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This Week's Wireless Headlines:
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NO POLITICS HERE This doesn't mean that nothing is ever published here that mentions a US political party—it just means that the editorial policy of this newsletter is to remain neutral on all political issues. We don't take sides.
A new issue of the Wireless Messaging Newsletter is posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon central US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the web. That way it doesn’t fill up your incoming e-mail account. There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world’s major Paging and Wireless Messaging companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers — so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It’s all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology. I regularly get readers’ comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the Paging, and Wireless Messaging communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my web site. I am very careful to protect the anonymity of those who request it. I spend the whole week searching the INTERNET for news that I think may be of interest to you — so you won’t have to. This newsletter is an aggregator — a service that aggregates news from other news sources. You can help our community by sharing any interesting news that you find.
Editorial Opinion pieces present only the opinions of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of any of advertisers or supporters. This newsletter is independent of any trade association. I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings, but I do freely express my own opinions. |
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Service Monitors and Frequency Standards for Sale
(Images are typical units, not actual photos of items offered for sale here.)
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| Leavitt Communications |
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Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contacts two US SchoolsAstronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) were busy the last week of January making contacts with two schools using amateur radio. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program arranged contacts with Brentwood Magnet Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Norwich Free Academy (NFA) located in Norwich, Connecticut.
On January 26, 2023, nearly 400 students at Brentwood Magnet Elementary School filled the gymnasium to listen to astronaut Koichi Wakata answer questions about his experience on the ISS. Wakata told students he loves being in space but is looking forward to taking a shower when he returns in March. He also told the students that it's not scary in space and encouraged them to pursue careers in science and engineering. Then on January 30, 2023, astronaut Dr. Josh Cassada contacted students atNFA. During his 10-minute contact, Cassada shared with students how his career as a Navy Test Pilot helped him become an astronaut. "Do the things you love," Cassada told the students. During the remainder of the contact, Cassada talked about cargo vehicles making frequent trips to resupply the ISS and how his daily routine is different every day, including working weekends. The NFA Amateur Radio and Engineering Club, W1HLO, members and advisors installed an amateur radio satellite ground station on the NFA campus in 2023, thanks to an Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) grant, which helped make the contact with the ISS possible. ARISS is a unique STEM educational program which inspires young people to develop knowledge and skills through their participation in space science and amateur radio. ARISS conducts 60 - 80 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS. ARISS is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the ISS. In the US, participating organizations include from NASA's Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN), the ISS National Lab - Space Station Explorers, ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio®, and AMSAT. |
| Source: | The ARRL Letter |
Paging Transmitters 150/900 MHz The RFI High Performance Paging Transmitter is designed for use in campus, city, state and country-wide paging systems. Designed for use where reliable simulcast systems where RF signal overlap coverage is critical.
Built-in custom interface for Prism-IPX ipBSC Base Controller for remote control, management and alarm reporting.
Prism-IPX Systems LLC. 11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022
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The Wireless Messaging News
The Board of Advisor members are people with whom I have developed a special rapport, and have met personally. They are not obligated to support the newsletter in any way, except with advice, and maybe an occasional letter to the editor.
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| PRISM IPX Systems |
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Thousands of Users Worldwide Depend on Prism IPXOur Customers Trust Us To Make Sure That Their Messages Get Delivered
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| Easy Solutions |
Providing Expert Support and Service Contracts for all Glenayre Paging Systems.The GL3000 is the most prolific paging system in the world and Easy Solutions gladly welcomes you to join us in providing reliable support to the paging industry for many more decades in the future. Easy Solutions provides cost effective computer and wireless solutions at affordable prices. We can help in most any situation with your communications systems. We have many years of experience and a vast network of resources to support the industry, your system and an ever changing completive landscape.
Experts in Paging Infrastructure
Please see our web site for exciting solutions designed specifically for the Wireless Industry. We also maintain a diagnostic lab and provide important repair and replacement parts services for Motorola and Glenayre equipment. Call or Easy Solutions |
| Readers of the Newsletter who are Ham Radio Operators |
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| Source: | Amateur Radio callsigns of readers. Please click here to add yours. |
GLENAYRE INFRASTRUCTUREService ContractsI would like to recommend Easy Solutions for Support of all Glenayre Paging Equipment. This Texas company is owned and operated by Vaughan Bowden. I have known Vaughan for over 35 years. Without going into a long list of his experience and qualifications, let me just say that he was the V.P. of Engineering at PageNet which was—at that time—the largest paging company in the world. So Vaughan knows Paging. GTES is no longer offering support contracts. GTES was the original group from Vancouver that was setup to offer support to customers that wanted to continue with the legacy Glenayre support. Many U.S. customers chose not to use this service because of the price and the original requirement to upgrade to version 8.0 software (which required expensive hardware upgrades, etc.). Most contracts ended as of February 2018. If you are at all concerned about future support of Glenayre products, especially the “king of the hill” the GL3000 paging control terminal, I encourage you to talk to Vaughan about a service contract and please tell him about my recommendation. Click on the image above for more info about advertising here. |
INTERNET Protocol Terminal The IPT accepts INTERNET or serial messaging using various protocols and can easily convert them to different protocols, or send them out as paging messages. An ideal platform for hospitals, on-site paging applications, or converting legacy systems to modern protocols.
Additional/Optional Features
Prism-IPX Systems LLC. 11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
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Paging Data Receiver PDR-4 The PDR-4 is a multi-function paging data receiver that decodes paging messages and outputs them via the serial port, USB or Ethernet connectors. Designed for use with Prism-IPX ECHO software Message Logging Software to receive messages and log the information for proof of transmission over the air, and if the data was error free.
