Month: July 2017

Marino, Jeffries, Hatch, Coons Working to Deliver Cross Border Data Access Bill “Soon”

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Legislative directors for Reps. Dan Marino (R., Pa.) and Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) today said they are working with Sens. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) and Chris Coons (D., Del.) on bipartisan, bicameral legislation to address law enforcement access to cross-border data.  Congressman Marino “understands the needs of law enforcement” but “also recognizes the importance of following the rule of law and respecting privacy,” Judd Smith, LD and counsel to Rep. Marino, said during remarks at a Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee meeting.

“Congress needs to act to clarify the situation,” which currently is pending before the Supreme Court in a case that arose from the Second Circuit on U.S. law enforcement access to data that Microsoft Corp. has stored in Ireland.

Chris Randle, LD and counsel to Rep. Jeffries, said, “We are working to find a solution,” adding that they would take back what they heard during the CICAC discussion panel to their bosses.  “We hope soon that we will have a product that we can move that will make sense to everybody.” Continue reading →

VA First State to Announce Plan to Opt In to FirstNet Network

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The state of Virginia announced today that it plans to allow AT&T, Inc., the First Responder Network Authority’s (FirstNet) network partner, to build a radio access network (RAN) in the state, becoming the first state to do so. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D.) signed a letter of intent today. Tomorrow, he plans to attend a ceremonial letter signing at FirstNet’s headquarters in Reston, Va.

“I am proud that Virginia is the first state in the nation to opt in to this program that will help our first responders communicate during times of emergency,” Gov. McAuliffe said in a statement. “While this is only the beginning of the process, I look forward to the continued coordinated efforts among Virginia, FirstNet, and AT&T to provide public safety officials with innovative new technologies that will help them keep Virginians safe.”

“Public safety has spent years advocating for a nationwide network following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and today, Governor McAuliffe is helping to answer that call by joining the FirstNet network,” said FirstNet Chief Executive Officer Mike Poth. “FirstNet will be able to put the technology citizens use every day — like smartphones and apps — into the hands of Virginia’s first responders, modernizing how they help save lives and protect residents while creating a single, interoperable system across the Commonwealth and across the country.” Continue reading →

Bill to Limit Police Power to Cut Phone Service Advances in California

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The California Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications has approved a bill that would repeal current laws that allow law enforcement officials to interrupt, cut, or otherwise divert telephone service in order to protect public safety, and would instead prohibit law enforcement or a service provider from interrupting a communications service except in an “extreme emergency situation” or if the interruption is authorized by court order.

AB 1034, which is sponsored by Assembly Member Ed Chau (D.), would “prohibit any government entity, or service provider acting at the request of a government entity, from interrupting a communication service either to prevent the communications service from being used for an illegal purpose or to protect public health, safety, or welfare.”

The bill would require a court order to obtain specified information, which a court could grant if, among other things, “there is probable cause that the communication is being or will be used for an unlawful purpose and that absent immediate and summary action to interrupt the communication service, serious, direct, and immediate danger to public health, safety, or welfare will result.”

The bill would also require a government entity interrupting a communications service due to an extreme emergency situation to apply for a court order without delay, and if possible, to file the application within six hours after commencement of interruption.

The bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. —Carrie DeLeon, carrie.deleon@wolterskluwer

Courtesy TRDaily

 

Six House Democrats Seek GAO Review of Glitches in FCC’s Comment Stream

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Top Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Oversight and Government Reform Committee today asked the Government Accountability Office to review the FCC’s information technology and cybersecurity practices in the wake of “irregularities” recently discovered in the Commission’s electronic comment filing system (ECFS). A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack was launched against the ECFS in May shortly after the FCC opened a docket for its high-profile “net neutrality” proceeding.  Despite the attack, which deluged the ECFS with traffic that was three times higher than its normal peaks, FCC officials said the system remained secure (TR Daily, June 27).

But the six Democratic leaders expressed concern in a letter to GAO that some would-be commenters were blocked from filing their comments in the net neutrality proceeding and that the FCC’s systems might be inadequate to handle large flows of comments. “We hope to obtain additional information, particularly whether the agency’s cyber systems can adequately accommodate large volumes of input from the public during high-profile rulemaking proceedings.  We are also interested in a general understanding of the adequacy of the FCC’s cyber controls and defenses,” they said. Continue reading →

Groups Say “Maligned” Localities Need More Time to File Infrastructure Replies

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The National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the Government Finance Officers Association, the International Municipal Lawyers Association, the National Association of Counties, the National Association of Towns and Townships, the National Association of Regional Councils, and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors have asked the FCC to extend the deadlines for filing reply comments in its proceedings on accelerating wireline and wireless broadband deployment by removing barriers to infrastructure investment (Wireline Competition docket 17-84 and Wireless Telecommunications docket 17-79, respectively).

The current reply deadlines in both dockets are July 17.  They requested extensions until Aug. 17.

