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The Telecom Digest for October 14, 2011
Volume 30 : Issue 260 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
Re: Lightsquared being called to account (Robert Bonomi)
iOS 5 update causes massive internet traffic spike (Monty Solomon)
Privacy alert: Verizon is now monitoring your mobile Web habits (Monty Solomon)
Re: Privacy alert: Verizon is now monitoring your mobile Web habits (tlvp)
Re: Privacy alert: Verizon is now monitoring your mobile Web habits (Jon Danniken)
Re: Privacy alert: Verizon is now monitoring your mobile Web habits (daryl.gibson@gmail.com)
Re: Privacy alert: Verizon is now monitoring your mobile Web habits (Michael Moroney)
Dennis MacAlistair Ritchie, 1941-2011 (tlvp)
Re: Lightsquared being called to account (Scott Dorsey)
Re: Lightsquared being called to account (Scott Dorsey)
Re: Lightsquared being called to account (Scott Dorsey)
Re: Lightsquared being called to account (Bill Horne)

====== 30 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======

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Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:56:54 -0500 From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi) To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: Lightsquared being called to account Message-ID: <fuOdnSDfcpw74AvTnZ2dnUVZ_uednZ2d@posted.nuvoxcommunications> In article <j7596o$qf2$1@dont-email.me>, Gary <bogus-email@hotmail.com> wrote: >***** Moderator's Note ***** >> >> As to cost: I'm not so sure of the $15 Million figure. >> >> According to Wikipedia: >> >> On 26 February 2009, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget >> released the first blueprint for the Financial Year 2010 >> budget. This document identified the LORAN-C system as >> "outdated", and supported its termination at an estimated savings >> of $36 million in 2010 and $190 million over five years. > >I didn't remember the exact figure; that's why I said "about" $15 million. >In government speak, I was very close. :-) > >Even at $36 million a year, I think Loran-C was a bargain. I'd be amazed >if GPS doesn't cost us taxpayers way more. I believe the operating cost of GPS is essentially -zero-. That basically all the cost is in the construction -- including the per-bird programming -- and delivery into orbit. There is a tiny cost associated with maintaining the ground-based equipment needed to enable/disable SA, but, as far as I know, that's the only 'operating' expense. ***** Moderator's Note ***** The operating cost of any satellite-based system has to include the salaries and training of the controllers on the ground, and their equipment and its maintenance, and those costs are (excuse the pun) astronomical: the list is long enough to circle the earth. There are teams of well-paid, professional specialists who spend their working lives keeping track of the space junk which might cross the paths of the satellites they are responsible for, and others who are always agonizing about what might happen if one of the solar panels goes dark, and groups of orbital planners who have nightmares about a 1% change in the Keplerian elements of the birds they're assigned to guide. Of course, that doesn't include the actual operating staff for each satellite, i.e., the men and women who schedule the various tests that verify proper operating margins and antenna aiming and rate-of-spin and wobble. They monitor fuel budgets, respond to mission change orders, reposition both aerial and ground-based assets as needed, and keep track of all they do so that the Government Accounting Office knows they're doing their job. The bills don't stop when the countdown reaches "zero". THAT is just the starting point. Bill Horne Moderator
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:34:20 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: iOS 5 update causes massive internet traffic spike Message-ID: <p062408dbcabc8a8eb8ae@[10.0.1.9]> iOS 5 update causes massive internet traffic spike - to users' frustration iOS 5 update for iPhone and iPad puts huge strain on Apple's new iCloud servers, leading to slowdowns for many users Charles Arthur guardian.co.uk Thursday 13 October 2011 Demand for Apple's update to its iPhone and Mac software to enable its "iCloud" services caused a gigantic surge in internet traffic in Europe. Throughput in the UK jumped by 200 gigabits per second - equivalent to more than a fifth of normal traffic - a spike that lasted for roughly four hours. The colossal demand, which was mirrored around the world as the update became available from the company's servers at 1800 BST on Wednesday, will have been the severest strain on the cloud systems that Steve Jobs showed off in his last major speech in June. ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/13/ios-5-update-internet-traffic-spike
