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Welcome Back To The Wireless Messaging News
Please don't miss my THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK about Merry Christmas.
Apple plans to resolve China iPhone ban with a software updateFox News Apple and Qualcomm are not the best of friends at the moment, and the relationship breakdown is playing out in the courts. Earlier this week, Qualcomm saw some success in the Chinese courts and got most iPhones banned from sale and import into China due to patent infringement. However, Apple believes it can overcome the ban with a software update. As Reuters reports, Apple intends to release a software update in China early next week that will address "the minor functionality of the two patents at issue in the case." In so doing, Apple could render the ban void before it even starts to have an impact on iPhone shipments and sales. The ban as it currently stands means the iPhone X , iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone 6s can't be sold in China. The two patents these smartphones infringe cover how users adjust and reformat photos and how apps are managed using a phone's touch screen. It's important to note that the infringement only applies to handsets running iOS 11 and not the more recent iOS 12. The software update next week will therefore be targeted specifically at iOS 11 users. At the same time, Apple filed a request for reconsideration with the court which invoked the preliminary injunction.
This newsletter has been published almost every Friday for over sixteen years. If you like it, or if you have benefited from any of the news that has been re-published here, a donation or a new advertisement to help cover expenses would be sincerely appreciated. Please click on the Donate button in the right-hand column and send what you can. Support has lessened considerably. Please click on the Donate button in the right-hand column and send what you can.
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NO POLITICS HERE
This doesn't mean that nothing is ever published here that mentions a US political party—it just means that the editorial policy of this newsletter is to remain neutral on all political issues. We don't take sides.
A new issue of the Wireless Messaging Newsletter is posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon central US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the web. That way it doesn’t fill up your incoming e-mail account. There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world’s major Paging and Wireless Messaging companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers — so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It’s all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology.
I regularly get readers’ comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the Paging, and Wireless Messaging communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my web site. I am very careful to protect the anonymity of those who request it.
TIME TO HUDDLE UP
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.
We need your help. This is probably the only weekly news source about paging and wireless messaging.
Editorial Opinion pieces present only the opinions of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of any of advertisers or supporters. This newsletter is independent of any trade association. I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings, but I do freely express my own opinions.
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Tait to Continue Strong R&D Focus with JVCKENWOOD InvestmentBy Sandra Wendelken, Editor Tait Communications CEO Garry Diack said the company’s focus on research and development (R&D) in convergence technologies and Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) platform helped attract a minority investment from JVCKENWOOD. Although Diack could not provide financial details around the investment, he said the New Zealand company is still majority owned by a Tait trust. The investment is strictly financial and will allow Tait to continue to invest more than 20 percent of its revenues in R&D as the company has done in the past. “This investment has allowed us to be able to maintain that level of R&D investment while we grow in markets around the globe as well,” he said. “We would expect our percentage of R&D to remain in the low 20s compared with turnover. While that’s high in corporate standards, we’re not as big as our competitors, so the actual dollar amount isn’t as large as our competitors, but it allows us to remain competitive.” JVCKENWOOD’s professional mobile radio (PMR) business and future technology view align with Tait’s business, and there are high expectations around DMR Tier 3 in industries such as public transport, rail and utilities. The DMR Tier 3 platform has potential for adding an Internet of things (IoT) platform on top to provide customers, such as the Transport for London bus fleet, with new applications, Diack said. It is likely that JVCKENWOOD will license some of Tait’s technologies, and Tait will license the Japanese giant’s products in the future. However, the investment will not lead to differences in market presence, Diack said. He said Tait customers and dealers will see more aggressive investment in convergence technologies and more products around the globe. “We’ll have a richer form of products for our dealers,” Diack said. “Our industry is moving away from product sales to more solutions sales.” Diack said Tait’s master distribution agreement with Harris to distribute Tait products in North America won’t be affected. “We’re pretty grateful for [JVCKENWOOD’s] interest in us,” Diack said. “We’ve been looking for growth capital for some time, and we’ve looked for a number of sources for that like private equity and debt funding. We’re pretty pleased to have landed them. . . It’s really money we will put into growing our capability set over time.” |
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Paging Transmitters 150/900 MHz The RFI High Performance Paging Transmitter is designed for use in campus, city, state and country-wide paging systems. Designed for use where reliable simulcast systems where RF signal overlap coverage is critical.
