On Wednesday, September 8th, 2010, WISPA filed new comments on Proceeding Numbers 10-24, 09-157, 08-167, 08-166 and 04-186 concerning Unlicensed Operation in the Television Broadcast Bands and others.  WISPA feels that this is an important decision, the country needs to reach quickly to achieve the goals of ubiquitous broadband.

WISPA is proposing certain rule changes to foster meaningful and robust deployment of broadband services in rural, Tribal, unserved and underserved areas of the country, which is consistent with the Commission’s objectives and recommendations described in the National Broadband Plan.  The rule changes include reducing subscriber antenna height criteria, raising broadcast antenna height criteria, increasing power limits in a compromised fashion to reduce interference to TV broadcasters, eliminating spectrum sensing requirements and adopting licensed-lite regulation used in the 3.65 GHz spectrum.

WISPA also makes objections to efforts to license White Space Spectrum for High-Power Point to Point Links. These objections are specifically concentrated on the proposal made by The FiberTower Group.

WISPA has consulted with many entities concerned with the TV Whitespace ruling and has reached a common sense approach which adopted many concerns of the different collaborators.  WISPA believes its approach will generate reduced broadband deployment costs and greatly enhance competitive broadband offerings.  Competition is in dire need in our country that has followed a course of business consolidation the past several decades which has limited and sometimes starved economic growth in rural areas of our country.

As President Obama pushes the current Small Business bill, there is no better time than now to support these efforts.  Just as open source software has greatly enhanced our software applications, the adoption of unlicensed spectrum use has also enhanced technical improvements in wireless transmission of Internet other data the past several decades.   Locally based Wireless Internet service providers have realized the economic benefits of broadband to their neighboring communities for over 10 years.  These operators have often saved small businesses, rural governments, schools and libraries by providing broadband service, otherwise not available, using unlicensed spectrum.

The full text of the WISPA filing can be viewed at http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7020911589.

ANNAPOLIS, MD, September 1, 2010 – AllCity Wireless announced today Moonblink Communications will assume the role of Platinum Reseller exclusively for the Western US.

The agreement provides access to AllCity Wireless’ WiDirect appliances for Moonblink’s VARS, system operators, program managers, contractors, and resellers. It also enables current Moonblink customers to take advantage of WiDirect products and services as part of their ongoing operations to better scale and consolidate services required to run the network as a turnkey and cash flow positive endeavor.

The addition of WiDirect from AllCity Wireless reflects Moonblink’s commitment to expanding its offerings, as well as enables Moonblink’s customers to benefit from a product that has been designed to adapt to everyday real world scenarios. WiDirect is the most flexible appliance available as each feature it offers is 100% customizable meeting any operators need.

AllCity Wireless President Philip McQuade said, “The Addition of Moonblink in the WiDirect distribution channel is another significant step to open up the West Coast Market. WiDirect platforms are in operation nationwide; however with Moonblink now on board, WiDirect will now be delivered and implemented with the personal touch that Moonblink customers have come to expect. I am pleased that Moonblink has engaged the WiDirect with such a great deal of enthusiasm and I anticipate their customers will be equally excited once they learn of the WiDirect’s capabilities.”

Daniel Redmond – Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Moonblink added, “In partnering with All City Wireless, Moonblink is continuing to deliver on its promise of providing its customers with a quality line of wireless communication equipment and services. The addition of AllCity Wireless further cements our commitment to the customer and we are thrilled to have reached this agreement.”

About AllCity Wireless

AllCity Wireless is North America’s premier provider of turn-key network solutions for the delivery of enterprise-class wireless broadband and municipal WIFI deployments. The WiDirect product line provides the back-office OSS software required to run all facets of a network, in a scalable yet simple way to deploy, sell, manage the user experience, and the network itself in any sales model, be it advertisement, fee based, or a hybrid approach. Information about AllCity Wireless can be found at www.allcitywireless.com.

About Moonblink Communications

Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., Moonblink Communications is a value-added distributor providing WiFi, WiMAX, VoIP, surveillance camera systems, license-free and licensed broadband wireless solutions to VARs and Integrators that service enterprise, government, education, and security markets throughout the Americas. Moonblink Communications is a leader in wireless networking equipment distribution with highly qualified sales, engineering and technical support personnel. For more information please visit www.moonblinkwifi.com or call 1-877-623-5223 or 1-408-850-1143.

ANNAPOLIS, MD, September 1, 2010 – DoubleRadius and AllCity Wireless have finalized an agreement to offer WiDirect products through DoubleRadius as an East Coast Platinum reseller. “We chose to become a Platinum reseller for AllCity Wireless in an effort to fill a void in our offerings. Now DoubleRadius can offer a WiFi billing and management solution that is well-suited for the hospitality industry,” said Jason Radford, Southeast Sales Manager for DoubleRadius.

The new agreement completes ongoing efforts to establish a distribution and reseller network that covers the entire US. AllCity Wireless recognizes the addition of DoubleRadius will bolster not only its presence on the East Coast, but across the entire US. WiDirect products are now poised to be the brand of choice for Wireless VARS, system operators, program managers, and contractors across the US.

WiDirect, from AllCity Wireless, rounds out an already broad choice of wireless products that DoubleRadius offers to its customer. WiDirect is the most flexible appliance available as each feature it offers is 100% customizable meeting any operators need. Combined with the knowledge and product scope, DoubleRadius can now offer even more comprehensive and complete systems to its customers.

