From the original message:
- If you are not in one of the states below and you want to call your
Senator anyway to express support for this, contact Frannie and she will
give you the name and phone number of the person to call. YOU NEED TO
CALL EVEN IF YOUR STATE IS NOT LISTED.
Then there is this from Rick Harnish regarding contacting Senators:
Go to the WISPA homepage and select your state from the State Government
Webpages dropdown menu. From your state webpage, you should be able to find
your Senator and Congressman contact information. We have tried to make it
convient to get to from the WISPA homepage.
Then most recently I sent this to you from Frannie:
If any of you still do not know who to call for supporting the effort
then this may help some of you...
-------------------From Frannie----------------------------
Is everyone okay with this? Those government pages might be a bit
confusing for people. I'd suggest this one:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt?command=congdir
Or there's also a box on the Free Press site where people can find their
officials using their zip code:
http://freepress.net/congress/
They'll find the phone number for the Washington, DC Office (must call
the DC one). They can just ask the receptionist for the name of the
Telecomm staff member and then ask to speak to them. Or I can get the
info for them if they want.
Frannie's email address is [EMAIL PROTECTED]
If you need other assistance beyond this then just let me know.
Thanks,
Scriv
Tom DeReggi wrote:
What about the other states not listed, Maryland and Virginia? I guess
I got to go look that up myself :-)
Tom DeReggi
RapidDSL & Wireless, Inc
IntAirNet- Fixed Wireless Broadband
----- Original Message ----- From: "George" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "WISPA General List" <wireless@wispa.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2005 9:13 PM
Subject: Re: [WISPA] We got the FCC's attention...Now it is time to
tellCongresswhat you think...RIGHT NOW !!!!!!!! Instructions included
in everydetail
I'm a little confused John.
We are supposed to email Frannie our name business location and she's
gonna send the letter?
Or we're supposed to print the letter and sign it and send it ourselves?
And we should call our reps and tell their staff member who takes
calls for them why we should have unlicensed tv channels for
broadband use.
Last time I called one of those congressmen, it was one of their
staff that talked to me about the issue.
Exactly what channels are we talking here?
George
John Scrivner wrote:
This is a new request! This is not the same one as last time!
PLEASE READ THIS RIGHT NOW
**If you are on other lists regarding unlicensed broadband then
please forward this message to every list you know of so we get 100%
of this industry to do this PLEASE!**
I recently sent you an e-mail asking you to submit comments to the
FCC on the 04-186 - Unlicensed Operation in the TV Broadcast Bands.
Over one hundred of you responded! That was step one. Now we NEED to
tell CONGRESS that we need this spectrum so we can force the FCC to
review your comments!!!! This will take about 10 minutes of your
time and we can't drop the ball now -- this is a VERY RARE
opportunity for our industry.
Here’s the problem. This proceeding, as you all can see, is a HUGE
opportunity for our industry. BUT, the FCC Chairman may never
complete the job unless he gets a push from Congress. Congress has a
chance next week to do exactly that. We need to make sure they do.
We're working with Free Press, the New America Foundation, Consumers
Union and other organizations who are lobbying the Congress to open
this spectrum to unlicensed use. Below I've pasted some
instructions. But if you need help with the call or more information
about how to speak with your Senate staff, you can call Frannie
Wellings at Free Press at 202-265-1490 x 21. She is very nice and
wants us to win this. Call her for any assistance you may need.
Here is what you can do to help:
1) Email Frannie with your name/company name, city and state served.
Her email address is [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. Just do this right now. She will
add your information to the letter located further down the email
here. It will go to Congressional committee members who are working
on what to do with the digital television transition. This letter
should be signed by every WISP in the country. I MEAN EVERY LAST ONE
OF YOU NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK OR WHO YOU ARE AFFILIATED WITH! Once
again, if you would like to add your name/company/city and state
served to the letter, send an e-mail to Frannie Wellings at Free
Press. Her address is [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. If you want to get good spectrum
you better just do it right now. DO NOT WAIT TILL TOMORROW. DO IT
RIGHT NOW! You can read the contents of the letter inline below.