Built-in custom interface for Prism-IPX ipBSC Base Controller for remote control, management and alarm reporting.
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Back To Paging
Still The Most Reliable Protocol For Wireless Messaging!
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Ajit Pai's FCC gives carriers the option to block text messagesThe agency approves new rules to help phone companies combat spam texts. But opponents have censorship concerns. BY MARGUERITE REARDON
The Federal Communications Commission said it's getting tough on text message spam by clarifying that phone companies can block unwanted texts. At its monthly meeting Wednesday, the Republican-led agency voted 3-1 to classify SMS text messages as a so-called Title I information service under the Telecom Act. The three Republicans on the FCC, which voted to adopt the classification, said this would allow phone companies to block spam text messages. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the new classification would empower wireless providers to stop unwanted text messages. "The FCC shouldn't make it easier for spammers and scammers to bombard consumers with unwanted texts," he said during the meeting. "And we shouldn't allow unwanted messages to plague wireless messaging services in the same way that unwanted robocalls flood voice services." But he said that's what would happen if the FCC were to classify text messages as a Title II telecommunications service under the law. The one Democrat on the FCC, Jessica Rosenworcel disagrees. She warned that the FCC is misleading the public about what the new classification will actually do. "Today's decision offers consumers no new ability to prevent robotexts," she said."It simply provides that carriers can block our text messages and censor the very content of those messages themselves." She said the FCC did the same thing to the Internet last year when it repealed Obama-era net neutrality rules. "That means on the one-year anniversary of the FCC's misguided net neutrality decision — which gave your broadband provider the power to block websites and censor online content — this agency is celebrating by expanding those powers to also include your text messages," she added. The new classification is bad news for cloud-based phone service Twilio, which asked the FCC in 2015 to adopt stricter rules to prevent phone companies from blocking its service. That petition has now been denied. Twilio said the decision was not unexpected and the company will remain "laser focused on making sure that consumers receive all the text messages — and indeed, all the communications — they want to receive, while being shielded from unwanted communications." Several lawmakers oppose Wednesday's reclassification. In a letter sent to the FCC on Friday, nine Democratic US senators and Vermont's Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent, said that the reclassification would allow phone companies to "block any text message they wish" and would allow these companies to hike rates to competing businesses trying to reach customers. The wireless industry's lobbying group CTIA applauded the move. "We commend Chairman Pai and the FCC for protecting consumers from an avalanche of messaging spam and allowing them to continue to benefit from a flourishing and competitive messaging ecosystem," Scott Bergmann, senior vice president for regulatory affairs at CTIA, said in a statement. But opponents of the measure said it's another example of Pai putting companies ahead of consumers. "No one should mistake today's action as an effort to help consumers limit spam and robotexts," said Harold Feld, senior vice president at Public Knowledge. "There is a reason why carriers are applauding while more than 20 consumer protection advocates — along with 10 senators — have cried foul." The FCC voted on several other items at Wednesday's meeting. New reassigned number database The FCC voted to create a single, comprehensive database of reassigned phone numbers to help companies avoid making robocalls to consumers who don't want the receive those calls and to ensure that customers who do sign up for automated calls get them. The database will help insulate companies from liability under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act when they inadvertently call reassigned numbers. Faster speeds for rural broadband The agency also voted to raise the minimum rural broadband speed standard to 25 Mbps, which is more than double the current rate requirement. This will ensure that broadband providers receiving federal subsidies build networks that meet this standard for download speeds. The increased standard will only apply to new networks. However, the FCC plans to provide different incentives to ISPs to increase speeds of existing networks. Rules set for next spectrum auction for 5G The FCC set rules for the next auction of wireless spectrum that can be used for 5G services. The auction of millimeter wave spectrum in the 37 GHz, 39 GHz and 47 GHz bands is scheduled for 2019. The FCC is currently auctioning spectrum in the 28 GHz band that will be used for 5G. This auction kicked off on Nov. 14 and by Dec. 6 it had raised around $600 million. Once that auction concludes, the FCC will begin auctioning licenses in the 24 GHz spectrum band. Verizon and AT&T are each using high-frequency millimeter spectrum to build 5G networks. Verizon has already launched a fixed wireless home broadband service that's live in four markets. It will launch a mobile offer early next year. AT&T said it will launch mobile 5G in 12 markets by the end of 2018 and will expand this network throughout 2019. Possible changes to media ownership rules The FCC also voted to open its congressionally mandated "quadrennial" review of broadcast ownership rules. The agency is required to review rules and eliminate or modify them if it concludes they aren't in the public interest. The rules that will be reviewed include the local radio ownership limits, local TV ownership limits and the dual-network rule that prevents one company from owning two of the major broadcast networks. This means the FCC could decide to amend rules that bar one company from owning two or more TV stations in the same local market. And it also means it could allow mergers among the big four broadcast networks, such as NBC, ABC, CBS or Fox. |