“In addition to the potential for confusion with the Net Neutrality comments due that same day,” that is, July 17, the local government groups offered five other reasons to grant the extension:  (1) “[t]he number of and complexity of comments filed to date in both proceedings;” (2) “[t]he number of existing rules that are proposed for revision;” (3) “[t]he number of communities that are maligned directly or by inference and the need to alert them to provide the Commission with a complete factual record of any alleged bad acts;” (4) “[i]ntervening state laws that have been adopted on small wireless facilities siting in the public rights-of-way and requests to preempt these laws; and” (5) “[t]he number of conflicts that fall within the current reply comment period.”

They noted that “[a]s of July 7, 2017, no less than 199 comments have been filed in the Wireline proceeding (WC 17-84) and 350 comments have been filed in the Wireless proceeding (WT 17-79). With limited resources, it has been impossible for local government commenters to read all the filings, let alone develop cogent responses.”

“As we pointed out in prior filings, an adverse ruling by the Commission on many of the issues raised in these proceedings could potentially cost local governments billions of dollars annually for the private use of the public rights-of-way. We believe that the number of local government parties filing comments reflects the seriousness with which they view these proceedings and an extension of time to file reply comments will permit local governments nationwide to address the many financial and budgetary implications that any Commission rulings could have on communities and their residents,” they added.

Regarding the issue of “maligned communities,” the local government groups said that “specifically named local governments must have the time to review the allegations against them and provide the Commission with the full story on why any delays in the siting process may have occurred, including industry failures, as well as explaining how current siting and application practices promote deployment. An extension of time to file reply comments will allow maligned local governments to address the claims made against them. Moreover, the Commission must strike from the record any claims that do not cite the specific government whose conduct is being impugned. The Commission has made it clear that it wants to make data driven decisions — a goal that cannot be met through the use of allegations in the abstract. Permitting such conduct undercuts the credibility of any decisions the Commission may reach.”

As for state laws, they said, “Recently, no less than 15 states have reviewed small wireless facility siting legislation, with a number of states enacting such laws. Many localities from those states need to know that some industry commenters are seeking to preempt these new bills, despite a number of the state laws being developed by consensus between various state associations of local governments and the industry.”

They also noted that the period between the comment and reply comment deadlines have included the annual meeting of the USCM and meetings of NLC committees, as well as the mid-week Independence Day holiday, “resulting in many city professionals exercising vacation days to take a four day weekend.” —Lynn Stanton, lynn.stanton@wolterskluwer.com

Courtesy TRDaily

Andy Seybold’s Public Safety Advocate, July 6, 2017

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Getting Rural Broadband Right

The issues surrounding rural broadband coverage are many and I have been involved in studying them even prior to the formation of FirstNet. In fact, the Public Safety Alliance (PSA) used the lack of broadband coverage in congressional districts to convince some senators and representatives that by voting for what became FirstNet they would become heroes in their districts because their rural populations could then be served with broadband. In a Senate hearing on FirstNet in June of 2016, the Chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee, Senator Wicker (R-MS), made it clear that rural coverage was a concern to him and other members of Congress.

In the FirstNet request for proposal Section J-1 Coverage and Capacity Definitions, FirstNet defined the coverage areas and types of coverage. In another section of the RFP, FirstNet required those responding to partner with and use rural carriers to help achieve the coverage goals. Now that AT&T has been awarded the contract and the state plans are being evaluated before becoming finalized, there are many questions regarding Public Safety coverage in rural areas of the United States. However, FirstNet and AT&T, like the rest of the organizations and groups pushing for broadband coverage in rural areas, seem to be going it alone. My view of the rural coverage issues is that until and unless there is synergy between all of the disparate programs and funding sources, Rural America will remain mostly underserved. Read the rest of the story here

Below is the week’s news recap from Discovery Patterns:

new LTE handheld device certified by AT&T, is FirstNet-ready – 4-Traders via Google Alerts
Jul  5 19:06 Motorola Solutions recently announced the availability of the LEX F10, a durable public-safety LTE handheld device that has been certified by AT&T …

FCC Requests Comment on FirstNet Interoperability Matrix – MissionCritical
Jul  3 11:38 The FCC is seeking comment on the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) proposal for interoperability compliance for states that opt out to build their own radio access networks (RANs). read more

FirstNet Meets With States on Individual Network Plans – MeriTalk via Google Alerts
Jun 29 08:45 … with 24 states to discuss the nationwide high-speed data network for first responders that the agency plans deploy over a 25-year contract with AT&T …

June 2017 FCC Meeting Recap: FCC Adopts Rules to Govern State Opt-out of FirstNet Plan – Lexology via Google Alerts
Jun 29 05:50 AT&T will spend about $40 billion over the course of the contract. First responders will have priority and preemption rights of use on the Network.

CenturyLink wants to shed 7 legacy analog, low-speed data services in 24 states – FierceTelecom via Google Alerts
Jul  6 11:40 … and low-speed data services: Metallic, Telegraph, Narrowband, Wideband analog, Wideband Digital, Program Audio and Analog Video services.

Inside Vodacom’s new IoT lab – Photos – MyBroadband
Jul  6 09:40 Vodacom recently opened its Narrowband IoT Laboratory, aimed at commercialising IoT systems using the provider’s NB-IoT network.