Prism-IPX Systems LLC. 11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
Wireless Network Planners
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R.H. (Ron) Mercer |
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wirelessplannerron@gmail.com  |
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Windows 11 Is Adding Even More WidgetsCORBIN DAVENPORT @corbindavenport FEB 2, 2023, 11:52 AM EST | 1 MIN READ
Windows 11 brought back widgets to the PC, but keeping them in a panel accessible from the taskbar instead of the desktop. Even more widgets are now on the way. Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25290 is now rolling out in the Dev Channel, for any PCs enrolled in the Windows Insider program. It introduces two more widgets, though they have to be downloaded through the widgets collection in the Microsoft Store first. There’s a Spotify widget, which shows recommended playlists and other controls, and a Phone Link widget that displays the status of a connected phone with recent notifications. Microsoft said in a blog post, “as you give these and other new widgets a try, please let us know what you think through the Widgets feedback link in the widgets picker. You should expect to see additional new widgets as more developers create and release widgets for their apps.”
The influx of new widgets comes after Microsoft released an SDK, allowing other developers to create widgets for the first time — on the current stable builds of Windows 11, only Microsoft’s own widgets are allowed. Facebook Messenger began testing a widget in January, and we can expect more to show up as third-party widget support starts rolling out to more PCs. Source: Microsoft
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| Source: | How To Geek |
Brad Dye, Ron Mercer, Allan Angus, and Ira Wiesenfeld are friends and colleagues who work both together and independently, on wireline and wireless communications projects. Click here Note: We do not like Patent Trolls, i.e. “a person or company who enforces patent rights against accused infringers in an attempt to collect licensing fees, but does not manufacture products or supply services based upon the patents in question.” We have helped some prominent law firms defend their clients against this annoyance, and would be happy to do some more of this same kind of work. Some people use the title “consultant” when they don't have a real job. We actually do consulting work, and help others based on our many years of experience. “If you would know the road ahead, ask someone who has traveled it.” — Chinese Proverb
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Remote AB Switches ABX-1 switches are often used at remote transmitter sites to convert from old, outdated and unsupported controllers to the new modern Prism-IPX ipBSC base station controllers. Remotely switch to new controllers with GUI commands. ABX-1 ABX-3 switches are widely used for enabling or disabling remote equipment and switching I/O connections between redundant messaging systems. ABX-3 Common Features:
Prism-IPX Systems LLC. 11175 Cicero Dr., Alpharetta, GA 30022 |
Monday January 30, 2023 1:45 pm PST by Juli Clover AirTags may be a convenient way for tracking dogs that might get off leash or otherwise lost, but there are dangers associated with the practice, as outlined by a report from The Wall Street Journal.
At 1.26 inches in diameter, AirTags are able to fit easily on a dog's collar, but that size also makes the tracking devices small enough to swallow, at least for a medium to large-sized dog, and a quick Internet search indicates multiple incidents where dogs gobbled up an AirTag. Dog owner Colin Mortimer told The Wall Street Journal that the AirTag on his dog Sophie's collar went missing. He tracked it with the Find My app and was able to get it to play a sound, with the beeping coming from the stomach of his other dog, Sassy. Sassy was able to throw the still-functioning AirTag up, but sometimes these incidents can require surgery. The Schwarzman Animal Medical Center This dog came to AMC's ER after ingesting a foreign object. Can you tell what he ate based on this x-ray? Guess in the comments and we will reveal the answer tomorrow! (The object was endoscopically removed and the pup is feeling better.)
Over on Reddit, a user's doberman swallowed an AirTag, while another user reported watching a dog at the dog park eat an AirTag. A MacRumors reader also saw a swallowing incident with a dog and an AirTag, suggesting accidental AirTag consumption by dogs is not super rare. In fact, a Louisiana vet told The Wall Street Journal that he had treated six dogs that had swallowed an AirTag in the last 18 months, and in each case, the AirTag had initially been attached to the dog's collar. Colin Mortimer Sep 19, 2022 Our foster dog ate an AirTag. We are certain she ate AirTag because if you play the tone you can hear it. . . . . .coming from her belly. Colin Mortimer Follow Two rounds of hydrogen peroxide later . . . it’s up Props to @Apple it still works!
9:26 PM · Sep 19, 2022 Apple does not recommend that AirTags be used for tracking pets or children, and in fact, has said that it is not something that people should do, as AirTags were designed for tracking items rather than living creatures. AirTags that are swallowed may pass safely through a pet's digestive system, but there can be complications if the AirTag should come apart. There is a CR2032 battery inside the AirTag, and if damaged, some batteries can leak a caustic substance that can damage a pet's stomach or mouth, if the battery is chewed, or lead to poisoning. Ann Hohenhaus, a senior veterinarian at the Schwarzmann Animal Medical Center in New York said that if a dog eats an AirTag, it needs to come out "as quickly as possible." Dog owners who do attach an AirTag to a pet collar should look for one that is as secure as possible, with no hanging component that a dog is able to reach or chew through, such as the TagVault from Elevation Lab. There are many AirTag dog collar options on the market, but there is no oversight for these products nor does Apple recommend any of them, so they should be used with caution. Tag: AirTags Guide |
| Source: | Mac Rumors |
| Leavitt Communications |
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| Inside Towers Newsletter |
Apple, Google App Store Model Harms Consumers, Says NTIA
The mobile app store model is harmful to consumers and developers, says the NTIA, which recommends policy changes to fix it. Two companies — Apple and Google — act as gatekeepers over the apps that people and businesses rely on, NTIA finds in its “Competition in the Mobile Application Ecosystem” report. The companies’ policies have the potential to harm consumers by inflating prices and reducing innovation, according to NTIA. “From finding directions to chatting with loved ones, apps are a critical tool for consumers and an essential part of doing business online,” said NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson. “It is more important than ever that the market for mobile apps remains competitive." After outreach, and input that included more than 150 comments from a diverse array of stakeholders, NTIA identified two key policy issues hindering a more competitive app ecosystem: “Consumers largely can’t get apps outside of the app store model, controlled by Apple and Google. This means innovators have very limited avenues for reaching consumers. Apple and Google create hurdles for developers to compete for consumers by imposing technical