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:21:40 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Privacy alert: Verizon is now monitoring your mobile Web habits Message-ID: <p062408d9cabc87840253@[10.0.1.9]> Privacy alert: Verizon is now monitoring your mobile Web habits By JR Raphael (@jr_raphael) October 12, 2011 Verizon Wireless users, listen up: Verizon is making a significant change to its privacy policy for mobile users this week. By default, the company will now use a bunch of your info for "certain business and marketing reports" and for "making mobile ads you see more relevant." This info includes the URLs of websites you visit over Verizon's network and also your device's location data. Some of those details may be shared with outside companies as well. Verizon says none of it will personally identify you. ... http://blogs.computerworld.com/19089/verizon_mobile_web_privacy ***** Moderator's Note ***** I got an email from Verizon, which said that they would "share" my location info with advertisers in order to make my online experience more relevant and to make it easier for the advertisers to show me ads that I would like more. This wasn't for mobile service, which I don't have, but for the ADSL connection I use to get to the cloud. They supplied a web address I could go to in order to "opt out" of this "feature", but the web site has a floating "suggestions" link that floats directly over the "opt out" button. I managed to access the "opt out" choice by using a text-only browser, and I will report just how effective my choice was. Bill Horne Moderator
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:36:34 -0400 From: tlvp <mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp@att.net> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: Privacy alert: Verizon is now monitoring your mobile Web habits Message-ID: <1pvso94rmb7jy$.1tfvcb4zvg55q$.dlg@40tude.net> On Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:21:40 -0400, after Monty Solomon's post, Moderator wrote: > ... > They supplied a web address I could go to in order to "opt out" of > this "feature", but the web site has a floating "suggestions" link > that floats directly over the "opt out" button. ... I once encountered a web page bearing a floating link that floated directly under wherever the mouse pointer happened to be positioned. Thus, no way to click on any of the links on the page itself: any click would trigger that floatiing link. Only way out was to close that browser window -- [Ctrl]-[W] -- and never return :-) . Cheers, -- tlvp -- Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP. ***** Moderator's Note ***** I just wrote in my blog (http://mysite.verizon.net/vze17ebj8/) about the underwhelming impression I got from the "My" verizon update site, and the insulting "No thanks, just go to 'My' Verizon" link that I had to click on to get past the ad they shoved in my face when I just wanted to go to the update page. Verizon discontinued ftp access to the personal web sites, supposedly for security reasons, but I think it's a cheap trick to hype their ad numbers - at the same time they alienate their customers. Verizontal seems to have the same brain-dead executives running its online marketing that it chose to head the NYNEX retail effort. The signs are obvious: the "ActiveX should be good enough for all browsers" attitude, and the "We know what's best for you" arrogance, both still firmly entrenched in their monopoly mentality. Bill Horne Moderator
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:59:51 -0700 From: "Jon Danniken" <jonSPAMMENOTdanniken@yahSPAMhoo.com> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: Privacy alert: Verizon is now monitoring your mobile Web habits Message-ID: <j77fvl$p5j$1@speranza.aioe.org> tlvp wrote: > I once encountered a web page bearing a floating link that floated > directly under wherever the mouse pointer happened to be positioned. > > Thus, no way to click on any of the links on the page itself: > any click would trigger that floatiing link. Turn off java script. Jon
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:12:14 -0700 (PDT) From: "daryl.gibson@gmail.com" <daryl.gibson@gmail.com> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: Privacy alert: Verizon is now monitoring your mobile Web habits Message-ID: <166282c8-34c2-4f9f-94ba-90de803bf97e@f13g2000vbv.googlegroups.com> On Oct 13, 6:21 am, Monty Solomon <mo...@roscom.com> wrote: > Privacy alert: Verizon is now monitoring your mobile Web habits > > http://blogs.computerworld.com/19089/verizon_mobile_web_privacy > > > [Moderator snip] > > ***** Moderator's Note ***** > > I got an email from Verizon, which said that they would "share" my > location info with advertisers [Moderator snip] > They supplied a web address I could go to in order to "opt out" of > this "feature", but the web site has a floating "suggestions" link > that floats directly over the "opt out" button. I managed to access > the "opt out" choice by using a text-only browser, and I will report > just how effective my choice was. > > Bill Horne > Moderator Went there and opted out, but didn't see the "suggestions" box. I'm using Chrome, though.
Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2011 01:46:31 +0000 (UTC) From: moroney@world.std.spaamtrap.com (Michael Moroney) To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: Privacy alert: Verizon is now monitoring your mobile Web habits Message-ID: <j7849n$qtc$1@pcls6.std.com> >***** Moderator's Note ***** >I got an email from Verizon, which said that they would "share" my >location info with advertisers in order to make my online experience >more relevant and to make it easier for the advertisers to show me ads >that I would like more. This wasn't for mobile service, which I don't >have, but for the ADSL connection I use to get to the cloud. >They supplied a web address I could go to in order to "opt out" of >this "feature", but the web site has a floating "suggestions" link >that floats directly over the "opt out" button. I managed to access >the "opt out" choice by using a text-only browser, and I will report >just how effective my choice was. >Bill Horne >Moderator I got the same message. When I saw this comment, I tried it right away, I had to see such crappiness myself. I didn't see what you saw at all, I got a fairly simple page (for them) with a small "Do not Participate" message with a checkbox on the right side. Nothing hovering blocking the mouse. Also for the "Verizon Toolbar" request. I just see a thin box below the red menu bar at the top, and in fact it goes away by itself if I do nothing. All this was Firefox 7.0.1, so I decided to see what IE did. It's pretty much the same with IE 8. I don't know why I didn't get the annoyances you do. Maybe that's a feature of getting their FiOS? ***** Moderator's Note ***** I don't remember if I was running Ubuntu & Firefox or Windoze 7 & IE: I only use windows for my online banking as a rule, but I had an email that was causing Evolution to crash, and I may have gone to windows to test if it did the same thing in Thunderbird, and wound up answering Verizon's notice there. Please pass along the URL so that others can test it: I don't have the email anymore. TIA. Bill Horne Moderator
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:57:22 -0400 From: tlvp <mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp@att.net> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Dennis MacAlistair Ritchie, 1941-2011 Message-ID: <1a96h87yhv9cf$.1ky7o2vj8mdy6.dlg@40tude.net> It must be the season for losing brilliant people: http://www.zdnet.com/news/dennis-ritchie-father-of-unix-and-c-dies/6314570 Cheers amidst tears, -- tlvp - - Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP. ***** Moderator's Note ***** Oh, no, no, please, God, no, not him: I've got the white book on the shelf above my desk. It can't be the same guy, the same giant, the same man; there must be a mistake. How could you call home so gifted and generous a soul, just when we were realizing how much he gave? Bill (Subject changed to traditional format.) Bill Horne Moderator
Date: 13 Oct 2011 15:20:12 -0400 From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: Lightsquared being called to account Message-ID: <j77dlc$31l$1@panix2.panix.com> John Stahl <aljon@stny.rr.com> wrote: >Re: Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, Part 15 (47 CFR 15) Doesn't >nearly every electronics device sold inside the United States which >might radiate unintentional emissions [have to] be reviewed to comply >with Part 15 before it can be advertised or sold in the US market? Yes, however, since the Reagan administration pretty much gutted the FCC, no real attempt has been made to enforce these regulations. Walk into your local Wal-Mart with a field strength meter and you'll find the vast majority of consumer electronics on sale don't meet the Part 15 rules. >If the above is true, won't LightSquared be brought to task to prove >all of it terrestrial transmitting equipment [can] pass Part 15 before it >can be sold/installed? No, they come under either Part 90 or Part 95, since they are deliberate radiators. As long as their out-of-band emissions meet the standard requirements, they are legal and receiving devices have to accept the interference. That's what the GPS manufacturers are lobbying about. They don't want to have to tighten up their receivers to deal with legal sources on nearby frequencies. --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
