Sens. Kamala D. Harris (D., Calif.) and Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) expressed concern today in the wake of the California wildfires about the limits of wireless emergency alerts (WEAs) and pressed the FCC to require geo-targeting of alerts. “Recent news reports have indicated that emergency services in Northern California were not able to transmit lifesaving WEA messages, because of significant technical deficiencies in the WEA system,” the senators said in a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “Specifically, because the WEA system does not enable precise geotargeting — a feature that has been standard in mobile applications for years — emergency services cannot send an evacuation message without reaching a large number of unaffected residents. These emergency services are caught in a bind between notifying individuals in imminent danger and risking mass panic. As a result, these services are compelled to rely on emergency messaging systems with far less reach and far less capacity.”

The letter added, “In September 2016, the FCC proposed new rules that would require wireless carriers to enable precise geotargeting of WEA warnings. We are heartened that you and your colleagues voted in favor of that proposal. You even wrote separately in a concurring opinion, emphasizing the importance of geotargeted alerts. We are disappointed, though, that under your leadership the FCC has not executed on its proposal with a final rule. We are also concerned that the FCC has granted a temporary waiver of the existing, imprecise geotargeting requirements for certain carriers.” Continue reading →

About 75% of the cell sites were down in Puerto Rico today because of Hurricane Maria, the FCC reported, although about 61% of the population was covered by wireless carriers due to roaming agreements. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, 55.4% of cell sites were down, including about 89% of the sites in St. John, but about 88% of the population was covered by wireless carriers. As for cable and wireline systems, at least six switches were out in Puerto Rico due to SS7 or toll isolation. Meanwhile, five TV stations were confirmed operational in Puerto Rico and nine were confirmed out of service. Forty-four AM radio stations were confirmed operational and 29 were confirmed down in Puerto Rico, while 36 FM stations were confirmed operational and 22 were confirmed out of service there. Two FM radio stations were confirmed operational in the Virgin Islands and two were confirmed out of service, while two AM radio stations were confirmed operational and two were confirmed down.

Courtesy TRDaily

About 74% of the cell sites were down in Puerto Rico today because of Hurricane Maria, the FCC reported, although about 61% of the population was covered by wireless carriers due to roaming agreements. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, 55.4% of cell sites were down, including all of the sites in St. John, but about 88% of the population was covered by wireless carriers. As for cable and wireline systems, at least six switches were out in Puerto Rico due to SS7 or toll isolation.

Meanwhile, two TV stations were confirmed operational in Puerto Rico and one was confirmed out of service. Forty-six AM radio stations were confirmed operational and 17 were confirmed out service in Puerto Rico, while 26 FM stations were confirmed operational and 16 were confirmed out of service in Puerto Rico. Two AM radio stations were confirmed operational in the Virgin Islands.

Courtesy TRDaily

Alarm monitoring company ADT LLC told FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau staff and advisers to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Mignon L. Clyburn and Brendan Carr that the agency “could rely on Section 275 [alarm monitoring services] of the Communications Act to provide ancillary jurisdiction to adopt core net neutrality rules barring blocking, throttling or anticompetitive prioritization by broadband providers offering competitive alarm monitoring services.”

In the presentation slides accompanying the ex parte notice describing the Oct. 12 meetings with staff, ADT said that this is “[n]ot just a theoretical problem. As examples, BIAS [broadband Internet access service] providers blocked ADT’s alarm data on at least four occasion[s] over the past year.” It noted that section 275 requires incumbent local exchange carriers that provide alarm monitoring services to “provide non-affiliate entities, upon reasonable request, with the network services it provides to its own alarm monitoring operations, on nondiscriminatory terms and conditions.”

ADT argued that section 275 “confers ancillary jurisdiction to protect [the] alarm industry.”  It said it “supports light touch regulation” and sees “no need to classify BIAS as a Title II [common carrier] service” because “[a]ncillary jurisdiction assumes information services [Title I] classification for BIAS.”

“Ancillary jurisdiction based on section 275 would only … apply [to] alarm monitoring services,” ADT said. —Lynn Stanton, lynn.stanton@wolterskluwer.com

Courtesy TRDaily

About 76% of cell sites in Puerto Rico remained down today due to Hurricane Maria, the FCC said. Overall, 75.9% of cell sites in Puerto Rico were down, nearly the same as yesterday. It noted that about 60% of Puerto Rico’s population was covered by mobile service yesterday due to roaming agreements by the four largest providers.  In the U.S. Virgin Islands, 56.2% of cell sites were down, compared with 55.4% yesterday, including all cell sites in St. John. “Approximately 79% of the population was reported yesterday to be covered by wireless carriers in the U.S. Virgin Islands,” the FCC said. Regarding cable and wireline services, the report said that at least six switches, the same number as yesterday, were still “out of service due to either SS7 or toll isolation.

Courtesy TRDaily