc, Inc., the leader in networked crisis communication, today announced that the American Red Cross has begun a nationwide deployment of AtHoc across its network of nearly 500 chapters in the U.S. to accelerate its disaster response. The AtHoc system gives the Red Cross the ability to quickly alert and communicate with its workforce and volunteers, as well as seamlessly connect with local government agencies and business partners during crises when needed.

Tweet This: The @RedCross deploys @athoc nationwide for real-time communications during emergency situations: http://bit.ly/1zaIo2G

"Communications tools from AtHoc enables the Red Cross to quickly reach, mobilize and share knowledge with our workforce, volunteer network and community partners," said Eric Hainzer, Director, National Planning and Exercises Operations and Logistics, at the Red Cross. "We face countless calamities year round from regional disasters to local house fires, and effective communications with our team is fundamental to a successful response."

"We are honored to partner with the American Red Cross in its mission to provide compassionate care to those in need, here at home and around the world," said Guy Miasnik, CEO of AtHoc. "AtHoc is committed to working with the Red Cross to ensure it has access to next-generation technology that will most effectively support all three phases of emergency response — prepare, respond and restore."

The Red Cross will use AtHoc to notify and collaborate with its workforce via multiple and redundant means, including desktop apps, smart phone apps, email, cell and landline phones, all from a web-based console. The system is configured to allow for national, regional, local or team based communications depending on the situation, impact area or specialty resources required to manage the incident.

Importantly, the Red Cross and organizations who coordinate and collaborate with the Red Cross benefit from seamless interoperability. AtHoc allows the Red Cross to invite and connect with relevant organizations for bi-directional messaging that is trusted and secure. This interoperability promotes faster and effective knowledge sharing, which results in improved situational awareness and eliminates the confusion that typically hinders rapid response to a crisis.

The AtHoc suite of integrated applications: Alert, Collect, Account and Connect sets the standard in networked crisis communication. These applications run on AtHoc’s secure cloud platform which connects users, organizations and devices globally — an “internet of things” platform addressing the growing needs of crisis communications. AtHoc leverages the power of mobility, hybrid cloud and the IP network to deliver a unified and secure end-to-end solution capable of real-time collaboration with anyone, anywhere and across virtually any device.

Connect with AtHoc

• Facebook
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• AtHoc Exchange Blog
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About AtHoc
AtHoc is the pioneer and recognized leader in networked crisis communication, protecting millions of people around the world. AtHoc provides a seamless and reliable exchange of critical information among organizations, their people, devices and external entities. A trusted partner to the world's most demanding customers, AtHoc is the #1 provider to the US Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, and safeguards numerous other government agencies and leading commercial enterprises. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, the company operates around the globe. For more information about AtHoc, please visit www.athoc.com.

Wireless Communication Solutions

USB 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
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• PURC or direct connect
• Pictured version mounts in 5.25" drive bay
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• Available as a daughter board for our embedded Internet Paging Terminal (IPT)

Paging Data Receiver (PDR)

• Frequency agile—only one receiver to stock
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Other products

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

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Web: http://www.harktech.com CLICK

David George and Bill Noyes
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SEE WEB FOR COMPLETE LIST:

www.preferredwireless.com/equipment

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

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.

Form 499-A, Access to Advanced Services Certifications Due April 1

The Annual Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet, known as FCC Form 499-A, is due on April 1. The filing, which applies to every telecommunications carrier that provides interstate, intrastate, and international telecommunications, and certain other entities that provide interstate telecommunications for a fee, requires the reporting of revenue information from January 1 through December 31 of the prior year, along with certain other information.

Also due April 1 is the Annual Access to Advanced Services Certification. This filing, which applies to all providers of telecommunications services and telecommunications carriers subject to Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act, requires the filer to certify that it has procedures in place to meet the relevant recordkeeping requirements and actually keeps the required records.

BloostonLaw has an extensive experience with both filings and has a compliance manual available for the Accessibility filing.

Headlines

Comment Deadlines Established for Letter of Credit Requirements

On February 27, the FCC published in the Federal Register the Public Notices seeking comment on the letter of credit proposals contained in the individual Petitions for Waiver filed by NTCA, the Alliance of Rural Broadband Applicants, and the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation at the beginning of February. Therefore, comments are due March 30 and reply comments are due April 13.