limits, such as restricting how apps can function or requiring developers to go through slow and opaque review processes,” states the report. While the current app store policies do offer some benefits to consumers, including the potential for tighter security controls, the report found that the costs far outweigh the benefits and that privacy and security protections can still be achieved in a more competitive environment. The report recommends consumers should have more control over their devices, including being able to choose their own apps as defaults. They should also be able to use alternative mobile app stores, and delete or hide pre-installed apps, according to NTIA, which also says app store operators should not be able to “self-preference” their apps in an anticompetitive manner. Apple and Google criticized the report. “We appreciate the report acknowledges the importance of user privacy, data security and user convenience,” Apple said in a statement to Ars Technica. “Nevertheless, we respectfully disagree with a number of conclusions reached in the report, which ignore the investments we make in innovation, privacy and security—all of which contribute to why users love iPhone and create a level playing field for small developers to compete on a safe and trusted platform.” Google stated it “disagree[s] with how this report characterizes Android, which enables more choice and competition than any other mobile operating system. NTIA recognizes the importance of interoperability, multiple app stores and sideloading, which Android’s open system already supports—all while ensuring privacy and security.” TechFreedom, a nonprofit, nonpartisan technology policy think tank, said the report “failed to address critical issues.” It stated: “Instead of grappling with the question of ‘how,’ the NTIA chose to merely issue broad proclamations of the ‘what.’ As a result, the NTIA report reads more like a literature review than a meaningful roadmap for policy making.” |
| Source: | Inside Towers newsletter | Courtesy of the editor of Inside Towers, Jim Fryer. Inside Towers is a daily newsletter by subscription. |
| BloostonLaw Newsletter |
FCC Encourages Challenges for Next Iteration of Broadband Fabric Ahead of March 15On January 25, the FCC provided notice that bulk Fabric challenges submitted as much in advance of March 15 as possible are most likely to be reviewed and adjudicated in time to be accounted for in the next iteration of the Fabric (version three). Bulk Fabric challenges submitted after March 15 will still be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis; however, the FCC indicated they would likely be adjudicated as part of a future version of the Fabric. The Fabric is used by both the FCC and by NTIA to determine availability of broadband funding for the various support programs, such as USF model support and the upcoming Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding opportunities. Ensuring accurate Fabric data is a critical first step in obtaining funding or preventing it from becoming available in areas that are already served. BloostonLaw attorneys are available to assist providers throughout the challenge process. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer. HeadlinesFCC Announces Tentative Agenda for February Open MeetingOn January 27, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing the tentative agenda for its upcoming Open Meeting, currently scheduled for February 16. At the meeting, the FCC will tentatively consider:
Each summary above contains a link to the draft text of each item expected to be considered at this Open Meeting. However, it is possible that changes will be made before the Meeting. One-page cover sheets prepared by the FCC are included in the public drafts to help provide an additional summary. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and John Prendergast. FCC Announces Best Practices for Broadband Fabric Bulk ChallengesOn January 25, the FCC announced recommended best practices for submitting bulk challenges to the most recent version of the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric (Fabric) data. As noted above, bulk Fabric challenges submitted as much in advance of March 15, 2023 as possible are most likely to be reviewed and adjudicated in time to be accounted for in the next iteration of the Fabric (version three). As to best practices, the FCC counseled entities not to attempt to upload as a bulk Fabric challenge a list of addresses they have compiled for another purpose (e.g., a list of addresses from a billing system or from an E911 database). As an initial step, challengers can attempt to join this type of address-based data to the address information included in the Fabric in order to associate unique Fabric location IDs with the locations in the prospective challenger’s data. But the challenger should not simply upload as a challenge all of the data it is unable to match to an existing location ID using an address matching join. In other words, the fact that an address is missing from the Fabric does not necessarily indicate that the location is missing from the Fabric. Instead, the FCC encourages challengers to start by loading the Fabric data into a geospatial analysis tool. Loading additional datasets—including not only datasets such as billing system data and E911 data, but also additional datasets, such as building footprint imagery data and road data—will allow filers to improve the quality of any challenges. After uploading their data sources, filers should undertake a geospatial process to eliminate locations from a challenge that are likely already designated as broadband service locations (BSLs) in version two of the Fabric, and focus on the remaining locations. Filers should also eliminate any location data that falls on a road or that falls outside of a building footprint. They can then perform a more detailed review of the remaining points to determine whether a Fabric challenge is warranted (and, if so, what category of challenge should be submitted). For any locations included in the challenger’s data that are not included in the version two Fabric data, filers should format challenges as a .csv file. Importantly, when including address information with a bulk Fabric challenge (either as a Type 1 challenge to add a BSL or a Type 2 challenge to change the address data for an existing Fabric location), filers will also need to run their address information through USPS Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS) validation to ensure the challenge is not rejected through the FCC’s review process. BloostonLaw attorneys are available to assist challengers in preparing and submitting their data to the FCC’s challenge portal. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer. Voice Service Providers Ordered to Mitigate Certain “PhoneBurner” Robocall TrafficOn January 24, the FCC issued a Public Notice ordering telecommunications companies to effectively mitigate suspected illegal traffic from dialing platform PhoneBurner, which is facilitating apparently illegal robocall traffic from real estate brokerage firm MV Realty to targeted consumers. According to lawsuits from the Attorneys General of Florida, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, real estate brokerage firm MV Realty used misleading robocalls to “swindle” and “scam” residents into mortgaging their homes in exchange for small cash payments. All telecommunications companies are required to promptly investigate the traffic identified in the attachment to the Public Notice, available here, and to take steps to effectively mitigate the identified traffic. In the event that any voice service provider fails to mitigate this traffic from PhoneBurner and MV Realty, the FCC indicated it may take additional enforcement action. Normally, the FCC’s rules require carriers to (a) report the results of its investigation and detail the steps the provider has taken to effectively mitigate the identified traffic, or (b) explain why the provider has reasonably concluded that the identified calls were not illegal and what steps it took to reach that conclusion. However, the FCC has waived the reporting requirement for the mitigation efforts required by this Public Notice. The FCC’s action not only targets calls from the robocaller but also Twilio, the network that apparently carried the calls around the country. The FCC also demanded that voice service provider Twilio cease and desist from carrying the suspected illegal robocall traffic which it was apparently receiving from PhoneBurner. Twilio is the largest voice service provider yet to receive a cease-and-desist letter from the FCC. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer. FCC Proposes Outage Reporting Rules for 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline ProvidersOn January 26, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking comment on rules that would require 988 service providers to report outages that potentially affect 988 service, with the goal of hastening service restoration and enabling officials to inform the public of alternate ways to contact the 988 Lifeline. Comment and reply comment deadlines have not yet been established. Specifically, the FCC proposed rules designed that to ensure that HHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), the Department of Veterans Affairs, the 988 Lifeline administrator, and the FCC itself receive timely and actionable information about 988 service outages. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking includes proposals to:
In addition to inviting comment on these proposals, the Notice seeks comment on:
As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, last July, the FCC required certain service providers to support nationwide three-digit dialing to the 988 Lifeline. The NPRM comes as a response to a nationwide service outage on December 1, 2022, that lasted several hours, making the service inaccessible to voice callers. Once the Department of Health and Human Services became aware of the outage, it notified the public of alternative ways to contact the 988 Lifeline, including through texting or the Lifeline’s online webchat. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and Sal Taillefer. Comments on Data Breach Reporting Requirements are Due February 22On January 23, the FCC published in the Federal Register its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking comment on expanding its data breach rules. Comments are due February 22, and reply comments are due March 24. As we reported in a previous edition of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, the item was first circulated in January of 2022 and proposes several updates to current FCC rules addressing telecommunications carriers’ breach notification requirements. These include:
The FCC adopted its initial data breach rule to address the problem of “pretexting,” the practice of pretending to be a particular customer or other authorized person in order to obtain access to that customer’s call detail or other private communications records. All telecommunications carriers and interconnected VOIP providers are required to file an annual CPNI compliance certification by March 1, along with a statement explaining how the company’s operating procedures ensure compliance with the FCC’s CPNI rules. BloostonLaw is prepared to help our clients meet this requirement, which we expect will be strictly enforced, by assisting with preparation of their certification filing; reviewing the filing to make sure that the required showings are made; filing the certification with the FCC and obtaining a proof-of-filing copy for your records. Clients interested in obtaining BloostonLaw's CPNI compliance manual should contact the firm. BloostonLaw Contacts: Cary Mitchell. Law and RegulationRevised Tower Construction Guidance for Protection of Northern Long-Eared Bat Effective March 31On December 2, 2021, the FCC issued initial guidance to the tower industry on the recommended steps for considering the potential effects that proposed antenna structures could have on the northern long-eared bat’s (“Myotis septentrionalis”) range (i.e., the geographic area a species is known or believed to occupy), as part of an applicant’s environmental review. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (the “Service”) has now issued a final rule which reclassifies this bat as being an endangered species rather than being listed as “threatened.” This final Rule, which was originally to take effect on January 30, 2023, will now take effect on March 31, 2023, in order to allow the Service to “finalize conservation tools and guidance documents thereby preventing confusion and disruption with other Federal Agencies under section 7 of the [Endangered Species] Act.” Until the effective date of the Service’s new rule, the FCC is directing tower owners and applicants to follow the FCC’s prior 2021 initial guidance. Under that guidance, applicants can use a “Streamlined Framework” that will avoid much of the paperwork associated with protecting the long-eared bats. Those using the Streamlined Framework must complete the automated determination key for the NLEB through the Service’s Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) system9 and follow the Service’s process for federal actions. The key asks a series of detailed questions related to the project to help applicants determine the probable impact the proposed project will have on the NLEB, recommend steps to minimize the impact of the project, and determine whether the project will result in incidental takes of the species, and, if so, whether those incidental takes are excepted under the applicable 4(d) rule. Upon the effective date of the new rule, applicants will be required to consult with the Service’s resources and the applicant’s respective field Service office in order to determine how to proceed with the consultation process for projects that are proposed or in pre-construction status as of the new rule’s effective date. In this regard, the FCC has indicated that it will update the tower industry with instructions once the Service provides further information on its final rule and related tools and guidance documents. Blooston Law Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino FCC Adopts Rules That Seek to Spur Innovation in the 4.9 GHz BandLast week, the FCC adopted a new regulatory framework for the 4.9 GHz (4940-4990 MHz) band, an underutilized resource that had been set aside for public safety entities in 2002 but only about 2% of eligible public safety entities had pursued the means of using it. Under-investment in the band was blamed, in part, on the high cost of equipment. The Seventh Report and Order and Ninth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking establishes a comprehensive and coordinated nationwide approach to managing the band while retaining its locally controlled, public safety nature. Under the new scheme, private sector entities can gain access to the 4.9 GHz band, subject to certain procedures and safeguards.