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GLENAYRE INFRASTRUCTUREI would like to recommend Easy Solutions for Support of all Glenayre Paging Equipment. This Texas company is owned and operated by Vaughan Bowden. I have known Vaughan for over 35 years. Without going into a long list of his experience and qualifications, let me just say that he was the V.P. of Engineering at PageNet which was—at that time—the largest paging company in the world. So Vaughan knows Paging. GTES is no longer offering support contracts. GTES was the original group from Vancouver that was setup to offer support to customers that wanted to continue with the legacy Glenayre support. Many U.S. customers chose not to use this service because of the price and the original requirement to upgrade to version 8.0 software (which required expensive hardware upgrades, etc.). Most contracts ended as of February 2018. If you are at all concerned about future support of Glenayre products, especially the “king of the hill” the GL3000 paging control terminal, I encourage you to talk to Vaughan about a service contract and please tell him about my recommendation.
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INTERNET Protocol Terminal
The IPT accepts INTERNET or serial messaging using various protocols and can easily convert them to different protocols, or send them out as paging messages. An ideal platform for hospitals, on-site paging applications, or converting legacy systems to modern protocols.
Additional/Optional Features
Prism-IPX Systems LLC.
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Paging Data Receiver PDR-4 The PDR-4 is a multi-function paging data receiver that decodes paging messages and outputs them via the serial port, USB or Ethernet connectors. Designed for use with Prism-IPX ECHO software Message Logging Software to receive messages and log the information for proof of transmission over the air, and if the data was error free.
Prism-IPX Systems LLC.
11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022
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Wireless Network Planners
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Remote AB Switches ABX-1 switches are often used at remote transmitter sites to convert from old, outdated and unsupported controllers to the new modern Prism-IPX ipBSC base station controllers. Remotely switch to new controllers with GUI commands. ABX-1
ABX-3 switches are widely used for enabling or disabling remote equipment and switching I/O connections between redundant messaging systems. ABX-3
Common Features:
Prism-IPX Systems LLC.
11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022
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November 14, 2018 9 Ways to Spot Scam e-mailsPosted by bdmpubs under Tech Blog ways to spot scam e-mails
Every year, in every developed country in the world, thousands of people fall for scams that originate from a single e-mail. Some of these scam e-mails, such as the Nigerian prince e-mails, are well known and have been covered in the press extensively, but even so people are still tricked into sending their hard-earned money off to a stranger. Many people, who might otherwise think they are pretty switched on about these sorts of things, have fallen foul of e-mail scams, which are becoming increasingly more refined. A checklist to help anyone who is worried about the scammers to spot a suspect e-mail message, both known scams and those that will undoubtedly appear in the future. 1 Spelling and GrammarOne of the easiest ways of spotting a scam e-mail is by carefully checking the spelling and grammar it contains. There will often be multiple spelling mistakes, even in company names, which would rarely be allowed to remain in official correspondence from, for example, a bank or building society. If you see a single typo, that might be expected, but two, three or four errors in a single e-mail should been seen as a clear sign of a scam. Perhaps surprisingly, these spelling mistakes are often very much a deliberate tactic by the scammers. By including spelling mistakes, which could easily be weeded out by almost any document creation software (something certainly within the means of the scammers to do) they better target people who are either not as educated or not as careful and suspicious. These are one of the prime targets of a scam, but that doesn’t mean that just because an e-mail is error-free, it is safe. 2 Disguised/Incorrect URL’sSome scam e-mails want a reply, so that the scammer can begin a conversation and work the scam on you (asking for help or offering a investment opportunity, for example). Other scam or malicious e-mails provide links for you to click. They might ask you to visit a website for further details, or click on a link to your bank’s website to update your password. Any piece of text in an e-mail can be made into a link, so just because the link text in the e-mail says “Natwest Bank” or even “www.natwest.com”, that doesn’t mean it connects to the official NatWest website. Luckily, every e-mail client (the software you use to send, receive and read e-mails) will display the URL of a link if the mouse pointer is rolled over it without clicking on it. This will show you the actual address of the website the link will take you to when clicked. If this URL does not look right, or if it is disguised, you should definitely not click on it. What do we mean by a disguised URL? The two URL’s below would both take you to exactly the same page of the website, but the second has been put through a URL shortener called Bitly.