2) If you are in one of the following states, CALL YOUR SENATOR:
This is very important. Your Senator listed below sits on the
Committee that can make this all happen. This is not just a small
thing guys. Senators really do listen to what their constituents
say. If you tell them you need this spectrum this will impact their
vote. We need you ALL to do this.
- Below, next to your state/senator, is the name of the staff member
you need to speak with and their phone number.
- If you are not in one of the states below and you want to call
your Senator anyway to express support for this, contact Frannie and
she will give you the name and phone number of the person to call.
YOU NEED TO CALL EVEN IF YOUR STATE IS NOT LISTED.
-Talking points you can use are included inline below. Tell them you
are a WISP in their state and you need low-frequency unlicensed
spectrum to provide Internet access to their constituents. Tell them
why you need those TV channels for broadband, just as you did in
your comments to the FCC. Give them good reasons and be kind and not
argumentative. They might be trying to help you. Tell them why you
need the channels. You all managed to produce so many great comments
to the FCC, now it's time to tell Congress.
3) Let us know that you've called: When you're done, send a note to
Frannie Wellings at Free Press at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> and let us know here that you've
called and what the staff member said in return. We need to figure
out how they will vote. This is very important. Ask them for their
vote supporting this effort and let us all know what they said.
---
*If Your State Is:* *Your Senator Is:* *You Should Call
Staff Member:* *At #:*
Alaska Ted Stevens (R-AK) Harry Wingo, Christine kurth
202-224-3004
Arkansas Mark Pryor (D-AR) Terri Glaze 202-224-2353
Arizona John McCain (R-AZ) Lee Carosi 202-224-2235
California Barbara Boxer (D-CA) Alex Hoehn-Saric
202-224-3553
Florida Bill Nelson (D-FL) Mike Sozan 202-224-5274
Hawaii Daniel Inouye (D-HI) James Assey, Rachel Welch
202-224-3934
Louisiana David Vitter (R-LA) Evelyn Fortier 202-224-4623
Maine Olympia Snowe (R-ME) Kristin Smith 202-224-5344
Massachusetts John Kerry (D-MA) Barry LaSala 202-224-2742
Mississippi Trent Lott (R-MS) Beth Spivey 202-224-6253
Montana Conrad Burns (R-MT) Steve Miller 202-224-2644
Nebraska Ben Nelson (D-NE) Angela Stroschein 202-224-6551
New Jersey Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) Doug Mehan 202-224-3224
North Dakota Byron Dorgan (D-ND) Daphna Peled 202-224-2551
Oregon Gordon Smith (R-OR) Keith Murphy 202-224-3753
Nevada John Ensign (R-NV) Michael Sullivan 202-224-6244
New Hampshire John Sununu (R-NH) Mike O'Rielly 202-224-2841
South Carolina Jim DeMint (R-SC) Hap Rigby 202-224-6121
Texas Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) Mark Sanchez 202-224-5922
Virginia George Allen (R-VA) Jaime Hjort 202-224-4024
West Virginia John Rockefeller (D-WV) James Reid
202-224-6472
Washington Maria Cantwell (D-WA) Michael Daum 202-224-3441
---
Again, 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 and NAB interests because they do not support all of
what I am asking. We are not WiMAX radio builders and we are not
television broadcasters. 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. Congress,
like 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. And in case they've seen that stupid video by the
broadcasters, 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 Congress to force the FCC to deal with 04-186.
Remind them that 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 should use it while we can. It may well
be our only chance to get this spectrum and we desperately NEED THIS
SPECTRUM NOW.
Here are the major talking points as addressed by the consolidated
group of organizations who are driving this lobbying effort. Please
read and understand these points for the phone call. It is important
that you speak well for us in D.C. This is your fight to win or lose
right now.