The FCC believes implementing a centralized coordination strategy will provide better information and certainty about existing users and public safety deployments, which in turn will help leverage new technologies, lower equipment costs, attract new users, facilitate effective frequency coordination and interference protection, and promote interoperability. The Band Manager will be chosen by a selection committee that represents licensees and relevant stakeholders, i.e., the public safety community, and have three primary responsibilities: (1) frequency coordination; (2) incentivizing the use of the latest commercially available technologies, including 5G; and (3) facilitating secondary non-public safety use. The Ninth Further Notice seeks comment on the details of how to implement the Band Manager-facilitated private sector leasing model. Comments on the item will be due 30 days following Federal Register publication with reply comments due 30 days after initial comments. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell. FCC Proposes $100,000 Fine for Failure to File Form 499-A, Q ReportsOn January 25, the FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) against Pacific Data Systems (Pacific) for apparently failing to file a total of 13 Form 499 Worksheets between August 1, 2019, and February 1, 2022. Due to the ongoing and apparently willful nature of the violation, the FCC has proposed a fine of $100,000. According to the NAL, Pacific consistently filed its Annual and Quarterly Worksheets on time. However, between August 1, 2019, and February 1, 2022, Pacific failed to file any of the 13 Worksheets required by the FCC’s rules. Although USAC repeatedly contacted Pacific concerning the Company’s missing Worksheet filings, the Company nonetheless failed to comply with its filing requirements. After the FCC issued a Letter of Inquiry to Pacific concerning the Company’s compliance, the Company filed its 2020 and 2021 Annual Worksheets, which were respectively due on April 1 of 2020 and 2021, and acknowledged the Company’s failures to file required Worksheets, but claimed it was impeded by “staff shortages and COVID-19 issues.” As with all NALs, neither the allegations nor the proposed sanctions are final FCC actions. The Company will be given an opportunity to respond and the FCC will consider the Company’s submission of evidence and legal arguments before acting further to resolve the matter. Form 499-A is due annually for all eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs), and Form 499-Q is due quarterly for all ETCs that are not de minims. BloostonLaw attorneys are available to answer questions and assist in the preparation of both Form 499-A and Form 499-Q. BloostonLaw Contact: Sal Taillefer. IndustryNext World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee Meeting Scheduled for April 11On January 25, The World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee (WAC or Advisory Committee) meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at 11:00 A.M. at the FCC. At the meeting, the Advisory Committee meeting will consider status reports and recommendations from its Informal Working Groups, (IWG-1, IWG-2, IWG-3, and IWG-4), concerning preparation for the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23). The seventh Advisory Committee meeting will be broadcast live with open captioning over the Internet from the FCC Live web page at www.fcc.gov/live. There will be audience participation available; send live questions to livequestions@fcc.gov only during this meeting. DeadlinesJANUARY 31: Form 855 HAC Compliance Certification. The next Hearing Aid Compatibility regulatory compliance certification, certifying compliance with the FCC’s HAC handset minimums as well as enhanced record retention and website posting requirements for the 2022 calendar year, will be due Tuesday, January 31, 2023, for all CMRS service providers (including CMRS resellers) that had operations during any portion of 2022. Companies that sold their wireless licenses during the 2022 calendar year are still obligated to file a partial-year HAC compliance certifications if they provided mobile wireless service and sold wireless handsets at any time during the year. BloostonLaw has prepared a 2023 HAC Regulatory Compliance Template to facilitate our clients’ compliance with the revised HAC rules. Contact Cary Mitchell if you would like to obtain a copy of the HAC Regulatory Compliance Template. BloostonLaw Contact: Cary Mitchell. JANUARY 31: FCC FORM 555, ANNUAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS CARRIER CERTIFICATION FORM. All Lifeline Program service providers are required to file the FCC Form 555, except where the National Verifier, state Lifeline administrator, or other entity is responsible. Since January 31 falls on a weekend or holiday this year, Form 555 may be filed by February 1. The FCC Form 555 must be submitted to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) electronically via USAC’s E-File (One Portal). Carriers must also file a copy of their FCC Form 555 in the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System, Docket 14-171, and with their state regulatory commission. The form reports the results of the annual recertification process and non-usage de-enrollments. Recertification results are reported month-by-month based on the subscribers’ anniversary date. BloostonLaw Contacts: Ben Dickens and John Prendergast. FEBRUARY 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 and Sal Taillefer. 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 and Sal Taillefer. FEBRUARY 1: Live 911 Call Data Reports – Non-Nationwide Providers that do not provide coverage in any of the Test Cities must collect and report aggregate data based on the largest county within its footprint to APCO, NENA, and NASNA on the location technologies used for live 911 calls in those areas. Clients should obtain spreadsheets with their company’s compliance data from their E911 service provider (e.g., Intrado / West). BloostonLaw Contact: Cary Mitchell. MARCH 1: COPYRIGHT STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT FORM FOR CABLE COMPANIES. This form, plus royalty payment for the second half of last year, is due March 1. The form covers the period July 1 to December 31 and is due to be mailed directly to cable TV operators by the Library of Congress’ Copyright Office. BloostonLaw Contact: Sal Taillefer MARCH 1: CPNI ANNUAL CERTIFICATION. Carriers should modify (as necessary) and complete their “Annual Certification of CPNI Compliance” for this year. The certification must be filed with the FCC by March 1. Note that the annual certification should include the following three required Exhibits: (a) a detailed Statement Explaining How the Company’s Operating Procedures Ensure Compliance with The FCC’S CPNI Rules to reflect the Company’s policies and information; (b) a Statement of Actions Taken Against Data Brokers; and (c) a Summary of Customer Complaints Regarding Unauthorized Release of CPNI. A company officer with personal knowledge that the company has established operating procedures adequate to ensure compliance with the rules must execute the Certification, place a copy of the Certification and accompanying Exhibits in the Company’s CPNI Compliance Records, and file the certification with the FCC in the correct fashion. Our clients can send the original to BloostonLaw in time for the firm to make the filing with the FCC by March 1, if desired. BloostonLaw is prepared to help our clients meet this requirement, which we expect will be strictly enforced, by assisting with preparation of their certification filing; reviewing the filing to make sure that the required showings are made; filing the certification with the FCC, and obtaining a proof-of-filing copy for your records. Clients interested in obtaining BloostonLaw's CPNI compliance manual should contact the firm for more information. Note: If you file the CPNI certification, you must also file the FCC Form 499-A Telecom Reporting Worksheet by April 1. BloostonLaw contact: Cary Mitchell. MARCH 1: HUBB LOCATION DATA FILING AND CERTIFICATION. Carriers participating in modernized Connect America Fund (CAF) programs with defined broadband buildout obligations have until March 1 of each year to file deployment data with USAC's High Cost Universal Broadband (HUBB) portal showing where they built out mass-market, high-speed Internet service in the previous calendar year. Carriers that have no locations to upload must certify this fact in the HUBB. Affected programs include: CAF Phase II Model; Alternative Connect America Cost Model (Original A-CAM) and Revised ACAM; ACAM II; Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support (CAF BLS); Rural Broadband Experiments (RBE); Alaska Plan (other than carriers with individualized performance plans that only require them to maintain service at existing levels); CAF Phase II Auction; and Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). Carriers with 2022 deployment milestones must also complete milestone certifications as part of the annual HUBB filing and will face verification reviews tied to those milestones. Carriers subject to defined deployment milestones must notify the FCC and USAC, and relevant state, U.S. Territory or Tribal governments if applicable, within 10 business days after the applicable deadline if they have failed to meet a milestone. Carriers that miss milestones face increased reporting obligations and potential loss of support. BloostonLaw attorneys have successfully assisted clients in uploading and certifying their HUBB location data, as well as obtain petitions for waiver of the FCC’s rules where necessary. BloostonLaw Contact: Sal Taillefer.
