Just sent mine. Your Confirmation Number is: '2005929130449 '
John > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of John Scrivner > Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 12:01 AM > To: wireless@wispa.org > Subject: [WISPA] I need 100% participation RIGHT NOW! This means YOU! > > If you are on other lists please forward this message to every > unlicensed list you know of so we get 100% of this industry to do this > PLEASE! This will take about 5 minutes of your time and it may make > history for our industry. > > The FCC has had an open Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" called 04-186 - > Unlicensed Operation in the TV Broadcast Bands. They have tried to stall > this proceeding out because the NAB - National Association of > Broadcasters does not want anyone to use TV channels but them. In fact > the NAB has even stooped to putting out propaganda in the form of a > video docu-drama portrayal of a Grandma who cannot watch TV because the > evil unlicensed operators were messing up her TV reception with their > demonic unlicensed broadband operations (ok I embellished a bit). > > Here is the deal. If we lose this fight it is not going to be over a > lame video showing a grandma losing her TV stations from our efforts. I > am gonna kick some NAB ass before I let that happen. > > GO RIGHT NOW TO: > http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/upload_v2.cgi > > A from will appear magically in your web browser. Fill in the blanks > with your contact information. Use the guide below for specific lines to > help you with items you may not know how to fill in correctly. > > 1) Where it says "Proceeding" type in 04-186 > 2) For the "Mail Correspondence to" line click on "Name". > 4) and 5) Leave Blank > 11) Check "Late Filed" check box. > 12) Select the drop down for "Statement for the Record" > > The other lines not listed above are things like your name which I will > assume you guys have covered. :-) > > Then type your comments about why you need those TV channels for > broadband. Give good reasons and do not argue with the FCC. Just tell > them why you need the channels. Use good grammar, use correct spelling, > be as good a writer as you can even if it is only one sentence. I want > to see 500 comments from the WISP industry on this NPRM over the next 5 > days. Let's bury them in so many comments in support of this NPRM that > the FCC cannot deny us this ruling. > > Here are some thoughts that may help motivate you to do this right now: > > How would you like to serve up broadband that operates in 100% of the > proposed theoretical coverage area around your AP with no significant > line of sight issues? How would you like to use common off the shelf > cable modem type devices with minor modifications as CPE for these new > magical APs? Then pay attention and do what I ask right now and do not > try to micro-manage this effort. Just speak up right now! Today! Not > tomorrow! We need solidarity on this one. Let's get it right and get the > message out loud and clear right now. > > Be prepared to hear negative comments about what I am proposing from > WiMAX interests because they do not support all of what I am asking. We > are not WiMAX radio builders. We are WISPs and we need TV channels right > away before Uncle Sam pays billions to the RBOCs to circumvent what we > are doing. This is the FCC plan if you do not act fast. The 120 day VOIP > 911 order was a clear message that WISPs are not going to have a level > playing field in this current FCC administration in many cases. It is > time for us to demand what we need to build our industry. > > Auctioning off the TV channels is not acceptable to us. The FCC needs to > hear it many many times if we are to have a chance at this effort. We > need those TV channels offered up under the FCC 04-186 NPRM. Support it > and let the FCC know why you support it. Tell them about your people who > cannot get signal. Tell them about the unacceptable number of towers it > takes to cover a few blocks in a heavily treed area using higher > frequencies. Tell them how we could maintain higher density modulation > schemes without fallback if the signal to noise ratios were more stable > as we will have with TV channels. Tell them how spectrum is getting > tight because of the massive growth of wireless broadband in your > markets and about how unlicensed use of unused television channels will > help this. Tell them we will prove that Grandma will never lose her TV > signal with our systems regardless of the NAB "Sky is falling" > mentality. Tell them this NOW!. > > We are going to get 04-186 passed right now or we are going to force the > FCC to go ahead and rule against us now while we are the people who > brought communications online in gulf affected areas. We have the > highest level of political equity we have ever had and I plan to use it > while we can. It may well be our only chance to get this spectrum and we > disparately need THIS SPECTRUM NOW. > > When you submit your FCC "Statement for the Record" you will be the > proud owner of an official web page confirmation ID which shows you have > actually made a difference for your industry and you will feel like > singing "America the Beautiful" while dancing around wearing nothing but > a flat panel antenna like a fig leaf. You will also have good luck if > you send a copy of your FCC comment