This is one way a suspicious link could be disguised. There is usually no reason for a bank, government office, reputable website or other official body to disguise the URL in their links. 3 Low Resolution Images/Logo’sAnother fairly quick and simple way to spot a fake e-mail is to look at the company logo or any other images that have been used. The companies that create e-mails for banks, government offices, insurance companies, etc., have ample resources and skills to make sure the images, and particularly the company logo, is a good quality image. If any of the images in an e-mail look blurred or pixellated, treat the message with caution. As with many of the other signs of a scam explained here, this on its own may not be conclusive proof. If, however, poor quality images, spelling mistakes and other signs all appear, it should set alarm bells ringing for you. 4 Requests for Personal InformationAs a general rule, institutions such as banks, building societies and other financial service providers will not ask you to send personal details via e-mail. Nor will they ask you to click on links in e-mails. If you are being asked to confirm passwords and login names in an e-mail, or if you are asked to click a link to enter those personal details, you should be concerned. This also applies to things like date of birth, mother’s maiden name and any sort of account number. With something like online banking, it is far safer to open a new browser window, navigate to your bank’s website and log in. Any messages sent via e-mail will also show up in the messages within your account (if they are genuine messages). 5 Does it Seems Too Good to be True?The old adage “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is” is applied in no better place than to e-mails from strangers offering cash rewards. These could be the famous Nigerian Princes asking for help getting millions out of the country (with you having to pay a comparatively small fee), or perhaps the offer of a unusually lucrative investment opportunity. There is no better target for a conman than someone whose greed outweighs their caution. With any sort of e-mail offering a cash reward or payout, you should ask yourself three questions:
6 Generic GreetingAlmost any institution, financial, commercial or otherwise, that you have had any sort of dealings with in the past will have your details, and will almost certainly begin an e-mail message with your correct name. Any message which starts with “Dear Sir or Madam” or something equally generic like “Dear Shopper”, that is supposedly from a company you have used in the past, is probably worth being suspicious of. 7 Unsolicited EmailsAn unsolicited e-mail should also set alarm bells ringing, particularly if it also displays some of the other signs detailed above. Competitions you have not entered, gifts from online stores you have never shopped with, or messages from banks you do not have accounts with can all appear in your e-mail inbox, and all of them should be ignored or treated with caution. It is quite possible for companies you have never used to get hold of your e-mail address and contact in the hope of getting you to visit their website (potentially for very legitimate reasons, even if buying e-mail addresses is something to be frowned upon). 8 Vague Contact/Company DetailsEmails from legitimate companies, and especially from banks, should contain a wealth of information, from business address and full contact details, to legal disclaimers and VAT numbers. Look out for PO box addresses, premium rate phone numbers or details missing that you would expect to see. It is also worth keeping an eye open for contact e-mail addresses which don’t match the domain of the company supposedly sending the e-mail. For example an e-mail from NatWest Bank, with a contact e-mail address of enquiries@easybank.com. 9 Urgency to ActThe scammers want you to act quickly, without thinking too much so pressure tactics or even threats can be used. It can be worrying to see “Act now or your account will be closed” or “Final deadline before further action is taken”, but take a step back and think before you act. A reputable business is unlikely to act in this way, unless of course you have things like credit you have fallen behind on. Even so, it is always better to contact the company through its official website, or using a number on any official documentation you have, rather than clicking a link in an e-mail. |
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California Residents Claim a Tower is Making Them SickResidents of Petaluma Avenue Homes have voiced their concerns to city council members since August 2018, regarding a perceived health crisis due to the proximity of a Crown Castle cell tower located near their homes. Resident Connie Vondralee addressed the council, asking for help to get the cell tower moved or removed, reported Sonoma West Times & News. Since the apartment complex sits between at least four towers, Vondralee noted that residents, “are right in the center of all that activity and we are getting it [RF] because we are on the hill. In the ten years I have lived there, five people have died. Their deaths have been from cancer, heart failure, crippling osteoporosis, and diabetes,” she added. The News reported other residents spoke about their ongoing health issues and the cancer cases that plague their community. Vondralee said 12 residents are facing current health issues, including breast and ovarian cancers. Although public comments are being heard, City Attorney/Manager Larry McLaughlin said the city has no jurisdiction over the cell tower, and only holds jurisdiction over the use permit itself, which was granted in 2017. Both the tower owner Crown Castle, and AT&T, which leases space on the tower, said the city has no jurisdiction on the matter and the tower is in full compliance with all applicable laws. The council made a motion to send a letter to the health care district where the tower sits, asking to move the cell tower 1,500 feet away from apartments and raise its height by 150 feet. |
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| Source: | Inside Towers newsletter | Courtesy of the editor of Inside Towers. |
| BloostonLaw Newsletter |
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Selected portions [sometimes more — sometimes less] 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 of The Wireless Messaging News with kind permission from the firm. The firm's contact information is included at the end of this section of the newsletter.