Calendar At-a-GlanceJanuary February March Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, & Prendergast, LLP is a telecommunications law firm representing rural telecommunications companies, wireless carriers, private radio licensees, cable TV companies, equipment manufacturers and industry associations before the FCC and the courts, as well as state and local government agencies. Our clients range from Fortune 500 companies to small and medium-sized enterprises whose vitality and efficiency depend on the effective deployment of communications.
REMINDER: FCC Sunset Remaining 3650-3700 MHz Licenses as of Jan 8As we reported last month, the FCC issued a Public Notice reminding legacy Part 90 licensees in the 3650-3700 MHz band that January 8, 2023 would be the last day to either complete their transition to the Citizens Broadband Radio Service or discontinue operations in the band using their legacy Part 90 3650-3700 MHz band license (even if the license shows a later expiration date). It is important to note that for licenses issued or renewed after January 8, 2013, the transition period ended by operation of the FCC’s Rules on April 17, 2020. Thus, the FCC’s reminder was applicable only to those with a license issued before January 8, 2013 that had not yet otherwise expired. We note that at the end of last year, the FCC made informal inquiries to certain licensees regarding the status of their 3650-3700 MHz licenses. While the FCC did not take any enforcement action at that time, we note that with the release of this reminder and the passage of the January 8, 2023 sunset, that the FCC’s posture could change at any time since continued operation past the relevant transition date would likely be considered unlicensed operation. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino FCC Announces that Bi-Annual Application Filing Fee Increases to be Effective March 2, 2023As reported in our December Private User Update, the Communications Act of 1934, as amended requires the FCC to adjust its schedule of application filing fees in every even-numbered year in order to reflect increases and/or decreases in the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) – which, this cycle, reflects an increase of 11.6% in the CPI since the current fee schedule was last adopted in December 2020. As a result, the FCC has adopted a new fee schedule which will raise many, but not all of its various filing fees. The new fee schedule will become effective March 2, 2023, which is 30 days after publication in today’s Federal Register. Below is a summary of the revised Schedule of Fees: Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino FCC Revised Tower Construction Guidance for Protection of Northern Long-Eared Bat Effective March 31, 2023On December 2, 2021, the FCC issued initial guidance to the tower industry on the recommended steps for considering the potential effects that proposed antenna structures could have on the northern long-eared bat’s (“Myotis septentrionalis”) range (i.e., the geographic area a species is known or believed to occupy), as part of an applicant’s environmental review. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (the “Service”) has now issued a final rule which reclassifies this bat as being an endangered species rather than being listed as “threatened”. This final Rule, which was originally to take effect on January 30, 2023, will now take effect on March 31, 2023 in order to allow the Service to “finalize conservation tools and guidance documents thereby preventing confusion and disruption with other Federal Agencies under section 7 of the [Endangered Species] Act. Until effective date of the Service’s new rule, the FCC is directing tower owners and applicants to follow the Commission’s prior 2021 initial guidance. Under that guidance, applicants can use a “Streamlined Framework” that will avoid much of the paperwork associated with protecting the long-eared bats. Those using the Streamlined Framework must complete the automated determination key for the NLEB through the Service’s Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) system9 and follow the Service’s process for federal actions. The key asks a series of detailed questions related to the project to help applicants determine the probable impact the proposed project will have on the NLEB, recommend steps to minimize the impact of the project, and determine whether the project will result in incidental takes of the species, and, if so, whether those incidental takes are excepted under the applicable 4(d) rule. After completing the automated determination key, an applicant will receive a letter from the Service, which will either be a: (i) “consistency” letter informing the applicant that it has satisfied and concluded its responsibilities under ESA section 7(a)(2) with respect to the project and that any activities resulting in incidental take are excepted from take prohibitions; or (ii) “formal consultation” letter informing the applicant that project-specific ESA section 7 formal consultation is necessary. If an applicant receives a consistency letter and the applicant is submitting a related Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) or Universal Licensing System (ULS) application, the applicant must attach the consistency letter to its Commission application. If the applicant is not otherwise required to submit an application to the Commission, it must retain a copy of the consistency letter in its records and be prepared to produce a copy to the Commission if and when the Commission requests it. If an applicant receives a formal consultation letter, it must notify the Bureau and concurrently submit a Biological Assessment (BA) completed by a qualified biologist at the following email address: towercomments@fcc.gov. Upon the effective date of the new rule, applicants will be required to consult with the Service’s resources and the applicant’s respective field Service office in order to determine how to proceed with the consultation process for projects that are proposed or in pre-construction status as of the new rule’s effective date. In this regard, the FCC has indicated that it will update the tower industry with instructions once the Service provides further information on its final rule and related tools and guidance documents. Blooston Law Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino President Biden Renominates Gigi Sohn to Serve as CommissionerPresident Biden has once again renominated Gigi Sohn to serve as the fifth commissioner on the FCC. Sohn was previously nominated to this position in October 2021 and her nomination was not able to successfully be confirmed by the Senate in the last Congress, due to unanimous opposition from Republicans and a lack of full support by Democratic members. As a result, the lack of a fifth commissioner has left the FCC with a 2-2 tie between Republican and Democrat members of the Commission. This has hindered the FCC’s ability to tackle meaty issues that do not have unanimous support of both the Republican and Democrat commissioners. In support of Sohn’s re-nomination, Chairwoman Rosenworcel stated “I am proud of the work the Commission has accomplished in the last two years. Closing the Homework Gap, broadband access and affordability, telehealth, mapping, and network security are top priorities and we’ve acted accordingly. Gigi is a knowledgeable nominee with a long record of commitment to the issues before the FCC and I congratulate her on nomination as a Commissioner at the agency. I look forward to the day we have a full complement of five commissioners.” Many believe that with the mid-term elections behind us and the strengthening of the Democratic majority in the Senate, there will be a renewed push in favor of the Democrats to move several of President Biden’s stalled nominations across the finish line. The belief is that Sohn is crucial to President Biden’s commitment to the restoration of net-neutrality – of which Sohn is a strong advocate and which would restore rules requiring that Internet service providers treat all online traffic equally. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino FCC Adopts Rules That Seek to Spur Innovation in the 4.9 GHz Band, expand Access to Non-Public Safety UsersLast week, the FCC adopted a new regulatory framework for the 4.9 GHz (4940-4990 MHz) band, an underutilized resource that had been set aside for public safety entities in 2002 but only about 2% of eligible public safety entities had pursued the means of using it. Under-investment in the band was blamed, in part, on the high cost of equipment. The FCC’s Seventh Report and Order and Ninth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, establishes a comprehensive and coordinated nationwide approach to managing the band while retaining its locally controlled, public safety nature.
