Telecom Business Alert – Microwave Enforcement; FirstNet; Cyber Threat Guide; Internet of Things, Vol XIII, Issue 17
Microwave Enforcement Action
Last week Alascom, Inc. entered into a Consent Decree with the FCC following an investigation by the Enforcement Bureau into Alascom’s operation of several common carrier point-to-point microwave frequencies. Alascom replaced its microwave system in 2014 and completed frequency coordination but failed to modify its licenses to authorize operation on the new channels. Alascom operated the channels without a license for nine months, resulting in a $36,000 fine and a mandatory Compliance Plan. For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239).
FirstNet
Following FirstNet’s 2016 Single Points of Contact (SPOC) Meeting on April 12 (Vol. XIII, Issue 16), FirstNet’s Director of Outreach Amada Hilliard announced via a Blog Post that States may submit new or updated data until September 30, 2016 for consideration in State plans. During the meeting, participants were reminded that if a State Governor does not make a decision to opt in or out during the 90-day period following the finalization of the State Plans, FirstNet will move forward with implementing the network deployment in that State.
NIST Guide to Cyber Threat Information Sharing
Last week the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a Second Draft of its Guide to Cyber Threat Information Sharing, which provides guidelines for sharing cyber threat information and seeks to help organizations establish information sharing goals, identify cyber threat information sources, scope information sharing activities, and develop rules. NIST is seeking public comments on the Guide until May 24, 2016. For more information, please contact Tracy Marshall (marshall@khlaw.com; 202.434.4234).
Internet of Things
KH Partner Doug Jarrett penned The Industrial Internet – Legal Issues and Procurement Implications, the first of a multipart series examining issues related to the Internet of Things (IoT) from an industrial and critical infrastructure perspective. In Part 1, Mr. Jarrett gives an overview of how information is acquired, processed, and conveyed for the purpose of operating physical assets. Stay tuned to the Beyond Telecom Law Blog. On a related note, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued a Request for Comment on questions posed by the growth of the IoT. The deadline for filing comments is May 23. A more detailed summary of the Request for Comment is available on KH’s Consumer Protection Connection blog.
ENTELEC
KH Attorneys Greg Kunkle, Wes Wright, and Tim Doughty will be in Houston, Texas from April 26-28 for the Spring Conference and Expo of the Energy Telecommunications and Electrical Association (ENTELEC). They will present the Washington Report at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26 in Room 360 D. KH will be at Booth 601 in the Exhibit Hall. Mr. Wright serves as General Counsel of ENTELEC.
UTC 2016
KH Attorneys Greg Kunkle, Wes Wright, and Tim Doughty will be in Denver, Colorado, May 3 - 5 for the Utilities Telecom Council’s (UTC) conference. KH will be at Booth 740 in the Exhibit Hall.
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Keller and Heckman LLP's Telecom Business Alert is a complimentary weekly electronic update created by the Telecommunications and the Business Counseling and Transactional practice groups of Keller and Heckman LLP. All articles, videos, and quotations are on topics of general interest and do not constitute legal advice for particularized facts. Keller and Heckman LLP's Telecom Business Alert © 2015. All rights reserved. Articles may be copied with attribution. To sign up for our weekly alert, please send us an email at telecomalert@khlaw.com and provide us with your name and email. Please follow us on Twitter at @KHtelecom.