Here are some of the talking points for when you call...you should
just print all this out and have it in front of you for reference
when you call:
*_Action Alert: Contact Senate Commerce Committee Members_*
* *
*Message: Open the Empty Broadcast Channels and White Spaces for
Unlicensed Wireless Broadband*
*The Issue:*
Next week, House and Senate Commerce Committees will take up
legislation to set in motion the DTV transition. This will set a
hard date for the final transition to digital broadcasting, set
aside spectrum for public safety communications, and reallocate
portions of the broadcast spectrum through auctions. Because this
legislation sets policy for use of the most valuable publicly owned
spectrum, it is critical that Congress allocate a portion of the
spectrum for unlicensed use to facilitate wireless broadband
services that will spur technological innovation and allow
entrepreneurs to offer competitive, affordable wireless connectivity.
*Primary Goals: *
* Congress should direct the FCC to finish the work on its
proceeding to open the empty broadcast channels (white spaces) for
unlicensed wireless broadband and public safety purposes. The
white spaces could offer hundreds of megahertz of open spectrum
for competitive wireless broadband services, especially in rural
areas.
* Congress should set aside a 18 MHz of contiguous spectrum from for
dedicated unlicensed wireless broadband and public safety
purposes.
*Talking Points *
* The DTV legislation should provide new spectrum for unlicensed
use.
* Unlicensed spectrum currently available has spurred
entrepreneurship, technological innovation generating billions in
new business for manufacturers, retailers and providers.
* Unlicensed spectrum has offered significant consumer benefits by
fostering affordable wireless broadband services, promising to
bridge the digital divide.
* Public safety agencies use unlicensed broadband networks for
redundant, reliable communications systems for first responders.
* Today’s unlicensed spectrum bands are not ideal for broadband
services, and they are crowded with hundreds of consumer devices
(like cordless phones and baby monitors.)
* Spectrum in the lower frequencies, such as the broadcast band, is
optimal for unlicensed wireless services—it allows signals to
travel long distances through dense objects. This reduces the
number of transmitters needed, and lowers infrastructure costs
dramatically.
* Opening up empty broadcast channels will spur efficient use of
this valuable public spectrum which currently lies fallow.
* Interference is a non-issue: “smart” unlicensed devices identify
frequencies in use with “listen-before-talk” technology and jump
to the next available open channel. No broadcast channel will
suffer meaningful interference.
Here is the letter we will be sending to the Hill for them to
pressure the FCC to pass 04-186. Do you want your name and company
name at the bottom of this letter going to Congress? Then you better
email your contact info to Frannie RIGHT NOW! Not tomorrow. Not 5
minutes from now. Email your contact info to Frannie
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> right this
minute!
Here is the letter:
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation
508 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Dear Senator,**
The digital television transition legislation now pending markup in
the Senate Commerce Committee raises a number of issues of concern
to the undersigned groups. While our organizations may focus on
different aspects of the DTV transition, on one crucial element of
the bill, we speak with one voice: *Any DTV legislation that fails
to expand access to unlicensed spectrum does not serve the public
interest.*
Access to unlicensed spectrum will ensure that no American is left
behind as our technology advances in the 21^st century. It will
enable us to bridge the “digital divide” now holding back
low-income, minority and rural families. And this access will be a
boon to small businesses, offering them state-of-the-art
communications systems at reasonable cost. This access also is
crucial if we are to build emergency communications systems that
work when we need them most, and that do not leave our first
responders unprotected.
The DTV transition represents an historic reallocation of valuable
public airwaves. This process should be handled holistically with a
public policy goal of maximizing the efficient use of public
resources for public benefit. Opening the old analog broadcast
channels for public safety and wireless broadband communications is
a worthy goal. *But it is /essential/ to look also at the empty
broadcast channels that will remain in the new DTV bands.* In most
rural markets where broadband availability is badly needed, there
are more than a dozen empty broadcast channels (in some cases two or
three dozen). Using today’s “smart radio” technologies, we can
leverage this vast swath of dormant public spectrum to generate
local economic development (particularly in areas under-served by
broadband) and to enhance our nation’s economic competitiveness.