It is important to note that the FCC is also seeking comment on how the issues raised in the Petitions for Waiver may be relevant in the upcoming Connect America Fund Phase II competitive bidding process. Therefore, carriers should strongly consider participating in the proceeding even if they did not win Rural Broadband Experiment funding.

FCC Adopts Net Neutrality Order, Preempts NC and TN State Restrictions on Municipal Broadband

In what is likely common knowledge in the industry by now, the FCC voted to adopt new Net Neutrality (a.k.a. Open Internet rules) at its Open Meeting of February 26. It also voted to preempt state laws restricting municipal broadband programs. As of this writing, neither order is available to the public.

According to a press release issued by the FCC, the key provisions to the Net Neutrality Order include:

• Bright Line Rules: no blocking, no throttling, no paid prioritization.
• A Standard for Future Conduct: ISPs cannot “unreasonably interfere with or unreasonably disadvantage” the ability of consumers to select, access, and use the lawful content, applications, services, or devices of their choosing; or of edge providers to make lawful content, applications, services, or devices available to consumers.
• Greater Transparency: broadband providers must disclose promotional rates, fees and surcharges and data caps; packet loss (as a measure of network performance); and provide notice of network management practices that can affect service. There will be a temporary exemption from the transparency enhancements for fixed and mobile providers with 100,000 or fewer subscribers.
• Interconnection: the Commission can hear complaints and take appropriate enforcement action if it determines the interconnection activities of ISPs are not just and reasonable.
• Title II Regulation: Prohibition of “unjust and unreasonable practices” (Sections 201 and 202); Investigation of consumer complaints under section 208 and related enforcement provisions (Sections 206, 207, 209, 216 and 217); Protection for consumer privacy (Section 222); Fair access to poles and conduits (Section 224); Protection for people with disabilities (Sections 225 and 255); and Universal service fund support for broadband service in the future (partial application of Section 254).

In a separate press release, the FCC also summarized its order preempting state laws restricting community broadband in North Carolina and Tennessee. Specifically, the FCC found that provisions of the laws in North Carolina and Tennessee are barriers to broadband deployment, investment and competition, and conflict with the FCC’s mandate to promote these goals. The state laws had effectively prevented the cities from expanding broadband service outside their current footprints despite numerous requests from neighboring unserved and underserved communities. Citing the well-established principal that a federal agency may preempt state laws that conflict with its regulations or policies so long as it is acting within the scope of its authority, the FCC found that there is “a clear conflict” between Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which directs the FCC to take action to remove barriers to broadband investment and competition, and provisions of the Tennessee and North Carolina law that erect barriers to expansion of service into surrounding communities, including unserved and underserved areas.

Neither order is available to the public at this time.

Second E-Rate Modernization Order Becomes Effective This Month

The FCC’s E-Rate Modernization Order of December 2014 appeared in the Federal Register on February 6, 2015, making this Friday, March 6 the effective date for those rules (except the ones associated with collections of information, which require OMB approval).

Of particular interest is the new obligation of high-cost recipients, scheduled to take effect for the 2016 funding year, to submit bids in response to all reasonable requests for category one telecommunications and Internet services in posted FCC Form 470 (Request for Proposal) by schools and libraries located in the geographic area where the carrier receives high-cost support. Services must be offered at the reasonable comparability benchmark” to be developed by the FCC, and will not constitute a rebate to the price of service; rather, the benchmark price offered will constitute the full retail price before taking into account any universal service support.

Upon receipt of OMB approval, rate of return carriers will also be required to certify annually that they bid on all reasonable requests for category one telecommunications and Internet access services in posted FCC Form 470s.