Holiday Issue3.5 GHz Band Revisions Effective January 7On December 7, the FCC published in the Federal Register its Report and Order in GN Docket No. 17-258, in which it adopts limited changes to the rules governing Priority Access Licenses (PALs) that will be issued in the 3500-3700 MHz Band (3.5 GHz band)—including larger license areas, longer license terms, renewability, and performance requirements—as well as changes to the competitive bidding rules for the issuance of PALs and to the ability to partition and disaggregate areas within PALs. These rule revisions will be effective January 7. However, compliance will not be required for § 96.23(a) (initial PAL application), § 96.25(b)(PAL performance requirements), or § 96.32(b)(PAL portioning or disaggregating rules) until after approval by the Office of Management and Budget. As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom update, changes include:
Aside from the main changes summarized above, the FCC ensured that 7 PALs are available for bidding nationwide and allowed the use of bidding credits for small businesses, rural service providers and Tribal entities. The revised 3.5 GHz rules also allow partitioning and disaggregation of PALs on the secondary market. With respect to technical rules, the R&O updates information security requirements to protect sensitive CBRS device registration information while still ensuring that aggregate data on spectrum use is publicly available. The rules also facilitate transmission over wider channels without significant power reductions. BloostonLaw Contacts: Cary Mitchell and John Prendergast. FCC Seeks Comment on Improving Wireless Network ResiliencyOn December 10, the FCC issued a Public Notice seeking comment on the efficacy of the Wireless Resiliency Cooperative Framework (Framework), a voluntary wireless industry commitment to promote resilient wireless communications and situational awareness during disasters. Comments are due January 9, and reply comments are due January 24. Specifically, the FCC now seeks comment on how to ensure that wireless carriers and backhaul providers better coordinate with each other, as well as with other stakeholders, both before and during an emergency event, and as part of post-event restoration efforts. Topics include:
Carriers interested in participating in this comment cycle should contact the firm for more information. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell. Jurisdictional Separations Order Effective January 1On December 11, the FCC published in the Federal Register its Report and Order in WC Docket No 14-130 and CC Docket No. 80-286, in which it simplified its Part 36 jurisdictional separations rules to allow all carriers to use the simpler jurisdictional separations processes previously reserved for smaller carriers. This Report and Order is effective January 1. As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, the FCC removed references to Class A accounts because carriers are no longer required to keep such accounts. The FCC also amended section 36.112 to allow former Class A carriers (carriers with revenue equal to or greater than $157 million for calendar year 2016) to select between the legacy Class A and Class B procedures in apportioning their general support facilities costs. Finally, the FCC “correct[ed] certain stylistic and typographical errors in Part 36.” Carriers with questions about the FCC’s revisions should contact the firm for more information. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and John Prendergast. Chairman Pai Announces Investigation into Potential MF-II Mapping ViolationsOn December 7, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the agency has launched an investigation into whether one or more major carriers violated the Mobility Fund Phase II (MF-II) reverse auction’s mapping rules and submitted incorrect coverage maps. The investigation comes after a preliminary review of the 20,809,503 speed tests filed with the agency in connection with the MF-II challenge process; the window for initial challenges closed on November 26. The FCC has suspended the next step of the challenge process—the opening of a response window—pending the conclusion of this investigation. “My top priority is bridging the digital divide and ensuring that Americans have access to digital opportunity regardless of where they live, and the FCC’s Mobility Fund Phase II program can play a key role in extending high-speed Internet access to rural areas across America,” said Chairman Pai. “In order to reach those areas, it’s critical that we know where access is and where it is not. A preliminary review of speed test data submitted through the challenge process suggested significant violations of the Commission’s rules. That’s why I’ve ordered an investigation into these matters. We must ensure that the data is accurate before we can proceed.” “Chairman Pai’s decision to launch this investigation has my full support,” said Commissioner Carr. “Earlier this year, I said I would monitor how the maps align with consumers’ real-world experiences. Now that the challenge process has closed, the data provided confirm that Chairman Pai has made the right call.” BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell. FCC Opens Office of Economics and AnalyticsOn December 11, the FCC announced the official opening of the FCC’s Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA). The OEA is intended to strengthen and centralize the role of economic analysis by housing the majority of FCC economists in one office, including the entire staff of the former Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis. The new office includes four divisions:
“The communications sector is a major part of America’s economy, and our rules can substantially affect incentives of companies and consumers. This makes it essential that we systematically incorporate sound economics in our work,” said Chairman Pai. “This new office will ensure that strong economic analysis and data analytics inform our efforts. I want to thank all the staff involved in the process of establishing this office; your work will have a lasting and positive impact on the Commission’s policies and structure. I also want to specifically thank Wayne Leighton for his leadership during this transition.” “We are excited to have our new office up and running,” said Giulia McHenry, Acting Chief of OEA. “This will be a single office to bring together the great economic and data work already being done by FCC staff. We look forward to helping the Chairman, Commissioners, and other staff to ensure economics is a central consideration in our work.” BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer. DeadlinesFEBRUARY 1: FCC FORM 499-Q, TELECOMMUNICATIONS REPORTING WORKSHEET. All telecommunications common carriers that expect to contribute more than $10,000 to federal Universal Service Fund (USF) support mechanisms must file this quarterly form. The FCC has modified this form in light of its decision to establish interim measures for USF contribution assessments. The form contains revenue information from the prior quarter plus projections for the next quarter. Form 499-Q relates only to USF contributions. It does not relate to the cost recovery mechanisms for the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) Fund, the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA), and the shared costs of local number portability (LNP), which are covered in the annual Form 499-A that is due April 1. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and Mary Sisak. FEBRUARY 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 February 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 are required to include their FCC Registration Number (FRN). 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. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and Mary Sisak. Calendar At-a-GlanceDecember January February
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Current member or former member of these organizations.
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| THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK |
Merry ChristmasAs I was preparing this issue of the newsletter and thinking about how I could send a traditional Merry Christmas greeting to my readers, I remembered a phone call that I received several years ago from a friend who was relaying a complaint from another reader (who is not a friend). This person had a major case of heartburn over the fact that I occasionally include inspirational — or what I thought of as helpful — quotations here in THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK. She or he, said that I shouldn't be doing that and that if I must include anything religious, then I should include all religions. So I looked up a table on Wikipedia about all the religions of the world. It is not very up-to-date but nevertheless it is very interesting. Including something of interest to every group is beyond my education and I am sure it would just start big arguments. I really don't agree with many of these modern beliefs about being “politically correct” like saying Merry Christmas will offend people of other faiths. For many years the first Merry Christmas greeting that I received each year came from a dear friend in Israel, Froike Biegun. So you can say Season's Greetings if you want. It won't offend me, but I do have an issue with calling a Christmas Tree a Holiday Bush. I am not offended — I just think it sounds dumb. Just don't try to force me to conform with your ideas and I won't force you to conform with mine. However, I am always happy to explain my beliefs to anyone who wants to listen. By the way, some members of my family are Christians, some of them are Jewish, and some of them don't know what they are. I have some Muslim friends and one of my best childhood friends is an atheist. I really don't understand why someone else's faith — or lack of faith — should create hatred. So Adherent estimates in 2012[Source: Wikipedia] Adherents.com says “Sizes shown are approximate estimates, and are here mainly for the purpose of ordering the groups, not providing a definitive number.”
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| VIDEO OF THE WEEK |
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| Source: | YouTube |
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