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The Telecom Digest for Fri, 19 Mar 2021
Volume 40 : Issue 78 : "text" format

table of contents
'There has to be an accounting': Former AT&T lawyer says company systemically overcharged neediest schools
FCC's March Open Meeting Highlights 3.45 GHz Band Auction
US FCC moves towards banning more Chinese wireless carriers
3G Sunset Spells Trouble for Many Medical Tracking Devices

Message-ID: <20210318210712.0FBA57A6@telecom2018.csail.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2021 21:07:12 +0000 (UTC) From: Moderator <telecomdigestsubmissions@remove-this.telecom-digest.org> Subject: 'There has to be an accounting': Former AT&T lawyer says company systemically overcharged neediest schools Theodore Marcus left AT&T after he came to believe the telecom giant was ignoring the rules of E-Rate, a federal program that offers low-priced phone and Internet service to schools based on need By Laura Meckler and Douglas MacMillan Theodore Marcus once was an in-house lawyer for AT&T, tasked with reviewing whether the telecom giant was overcharging schools and libraries for Internet and telephone service. Marcus came to believe that AT&T did not charge low prices required by law, misled the government about its compliance with the rules of a federal program and then rebuffed his concerns. A few months before he left AT&T, Marcus handed what he thought was damning information to a lawyer suing the company, with the expectation that he might share in the payout if the suit was victorious. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/03/18/att-school-internet-pricing/
Message-ID: <20210317194332.069D273B@telecom2018.csail.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2021 19:43:32 +0000 (UTC) From: Moderator <telecomdigestsubmissions@remove-this.telecom-digest.org> Subject: FCC's March Open Meeting Highlights 3.45 GHz Band Auction by Josh Guyan , Bradford Currier and Carolyn Mahoney The FCC released the agenda for its next Open Meeting, scheduled for March 17, 2021. The March meeting will notably include a Report and Order that would reallocate 100 megahertz of prized mid-band spectrum in the 3.45 GHz band through Auction 110, and propose a band plan for the new 3.45 GHz flexible use wireless service aimed at supporting 5G technologies. The FCC will also consider a Public Notice for Auction 110 that would seek comment on appropriate auction application and bidding procedures. While the FCC is required to start the auction by the end of 2021, the agency expects Auction 110 to begin in October 2021. The 3.45 GHz band items are the product of long-term FCC, NTIA, and DOJ collaboration to open frequencies currently used by federal agencies for shared use by commercial wireless providers. The FCC also teed up a Report and Order that would increase public safety officials' access to network reliability information by providing direct access to Network Outage Reporting System ("NORS") and Disaster Information Reporting System ("DIRS") data. In addition, the FCC will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would propose reforms to the agency's Emergency Alert System ("EAS") and Wireless Emergency Alerts ("WEA") System to facilitate comprehensive and timely emergency alerts for mobile devices. Lastly, the agency will consider a Notice of Inquiry on the status of open radio access networks ("Open RAN") that virtualize certain network infrastructure, potentially increasing communications security. https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/telecoms-mobile-cable-communications/1046652/fcc39s-march-open-meeting-highlights-345-ghz-band-auction-?email_access=on
Message-ID: <20210318205715.7510A7A6@telecom2018.csail.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2021 20:57:15 +0000 (UTC) From: Moderator <telecomdigestsubmissions@remove-this.telecom-digest.org> Subject: US FCC moves towards banning more Chinese wireless carriers Todd Shields Bloomberg March 18, 2021 13:33 pm +08 (March 18): The U.S. Federal Communications Commission moved toward barring China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd. and ComNet from the U.S., calling the Chinese telecommunications carriers a security risk controlled by Beijing. The action against two of China's three major telecommunications operators was decided by a 4-0 vote by agency. It continues a security crackdown that earlier touched Chinese gear makers Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp. In 2019, the FCC barred China Mobile Ltd. from the U.S. market over national security concerns. https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/us-fcc-moves-toward-banning-more-chinese-wireless-carriers
Message-ID: <7428947B-BA35-47C6-8854-78FEB7B6963C@roscom.com> Date: 17 Mar 2021 09:43:08 -0400 From: "Monty Solomon" <monty@roscom.com> Subject: 3G Sunset Spells Trouble for Many Medical Tracking Devices 3G Sunset Spells Trouble for Many Medical Tracking Devices By Dan Jones Amidst the (hopefully) final throes of a brutal global pandemic, seniors and their families in the U.S. this year will face additional problems in 2022. The closure of major 3G networks will mean the end of the line for older mobile personal emergency response system (mPERS) devices used by the elderly across America. Hundreds of thousands of these vital medical tracking devices will be rendered inoperable by the 3G shutdown, leaving elderly users and caregivers scrambling to switch to 4G and Wi-Fi-based devices. ... https://www.eetimes.com/3g-sunset-spells-trouble-for-many-medical-tracking-de vices/
********************************************* End of telecom Digest Fri, 19 Mar 2021
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