Date: 13 Oct 2011 15:22:44 -0400 From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: Lightsquared being called to account Message-ID: <j77dq4$p27$1@panix2.panix.com> David Clayton <dcstarbox-usenet@yahoo.com.au> wrote: >This may be bloody obvious - but since most state of the art military >hardware uses GPS for so many things these days (Cruise missiles, drones >etc.) - wouldn't you really not want transmitters capable of jamming GPS >receivers indirectly, or if they were slightly modified, possibly directly >jamming GPS receivers, on the market? The military receivers have VERY VERY tight specifications for adjacent channel interference, and they also have much more robust lock-in algorithms. The Lightsquared devices will not be a problem with properly-designed receivers, and the mil-spec devices are more than just properly designed. >Wouldn't this give the "Terrorists" an opportunity to negate the massive >technological deficiency some of them currently have? No, the terrorists already have GPS jamming devices. Hell, you can buy them at truckstops on rt. 95. I occasionally encounter them causing interference with 950 MHz broadcast auxiliary systems. --scott - - "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ***** Moderator's Note ***** Why would truckers want GPS jamming devices? Devices to jam police radar, I can understand, but not GPS. Bill Horne Moderator
Date: 13 Oct 2011 15:11:49 -0400 From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: Lightsquared being called to account Message-ID: <j77d5l$o80$1@panix2.panix.com> >***** Moderator's Note ***** > >If Lightsquared's use of "satellite" spectrum for terrestrial >transmitters causes the GPS network receivers to become unreliable, >then Verizon (and, possibly, other LECs) will have to replace the >GPS-based timing sources with Stratum I atomic clocks, resulting in >millions of dollars spent for engineering effort, hardware expense, >transition planning, training, and implementation. This is not an issue. Verizon does not use cheap consumer junk with front ends that are wide as a barn. The issue is that Lightsquared has paid for bandwidth. They bought it fair and square. They should be able to use it in any way that meets the legal radiation limits for that space. Now, if you believe that the government can step in and take bandwidth away that has been paid for, and re-purpose it for reasons relating to public service and the common good, that's fine. But if THAT is the case, why haven't most TV radio stations lost their licenses years ago? --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:09:21 -0400 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: Lightsquared being called to account Message-ID: <20111013230921.GA31646@telecom.csail.mit.edu> On Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 03:11:49PM -0400, Scott Dorsey wrote: > >***** Moderator's Note ***** > > > >If Lightsquared's use of "satellite" spectrum for terrestrial > >transmitters causes the GPS network receivers to become unreliable, > >then Verizon (and, possibly, other LECs) will have to replace the > >GPS-based timing sources with Stratum I atomic clocks, resulting in > >millions of dollars spent for engineering effort, hardware expense, > >transition planning, training, and implementation. > > This is not an issue. Verizon does not use cheap consumer junk with > front ends that are wide as a barn. Nor does the military, but the Air Force General in charge of GPS said it won't work. > The issue is that Lightsquared has paid for bandwidth. They bought it > fair and square. They should be able to use it in any way that meets > the legal radiation limits for that space. Wrong: they bought an insolvent company with rights to use a SATELLITE band for SATELLITE reception, and are trying to bribe Congress to let them use the SATELLITE channels for ground-based communications. > Now, if you believe that the government can step in and take bandwidth > away that has been paid for, and re-purpose it for reasons relating to > public service and the common good, that's fine. But if THAT is the case, > why haven't most TV radio stations lost their licenses years ago? First, it's not paid for: it's licensed. The FCC issues licenses to those firms who win spectrum auctions, provided that those firms ALSO meet the requirements for a license in the band being applied for. Second, the LICENSE issued to SkyTerra was for transmission FROM a satellite TO ground stations, NOT from ground stations to other ground stations. And, third, the government CAN step in and take bandwidth away and "re-purpose it for reasons related to public service and the common good". The Class C and D Citizens Radio Service assignments at 27 MHz are in what used to be a 11-meter Amateur band. There is ample precedent for the FCC reallocating spectrum. The reasons that "TV radio stations" don't lose their licenses aren't important to this discussion, except as they relate to the spineless nature of our current Congress and its willingness to sell their souls and our future for chump change. Bill -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email for direct replies) "This name is the hairshirt I wear And this hairshirt is woven from your brown hair This song is the cross that I bear Bear with me, bear with me, ... be with me tonight" - Bare Naked Ladies
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