*Congress should set aside portions of the digital broadcast band
and direct the FCC to complete its stalled rulemaking to open
unassigned TV channels in each market (TV band “whitespace”) for
unlicensed wireless broadband services.* Use of these airwaves via
an unlicensed wireless broadband platform would be of enormous
benefit to consumers of Internet services, public safety agencies
who require redundant channels for reliable data networks, and small
businesses that seek low-cost communications to promote job growth.
Securing the public’s right to unlicensed spectrum in the
high-penetration frequencies below 700 MHz promises to create a
booming marketplace for high-speed, high-capacity broadband. In
towns as diverse as Chaska, Minnesota, Coffman Cove, Alaska,
Granbury, Texas and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a rapidly growing
number of communities are opting to use unlicensed spectrum to
facilitate high-speed wireless broadband networks to better serve
their residents. Hardware manufacturers, computer software makers,
network operators, and Internet service providers all view
unlicensed spectrum as a huge economic opportunity.
Unfortunately, the promise of this new technology is stymied by our
current spectrum policies. Right now, the best and most innovative
uses of the public’s airwaves are restricted to a tiny sliver of our
broadcast spectrum (the 2.4 GHz “Wifi” band) that is shared with
more than 250 million consumer gadgets—everything from baby monitors
and cordless phones to garage door openers. Moreover, the capital
cost of deploying wireless broadband networks is roughly three times
higher at 2.4 GHz than below 1 GHz; battery life for mobile devices
is shorter; and quality of service (particularly indoor coverage) is
considerably worse.
It is imperative that the American people benefit from using the
public airwaves in specific, concrete ways. The DTV bill may be the
Senate’s best opportunity to promote affordable broadband nationwide
and close the growing gap between the U.S. and our international
competitors. The ITU reports the U.S. has fallen from 3^rd to 16^th
in the world in broadband subscribers in the last few years. We
remain among the worst performers in the industrialized world in
terms of bit-speeds per dollar paid by the consumer for monthly
service. This gap is both unacceptable and unsustainable for our
long-term global competitiveness.
This bill offers the Senate two ways to secure spectrum for an
unlicensed communications marketplace. First, and most imperatively,
Congress should direct the FCC to complete its work on rules that
would free up the “white space” between TV channels that now lies
fallow and wasted, and open it up for non-interfering unlicensed
use. FCC Chairman Michael Powell left before this proposed
rulemaking (FCC docket 04-186) could be completed. It is clear that
the Commission needs to know that Congress wants the wasted spectrum
below Channel 52 reallocated for broadband, subject to strict
interference protections for television viewers (which are already
outlined by the FCC in its rulemaking). The positive outcomes of
this public policy are extraordinary and the compelling obstacles to
enactment insignificant.
Second, Congress can reserve portions of the broadcast bands for
unlicensed use. One approach would be to set aside channels 2, 3,
and 4 as a dedicated unlicensed space. Few broadcasters have
selected these channels for digital transmission—because they have
limitations in their ability to support high capacity
applications—and they are otherwise dormant. Another approach that
would ensure a full range of applications for these new technologies
would be to reserve some of the 10 returned analog channels on 700
MHz for unlicensed use, withholding that portion from auction.
Reserving three channels (18 MHz) for unlicensed services – and
auctioning seven (42 MHz) – would pay dividends to the economy far
exceeding any temporary loss of auction revenue.
Any legislation that fails to address the spectrum needs of
Americans in the 21^st century fails to serve the public interest.
We urge you to make the digital television transition a public
interest win for all of us.
Sincerely,
Here is where your name, company name, city and state you serve will
go if you send this information to Frannie [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The time to get this rolling is right now. I am going to send this
out a couple of times. After that if you do not act it will not
matter because Congress will have already drafted their legislation
for the Digital Television Transition and we will be left in the
dark. Act now or you may not get access to any more spectrum below 1
Ghz ever again. The time to act is right now, today not tomorrow.
Thanks for all your help,
John Scrivner
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