confirmation to the lists to show > others you have done your part. (Please do not send any photos of > yourself wearing a flat panel antenna). > > Here is my confirmation: > > *The FCC Acknowledges Receipt of Comments From . > John Scrivner - Mt. Vernon. Net, Inc. > .and Thank You for Your Comments* > > * Your Confirmation Number is: * '2005928723564 ' ** > > *Date Received:* *Sep 28 2005 * > *Docket:* *04-186 * > *Number of Files Transmitted: * *1* > > *DISCLOSURE* > *This confirmation verifies that ECFS has received and accepted your > filing. However, your filing will be rejected by ECFS if it contains > macros, passwords, redlining, read-only formatting, a virus or automated > links to source documents that is not included with your filing. > Filers are encouraged to retrieve and view their filing within 24 hours > of receipt of this confirmation. For any problems contact the Help Desk > at* > > > > Here is my "Statement for the Record": > > The role of telecommunications in the relief efforts after hurricane > Katrina and Rita were critical and volunteer WISPs were the first > responders to bring services online in many of the affected areas. There > was such widespread devastation of critical communications > infrastructure that many people did not have a means of communications > at all. WISPs and related technology efforts worked feverishly to help > bring VOIP telephone service, computers and Internet access to those in > shelters and even aid workers and FEMA staff. This critical link to > federal online resources, registration to online search databases and > phone calls to loved ones, insurance companies, aid agencies and > government resources helped thousands of people on the road to putting > their lives back together. This work was done largely as volunteer > efforts using donated equipment operating in unlicensed frequencies. > > The 04-186 proceeding is important to this story because of one clear > shortcoming that WISPs have to deal with every single day. WISPs do not > have adequate spectrum to operate their networks as effectively as they > could with television channel space. The bandspaces that have been set > aside for unlicensed use until now have begun a frenzy of activity in > telecommunications never before matched. Services, products and > technologies have blossomed from the availability of unlicensed spectrum > adding billions into the U.S. economy but the bands we have are not > enough and the ability to penetrate through foliage or other obstruction > at higher frequencies with lower power make these bands hard to operate > in as effectively as we could with proper spectrum for broadband > deployment. The physics of the frequencies making up the over the air > television bands make them ideal for broadband deployment. > > The end result of the WISP lack of access to usable bands with better > propagation is that many who could have been served in gulf affected > areas were not served at all, by anyone. Heavily treed areas or areas > simply beyond the radio line of sight of the unlicensed bands we use > made access to those who needed help difficult if not impossible in some > cases. Sometimes those who were served took longer to get service > because of the need to run extra equipment to overcome line of sight > issues which led to delays. > > The story is simple. If WISPs have access to unused unlicensed > television bands the explosion of broadband alternatives will make > efforts to bring communications into disaster relief areas a simple > matter to address. There are thousands of small WISP operators who > strive to be the broadband operator of choice for their small part of > the country. These generally middle-class entrepreneur operators thrive > in any environment, especially rural areas. We had several operators > involved in the Katrina and Rita affected areas who were local WISP > operators within the affected area they helped serve. They were some of > the first people to help bring the telecommunications infrastructure > back to life. WISPs are a good neighbor to have in disaster situations > and they need unused television channel space to help. > > Your average WISP operator could easily be thought of as an equivalent > business to a new millennium family farmer. They just need a little > ground (spectrum) to grow on. Selling off agricultural ground in large > chunks to a mere handful of highest bidders instead of supporting the > thousands of family farmers in the U.S. would be considered a foolish > path but that is what is being contemplated with the unused television > spectrum. > > Middle-class backed operations cannot play in the auction game. We do > not need a telecommunications industry made up of spectrum "haves" and > "have nots". We need middle class spectrum policy. Making good spectrum > available to unlicensed broadband operations is a good start and I > support 04-186 as a step toward a spectrum middle-class that America so > disparately needs to thrive and become the number one broadband adopting > country in the world. > > Give WISPs these unused television channels and we will get broadband > access to every American in two years. I am confident we can accomplish > this challenge in our industry. > > John Scrivner > Mt. Vernon. Net, Inc. > -- > WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ -- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