The FCC believes implementing a centralized coordination strategy will provide better information and certainty about existing users and public safety deployments, which in turn will help leverage new technologies, lower equipment costs, attract new users, facilitate effective frequency coordination and interference protection, and promote interoperability. The Band Manager will be chosen by a selection committee that represents licensees and relevant stakeholders, i.e. the public safety community, and have three primary responsibilities: (1) frequency coordination; (2) incentivizing the use of the latest commercially available technologies, including 5G; and (3) facilitating secondary non-public safety use. The Ninth Further Notice seeks comment on the details of implementing the Band Manager facilitated non-public safety leasing model to achieve these goals. Comments will be due 30 days following Federal Register publication with reply comments due 30 days after initial comments. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Cary Mitchell Off-Duty Fairfax County Police Officer “Accidentally” Plays Audio Porn over County Police Radio SystemSeveral news outlets are reporting that an off-duty police officer with the Fairfax County, Virginia Police Department “rang in the new year” shortly after midnight by “accidentally” transmitting “audio-porn” over the County’s police radio system. According to the police department’s Internal Affairs Bureau, the officer was in his personal vehicle with his hand-held portable radio on while listening to “audio-porn” over a Bluetooth connection within the car. While Fairfax County officials have not explicitly described the transmissions, the police department acknowledged that the transmissions lasted for approximately 5 minutes on a channel that is used by dispatchers and first responders. It is important to note that all communications on frequencies allocated by the FCC for private internal uses (whether public safety or business industrial) must be consistent with the licensee’s eligibility for that frequency. Additionally, care must also be taken to ensure that inappropriate language is not transmitted. A failure to make proper use of licensed frequencies could lead to enforcement action by the FCC. In this regard, while rare, it is also not unheard of for the FCC to seek fines against a state or local governmental entity. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino FCC Initiates Rulemaking to Make 5 GHz License Spectrum Available for Unmanned Drone UseThe FCC has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) in which it has proposed to allow wireless communications for unmanned aircraft to use the 5030-5091 MHz band, rather than unlicensed and low-power wireless communications as currently permitted. Comments will be due 30 days after publication in the Federal Register and reply comments will be due 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. The FCC’s NPRM seeks comment on service rules for the 5030-5091 MHz band that would provide unmanned aircraft system (“UAS”) operators with access to licensed spectrum with the reliability necessary to support safety-critical UAS communications links. The NPRM also seeks comment on whether the Commission’s rules for various flexible-use spectrum bands are sufficient to ensure co-existence of terrestrial mobile operations and UAS use or whether changes to Commission rules are necessary to prevent or mitigate interference and performance concerns. Also, to further promote the safe integration of unmanned aircraft operations in controlled airspace and facilitate flight coordination, the NPRM proposes a process for UAS operators to obtain a license in the aeronautical VHF band to communicate with air traffic control and other aircraft while maintaining the integrity of the band. This NPRM was developed as part of ongoing collaboration with the FAA and NTIA, including within the formal Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee process. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino Comments on Revisions to Part 25 Application Process Due March 3On January 17, the FCC published its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) in the Federal Register which started the notice and comment cycle. In the NPRM, the FCC is seeking comment on changes to its rules, policies, and practices to facilitate the acceptance for filing of satellite and earth station applications under Part 25. Accordingly, comments are due March 3 and reply comments are due April 3. Specifically, the FCC proposes to revise procedural rules to formally allow consideration of satellite applications and petitions that request waiver of the Table of Frequency Allocations to operate in a frequency band without an international allocation. The FCC also seeks comment on typical processing timeframes for satellite applications. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast, Richard Rubino and Cary Mitchell. FCC Grants Waiver of Tower Lighting Quarterly Inspection RequirementThe FCC has granted the request of American Electric Power Service Corporation (“American Power”) for waiver of Rule Section 17.47(b), which requires antenna structure owners to conduct quarterly inspections of “all automatic or mechanical control devices, indicators, and alarm systems associated with the antenna structure lighting to [e]nsure that such apparatus is functioning properly.” Pursuant to Rule Section 17.47(c), American Power sought a determination from the FCC that its equipment included self-diagnostic features that would be sufficient to render the quarterly inspection requirement unnecessary. In this regard, American Power monitors the tower lighting systems for its affiliates and subsidiaries at approximately 375 sites across the United States and has petitioned the FCC for a determination that its monitoring system is robust enough to ensure that the control devices, indicators and alarm systems on the individual antenna structures are operating properly such that quarterly inspections are unnecessary. American Power argued that the quarterly inspections were unnecessary because of the technological advancements in its equipment in its system and requested that the FCC “modify the Quarterly Inspection requirement to provide that such inspections be made annually with regard to all [of American Power’s] monitored towers . . .” Moreover, American Power stated that its monitoring system is similar to other systems where the FCC has provided similar relief. In granting American Power’s petition, the FCC found that the alarm monitoring system “include[d] self-diagnostic feature sufficient to render quarterly inspections unnecessary and [was] similar to the monitoring systems [the FCC] evaluated in other orders” going as far back as 2007 which permitted both American Tower Corporation and Global Signal, Inc. to utilize annual, rather than quarterly inspections. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast and Richard Rubino FAA Wants Airline Industry to Install 5G-Safe Equipment by 2024The FAA last week proposed that all passenger and cargo aircraft be required to have “5G-safe” equipment by February 2024. This includes installation of C-band tolerant radio altimeters or an approved radio frequency (RF) filter. The requirement is designed to end a dispute between the aviation and wireless industries which has prevented AT&T and Verizon from fully deploying 5G on the C-Band spectrum near certain airports. “Some radio altimeters may already demonstrate tolerance to the 5G C-Band emissions without modification,” the FAA said. “Some may need to install filters between the radio altimeter and antenna to increase a radio altimeter’s tolerance. For others, the addition of a filter will not be sufficient to address interference susceptibility; therefore, the radio altimeter will need to be replaced with an upgraded radio altimeter.” Airplane altimeters rely on a spectrum from 4.2 GHz to 4.4 GHz, but some are not capable of filtering out 5G transmissions from the carriers' spectrum in the 3.7–3.98 GHz range. This led the airline industry last January to warn of “catastrophic disruption” when Verizon and AT&T were preparing to launch C-band 5G service. The carriers voluntarily agreed to delay their C-band deployment near airports until mid-2023 to avoid the possibility of flight cancellations. At the time, the FAA said that airlines must replace or retrofit faulty altimeters “as soon as possible”, but the FAA’s notice last week said February 1, 2024, "is the date the FAA has determined to be as soon as reasonably practical, consistent with FAA policy." Out of almost 8,000 airplanes on the U.S. registry, approximately 180 of them would reportedly need radio altimeter replacement and 820 airplanes would need radio altimeter filters to be added to comply with the proposed modification requirement. The total estimated cost of this compliance is approximately $26 million. In contrast, the nation’s largest wireless carriers paid more than $80 billion for C-band spectrum plus up to $9.7 billion in accelerated relocation payments to clear the band of satellite incumbents. The C-band radio altimeter debacle led the FCC to adopt a Notice of Inquiry (“NOI”) on promoting improvements in RF receiver performance last Spring. BloostonLaw Contacts: John Prendergast, Richard Rubino and Cary Mitchell FCC Approves NPRM on New Data Breach Reporting Requirements for CPNIAfter languishing without action for almost a year, the FCC last week launched a proceeding to strengthen the FCC’s rules for notifying customers and federal law enforcement of breaches of customer proprietary network information (CPNI). In a unanimous 4-0 vote, the FCC approved a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said was sorely overdue, as the current rules are more than 15 years old. Comments on the item will be due 30 days following publication of the NPRM in the Federal Register, with reply comments due 30 days thereafter. The item was first circulated in January of 2022 and proposes several updates to current FCC rules addressing telecommunications carriers’ breach notification requirements. These include:
The FCC adopted its initial data breach rule to address the problem of “pretexting,” the practice of pretending to be a particular customer or other authorized person in order to obtain access to that customer’s call detail or other private communications records. However, it has become clear that breaches of customer information in many contexts have become more sophisticated and are increasing in scale far beyond pretexting in general. The proposed amendments are designed to help protect consumers from the ever-growing harms of breaches of personal information. All telecommunications carriers and interconnected VOIP providers are required to file an annual CPNI compliance certification by March 1, along with a statement explaining how the company’s operating procedures ensure compliance with the FCC’s CPNI rules. BloostonLaw is prepared to help our clients meet this requirement, which we expect will be strictly enforced, by assisting with preparation of their certification filing; reviewing the filing to make sure that the required showings are made; filing the certification with the FCC, and obtaining a proof-of-filing copy for your records. Clients interested in obtaining BloostonLaw's CPNI compliance manual should contact the firm. BloostonLaw Contact: Cary Mitchell. FCC Announces Approval and Registration of Additional 3.5 GHz Band Environmental Sensing Capability SensorsThe FCC has released a Public Notice in which it approved a new Environmental Sensing Capability (ESC) sensor deployment and coverage plans (ESC Sensor Registrations) for Federated Wireless, Inc. (Federated Wireless). The FCC, in consultation with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”) and the Department of Defense (“DoD”), have reviewed and approved the updated ESC Sensor Registrations, which sufficiently describe the proposed coverage for the dynamic protection areas (“DPAs”) listed below. As a result, the FCC has authorized Federated Wireless to operate its ESC sensors consistent with the information – including sensor locations, configuration, and DPA coverage – as approved by the FCC. In addition, Federated Wireless will be required to operate in conjunction with at least one Spectrum Access System (“SAS”) that has been approved for commercial deployment by the Commission. Before providing commercial service for any given DPA, Federated Wireless will be required to file a notification in GN Docket No. 15-319, which must affirm that the approved sensors covering the DPA are constructed and operational. This notification must also list the approved SASs with which the ESC is communicating. In this regard, the FCC stated that Federated Wireless has satisfied the sensor coverage requirements for the Alaska 38 DPA. Federated Wireless will be permitted to update its ESC Sensor Registrations at any time in accordance with the process established in the ESC Sensor Registration Public Notice, and it must provide updates on an ongoing basis if any changes are made to the parameters of its approved ESC sensor deployments. The FCC will continue to approve ESC Sensor Registrations on a rolling basis as described in the ESC Sensor Registration Public Notice. The FCC reminds ESC operators that, going forward, they must file ESC Sensor Registrations and any supplements with the Commission using the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (“ECFS”) in GN Docket 15-319 and that ESC operators may request confidential treatment of information contained in their filings consistent with the FCC’s rules concerning confidentiality. The FCC noted that these modified procedural requirements supersede those set forth in the FCC’s 2018 ESC Sensor Registration Public Notice. Blooston Law Contacts: John Prendergast, Richard Rubino and Cary Mitchell |
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Hello, Dear Brad. Are you fine, no? I hope you and your loved ones are fine and healthy. I’m here in Santiago fine and with a huge project on my desk. I will share with you further information in short time. We are here in summer season with many of us in summer holidays. No question about it's necessary, your messaging news report it’s part of our weekend. It's a critical alert message any delivery change. Thank you very much. Very best regards, Pablo Osorio Molinski +569.9224.9025 (Móvil) Smart-Telemensajes GmbH i.Gr. |
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