Other revisions include:

• Equalizing the treatment of lit and dark fiber;
• Allowing self-construction of high-speed broadband facilities by schools and libraries in the limited circumstances in which self-construction is the most cost-effective option;
• Up to an additional 10 percent in category one funding to match state funding for special construction charges for last-mile facilities to support high-speed broadband, with special consideration for Tribal schools;
• Expanding the five-year budget approach to providing support for category two internal connections through funding year 2019;
• Adjusting the E-rate funding cap to $3.9 billion to meet the long-term needs of the program;
• Directing the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to track and provide program performance information on the specific policy changes made in this Order and the E-rate Modernization Order to enable the Commission to assess the effectiveness of the policy changes in meeting E-rate program goals; and
• Clarifying the rules regarding appeals of USAC decisions.
• Other requirements relating to collections of additional information (and therefore requiring OMB approval) applicable to rate of return carriers include:
• Provision of the number, names, and addresses of community anchor institutions to which the carrier newly began providing access to broadband service in the preceding calendar year; and
• Provision of a letter certifying that the carrier is taking reasonable steps to provide upon reasonable request broadband service at actual speeds of at least 4 Mbps downstream/1 Mbps upstream (rate of return carriers).

Law & Regulation

FCC Proposes $9 Million Forfeiture for Slamming and Cramming Violations, Falsifying Evidence

On February 27, the FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NALF) to fine GPSPS, Inc., an Atlanta, GA telephone company, in the amount of $9,065,000 for allegedly switching consumers’ long distance telephone services without their authorization (“slamming”), billing customers for unauthorized charges (“cramming”), and submitting falsified evidence to government regulatory officials as “proof” that consumers had authorized the company to switch their long distance providers.

According to the NALF, the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau reviewed over 150 complaints against GPSPS that consumers filed with the Commission, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Public Utility Commission of Texas (Texas PUC), and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). All complainants contended that GPSPS switched their preferred long distance service provider without their authorization, and most affirmatively asserted that they had never heard of or spoken to GPSPS before discovering GPSPS’s charges on their telephone bills. Some complainants indicated that GPSPS told them the company had audio recording evidencing the authorization and that, upon hearing those recordings, contended they were fake. GPSPS also apparently failed to respond full and in a timely manner to the Bureau’s investigation.

GPSPS has thirty days to pay the full amount of the proposed forfeiture or file a written statement seeking reduction or cancellation thereof.

Senate Committee to Hold Hearing on FCC Oversight on March 18

On March18, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold a hearing entitled Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission. According to the official press release, the hearing “will have a broad scope covering every aspect of the agency, from its Fiscal Year 2016 budget request to major policy issues before the Commission. This will be the Committee’s first public opportunity to directly question the Commission about its controversial Open Internet Order. The Committee is also expected to explore matters related to the modernization of the nation’s communications laws and the reauthorization of the agency, which has not occurred in 25 years.”

The witnesses for the hearing will, of course, be the five FCC commissioners themselves: Chairman Tom Wheeler and Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel, Ajit Pai, Michael O’Rielly and Mignon Clyburn.

The hearing will take place in Senate Russell Office Building, Room 253, at 2:30 PM EST. Witness testimony, opening statements, and a live video of the hearing will be made available.

Kentucky Legislature Passes Landline Deregulation Bill

On March 2, the Kentucky state Senate voted 30-3 to pass H.B. 152, which effectively eliminates the authority of the Kentucky Public Service Commission over telecommunications providers in areas that have at least 15,000 households. Governor Steve Beshear reportedly said after the vote he will sign it into law.

The primary effect of the bill is to allow AT&T (a major proponent of the legislation) and other large telecommunications companies in the area to begin retiring legacy landline networks in favor of new technology, such as Internet-supported services like U-Verse and wireless alternatives like AT&T Wireless Home.

Industry

Google Confirms Upcoming Wireless Offering

At an industry event in Barcelona this week, Google Senior Vice President of Products Sundar Pichai confirmed that the company plans to launch a wireless service in the U.S. in the future. According to Mr. Pichai, the service is intended to be small-scale, and is not targeted at competing with the big-four carriers.

“You will see us announce it in the coming months,” Mr. Pichai said. “Our goal here is to drive a set of innovations which we think the system should adopt.”

Speculation in the press suggests that Google will launch its service using a combination of WiFi and MVNO deals with Sprint Corp. and T-Mobile US Inc. to wholesale their network access.

According to Piper Jaffray tech analyst Gene Munster, “At the end of the day, Google does not want to be a wireless carrier. The wireless strategy feels like Google is trying to put pressure on AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile to offer low-cost unlimited data to the consumer. Google benefits from unlimited wireless data because people will use their phones more, and more Internet use is good for Google, especially with mobile YouTube.”