Sky and Space Global: Constellations need relief on regulatory filing, insurance cost – Space Intel Report via Google Alerts
Jul  6 08:25 PARIS Startup narrowband satellite constellation operator Sky and Space Global Ltd. was publicly traded before its first launch, and concluded its …

Webinar: LMR Narrowbanding – Utilities Telecom Council via Google Alerts
Jul  6 08:00 Member Center. Member Center · Job Posting · Contact Us. Webinar: LMR Narrowbanding. July 6, 10:00 am. Webinar: LMR Narrowbanding. Archives.

Ubiquitous Low-Power Networks Up the IoT Ante – IT Business Edge via Google Alerts
Jul  5 17:25 The carriers’ plan encompasses LoRa, LTE Cat M1 and narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) technologies. These approaches will create a nearly ubiquitous …

The Public Safety LTE & Mobile Broadband Market by Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies … – Kenya’s Content Aggregator.The Breaking news Headliner via Google Alerts
Jul  5 06:55 China, Laos, Turkey and Kenya. Several early adopter Wireless Communications, Athonet, ATIS (Alliance for Telecommunications Industry…

IoT In Africa: SqwidNet Keen to Build Africa’s IoT Network – via Google Alerts
Jul  5 05:11 The company is a subsidiary of Dark Fibre Africa and deploying an open access ultra-narrowband IoT (Internet of Things) radio network in South Africa …

Vodafone And Spark NZ Announce IoT Network Plans – ChannelNews via Google Alerts
Jul  4 23:20 Vodafone said it would add narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) support to its mobile network early in 2018. Spark unveiled plans for both NB-IoT and Cat-M1 on …

AT&T: it’s not “forced arbitration” because no one forced you to have broadband – Boing Boing via Google Alerts
Jul  4 15:25 AT&T, which has successfully lobbied state governments and the FCC to ban any broadband competition in the markets where it operates, says that its …

India added 60 million new internet users in 2016: TRAI – Moneycontrol.com via Google Alerts
Jul  4 11:20 While the users of broadband services surged in 2015-16, users of narrowband decreased by 40 million and migrated to broadband connection.

Huawei gets Internet recognition from GSMA – Punch Newspapers via Google Alerts
Jul  4 09:15 Huawei’s Narrow-Band IoT (NB-IoT) solution has received the ‘Best Internet of Things Innovation for Mobile Networks’ award, issued by the GSM …

Globe Telecom strengthens broadband, mobile connectivity in Cebu – Inquirer.net via Google Alerts
Jul  4 04:35 To improve its mobile services in Cebu, Globe continues to ramp up deployment of LTE sites using the 700 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands.

Everything US Citizens Need to Know about the Broadband Privacy Rules – TripWire
Jul  3 13:01 An ongoing source of havoc among American internet users, the new FCC broadband rules are still encountering extreme criticism. The majority of support for the rules comes from congressional officials, who overturned the previously existing broadband rules and thereby gave unjustified favor to internet service providers. The new FCC rules are killing net neutrality, and […]…  Read More The post Everything US Citizens Need to Know about the Broadband Privacy Rules appeared first

TIM Brasil activates 4G on 700 MHz in 7 cities – Telecompaper via Google Alerts
Jul  3 10:11 TIM Brasil activated the 4G network in the 700 MHz band in Recife, Fortaleza, Maceio, Natal, Macapa, Boa Vista and Rio Branco, reports Diario de …

 

 

NBC Nightly News Reports: UAVs Seen as a Disruption to Emergency Services Across the Country

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NBC Nightly News (7/4, story 6, 2:10, Alexander) aired a report on how disruptive recreational UAVs have become to commercial airlines, firefighters, and first responders. According to NBC Nightly News, officials “say recreational drones are a growing problem for fire commanders across the country, with at least 50 incidents over the last two years alone.”

CNBC Share to FacebookShare to Twitter (7/4) reports “drone-related near-misses with commercial aircraft in the U.S. rose by 46 percent from 2015 to 2016” and there have been “several reported incidents of drones coming within close range of people, high-profile buildings, events, and aircraft.” CNBC adds that while “law enforcement and regulation on drones has proven difficult for authorities, some are looking to raising awareness through education and other means to quell the number of incidents.”

S&T News Release: DHS S&T Awards $206K to Carnegie Mellon University for Development of Data Platforms for Analyzing Cyberattacks

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WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has awarded Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh $206,062 to develop data and analysis platforms that cybersecurity researchers can use to understand and counter cyberattacks.

The award was made through the S&T Cyber Security Division’s Information Marketplace for Policy and Analysis of Cyber-risk & Trust (IMPACT) project. IMPACT supports the global cyber-risk research community by coordinating and developing real-world data and information-sharing capabilities, including tools, models and methodologies. To accelerate solutions for cyber-risk issues and infrastructure security, IMPACT enables empirical data and information-sharing between and among the global academic, industry and government cybersecurity research and development (R&D) community.

“Cybersecurity R&D requires real-world data to develop advanced knowledge, test products and technologies, and prove the utility of research in large-scale network environments,” said Acting DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology William N. Bryan. “This project will allow researchers to focus on data analysis, bypassing the time-consuming data-building phase.” Continue reading →