Calendar At A Glance

March
Mar. 6 – Reply comments are due on Part 1 Competitive Bidding NPRM.
Mar. 9 – Reply comments are due on Technology Transitions NPRM.
Mar. 9 – Reply comments are due on Windstream Petition for Declaratory Ruling on DS1/DS3 Access.
Mar. 9 – Comments are due on 911 Outage NPRM.
Mar. 11 – Reply comments are due on the IntraMTA Petition for Declaratory Ruling.
Mar. 16 – Deadline for comments on Online Public File Expansion NPRM.
Mar. 16 – Deadline to notify AT&T of Service Provided in CAF Phase I Deployment Census Blocks.
Mar. 30 – Comments are due on Letter of Credit Requirements.
Mar. 31 – FCC Form 525 (Delayed Phasedown CETC Line Counts) is due.
Mar. 31 – FCC Form 508 (ICLS Projected Annual Common Line Requirement) is due.
Mar. 31 – International Circuit Capacity Report is due.

April
Apr. 1 – FCC Form 499-A (Annual Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet) is due.
Apr. 1 – Annual Accessibility Certification is due.
Apr. 7 – Reply comments are due on 911 Outage NPRM.
Apr. 13 – Reply comments are due on Letter of Credit Requirements.
Apr. 14 - Deadline for reply comments on Online Public File Expansion NPRM.

May
May 1 – FCC Form 499-Q (Quarterly Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet) is due.
May 31 – FCC Form 395 (Annual Employment Report) is due.

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After Pissing Off Congress, FCC Asks For Biggest Budget In History

4:05 PM 03/05/2015

Less than a week after the FCC stepped on legislators’ toes by voting to assert regulatory control over the Internet, the agency is asking Congress to massively increase its budget.

The request was made at a hearing held by the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology to discuss FCC reauthorization. The subcommittee is chaired by Republican Rep. Greg Walden, who has been sharply critical of the FCC’s decision to regulate the Internet as a public utility under Title II of the Communications Act.

Walden and other subcommittee members made clear that a major component of any reauthorization proposal would be an update of the Communications Act — to reflect the significant technological evolutions that have occurred since it was last updated 17 years ago.

“Much has changed since the last reauthorization of the commission” in 1990, Walden said, “but in the intervening years the FCC has struggled to reflect the evolution of technology.”

“Nowhere is the Communications Act’s failure of imagination more evident than in the FCC’s decision to reclassify broadband service under rules developed to regulate the telegraph’s heyday,” he explained, saying the ruling “repudiated years of light touch regulation of the Internet under both Republican and Democratic administrations . . . [and] suggests an agency seemingly ill-suited to address the needs of the modern communications ecosystem.”

FCC Managing Director Jon Wilkins delivered testimony on behalf of the commission, requesting approximately $530 million in spending authority for FY 2016, which, he admitted, “represents a marked increase over the FY15 appropriated number of $339.8 million.”

In fact, Walden clarified, the figure “would be the highest funding level in the agency’s history.”

Wilkins countered that over the past six years, “the FCC has operated under essentially flat funding levels,” and when the effects of inflation and sequestration are taken into account, “suffered actual reductions in the purchasing power of our budget.”

He further claimed that this “flat funding” has not only forced the agency to reduce its staff, but also to delay improvements to its IT systems that would improve the efficiency of its remaining workforce.

But “One component of the request that resonates in particular, and is in addition to the $59 million increase in funding” for operational expenses, Walden pointed out, “is a request for a $25 million transfer from the Universal Service Fund.”

The Universal Service Fund (USF), which is managed by the FCC, is designed to promote universal access to telecommunications by subsidizing services in rural and low-income areas through fees paid by telecom companies.

“In the past,” Walden noted, “Congress funded the FCC’s Office of Inspector General with a transfer of USF funds for the purpose of bolstering audits and investigations to address waste, fraud, and abuse in the Fund following a GAO report.”

The current request is for a “realignment” to cover the cost to the FCC of managing the fund, which Wilkins claimed would “reduce . . . the regulatory fee burden on licensees with no USF relationship,” such as local broadcasters and marine licensees.

But “this ‘realignment,’ as it is called, would create a separate funding stream for the agency that comes directly out of the pockets of consumers to implement and support a subsidy program the size of which is determined by the FCC and that has become so large and burdensome that it appears that it has outgrown the FCC’s capacity for adequate oversight,” Walden argued.

Walden noted that his experience on the subcommittee had taught him that, “the [FCC's] budget request is like a window into the agency itself,” and said, “It is my hope that our conversations today will pull back the curtain and provide the committee and the American people with a better understanding of … what the commission is really up to.”

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Telephone: 631-786-9359

New MUHC site to have poor cell phone service

The construction materials used to build the hospital block the signal

By Leah Hendry, CBC News Posted: Mar 06, 2015 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Mar 06, 2015 5:00 AM ET
CBC News | Montreal

CBC News has learned cell phone reception inside the new MUHC will be spotty. (CBC)

Reception for mobile devices will be spotty inside the new MUHC super hospital when it opens next month and won't be fully operational for some time, CBC News has learned.

The construction materials used to build the hospital block the signal, according to Martine Alfonso, associate executive director of the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

Alfonso is also in charge of information services for the McGill University Health Centre.

"If you went today, you would not be able to use your phone everywhere," she said. "In the new [hospital], there are areas where someone who has a pager would not get the signal."

Although cell phones are a way of life now, the MUHC didn't foresee a lack of cellular reception as an issue when they first started planning the project, Alfonso said.

"When we started this project years ago, cellular phones were not allowed in hospitals. So, it wasn't the first issue that was looked at. But it's now a tool that everyone uses and even clinical teams use them to work with patients," Alfonso added.

The problem is related to the materials used for the hospital to be awarded the LEED Silver Certification for energy and environmentally-conscious design.

"There is a film on the windows where you would expect the wavelength or signal to be well received. Even close to a window it's not because of the quality of the construction," said Alfonso.

To deal with isolated spots of poor coverage, a network of small antennas known as a distributed antenna system (DAS) will be installed throughout the building to boost signal strength.

Alfonso says clinical areas including critical and ambulatory care, ERs and inpatient units are the first priority for installation.

The signal will be gradually improved week by week, but mobile reception in the entire building won't be available until Fall 2015.

Contingency plans

While the system is being installed, pagers will be distributed to physicians and medical personnel who normally receive pages through their cell phones.

Before the DAS is fully deployed, the MUHC has asked its provider to install 2 antennas on the roof to allow pagers to function.

The building will be fully covered by Wi-Fi service. Messaging services including BlackBerry's BBM and Apple's iMessage will work, as will V-sign, the MUHC-designed app which allows doctors to access patient files on their smartphone or tablet.

Medical personnel will also have access to 600 portable Wi-Fi phones to carry with them if they are on the move in the hospital.

Impact on patient care

Alfonso says the delay in cellular coverage shouldn't have an impact on clinical care.
While some doctors have incorporated cell phones into their practice, the hospital has many other ways of relaying communication, Alfonso said.

"Our system is not based on the use of people's individual personal phones."

One doctor, who declined to be identified, said medical personnel use them for everything from touching base with residents, to consulting colleagues on a patient file or staying in touch with a large team.
The doctor said he was pleased the MUHC realizes the lack of cellular reception is an issue, and was satisfied with the plan to address it.

Memos are currently being distributed to staff to let them know about the issues around cellular reception at the Glen site and they are also warned about the problem when they receive their orientation tour of the hospital, Alfonso says.

A phone for making local calls will be available in every one of the MUHC's 500 single-patient rooms.

The co-chair of the MUHC's Patients' Committee, Mario Di Carlo says he was surprised the MUHC did not foresee the problem sooner, adding it could cause some inconveniences for patients' family members in some areas of the hospital.

"It feels a bit strange," said Di Carlo. "You would figure this would be done right from the outset. The basic technology for cell phones is understood. This is not something new."

Winter

“I believe in process. I believe in four seasons. I believe that winter's tough, but spring's coming. I believe that there's a growing season. And I think that you realize that in life, [if] you grow. You get better.”

—Steve Southerland

March 4, 2015 — snowing in Wayne County, Illinois