“DoubleRadius is an outstanding organization.” said Philip McQuade, President of AllCity Wireless. “I am very pleased that the WiDirect platforms have the ability to impress organizations like DoubleRadius. I know we have all done a great job and by rounding out our channels with quality distributors and resellers we expect great success for all our partners.”

About AllCity Wireless

AllCity Wireless is North America’s premier provider of turn-key network solutions for the delivery of enterprise-class wireless broadband and municipal WIFI deployments. The WiDirect product line provides the back-office OSS software required to run all facets of a network, in a scalable yet simple way to deploy, sell, manage the user experience, and the network itself in any sales model, be it advertisement, fee based, or a hybrid approach. Information about AllCity Wireless can be found at www.allcitywireless.com.

About DoubleRadius

DoubleRadius offers turnkey solutions for networking and communications. With the help of our financing programs, service providers and IT professionals can acquire these solutions while growing their businesses and remaining in the black. Our technical events, including our annual Wireless Without Limits conference cruise, better equip our customers for success. Learn more now at www.DoubleRadius.com.

by Alex Goldman

You know about Cramming, a kind of phone bill fraud in which small charges are added to the bill by a third party and without consent in the hopes that the customer will pay and not notice them. You know about Slamming, in which a customer’s carrier is switched without their permission. Now, meeting Ramming.

Bruce Kushnick, friend of competition and attacker of the phone company for decades at TeleTruth and the New Networks Institute, says that phone companies are charging small businesses for services that they do not use.

“Ramming a Small Business 101: A local grocery store with only two lines (one line is an ATM machine) orders two lines and was put on a package which included ‘unlimited’ long, toll, and long distance service. The problem: the ATM machine only dials one local number – ever, and the store doesn’t make long distance calls because employees all have cell phones. Total overcharge a month was over $85.00 counting tax. That’s over $1,000 a year for a 2 line small store. This has been going on since 2002. That’s $8000 for a service they didn’t need.”

Kushnick defines Ramming as any of the following practices, which he says are “rampant”:

1. Put you on a more expensive plan and not tell you about the cheaper plans
2. “Harvesting” you — Raising rates continuously in a conscious effort to keep making more money from you until you scream and leave — most people just take it
3. Removed you from your original plan, i.e. re-rated your calls for more money
4. Didn’t tell you all of the charges when you signed up
5. Claim your plan is unlimited then charges you extra for usage
6. Added a fee for no apparent reason.

President Obama today announced $50 billion in infrastructure spending and $200 billion in tax breaks for businesses. If you believe in the stimulus, this is not enough money to help and may not get passed anyway. If you don’t believe in the stimulus, it’s far too much money. Some commentators don’t even think it’s actually a stimulus because of offsetting measures that will eliminate some subsidies of the oil and gas industry.

Five years after Katrina (and WISPA’s response) Matt Larsen remebers.

WISPA member Mike Hammett points out that Allied Fiber is building fiber to connect three cities: Chicago, New York, and Ashburn, Va. He hopes to get WISPs together to crack open the fiber at some rural locations.

Technology and Equipment

A new open mesh protocol has been released. “The B.A.T.M.A.N. team’s main focus was on new features, Linux kernel compliance and a bunch of bug fixes.” Firmware is available (h/t Stephen Ronan).

Meet a new type of chip: the memristor (h/t JG).

Business

Digg hired a new CEO to replace the founder. The site is seeing a user revolt that has benefited its junior competitor Reddit, as some users feared that changes made to Digg would serve large internet publishers.

Google added a priority inbox feature to its e-mail offering. I know of at least one WISPA member who’s using it (I’m not) but have seen no in-depth reviews of the feature.

Independent ISP Sonic.net and its CEO Dane Jasper continue to receive great reviews at DSL Reports and also got nice writeups at Ars Technica and DSL Prime.

However, DSL Prime’s Dave Burstein notes that there are limits to DSL competition. “Unfortunately, Dane and others have to turn away about two-thirds of prospective customers. About two-thirds of lines in the U.S. are behind remote terminals or fiber (U-Verse, FiOS, etc.) Our rules prevent a competitor like Dane from getting access. That doesn’t just limit the ultimate potential to less than a third of the market, it cuts back the scale and efficiency and seriously raises costs. Canada’s CRTC just made the opposite decision, requiring fiber unbundling. I doubt anyone in D.C. has the courage, so no matter how successful efforts like Sonic.net they won’t affect most of the market.”

While Verizon is advertising 7 Mbps ADSL2+ service, many cannot get the service because they are more than 7,000 feet from the nearest CO.

Interesting comment on the internet content business from Wired: How Apple Just Disrupted the Cable Guys. Slate belives in NetFlix. Another contender is GoogleTV, with Dish, Logitech, and Sony as possible partners.

How Google Cost Me $4 Million is a story about what can happen to your business if you depend solely on search engine rankings for traffic and customers.

The Verizon Database Intelligence Report (DBIR) says that those who keep logs of network activity often fail to utilize them effectively.

You knew this already, but here’s the marketing study that proves it: US customers hate offshore support. “According to CFI, call support satisfaction is only 58 out of 100 when the call is handled by an offshore agent, compared to 79 for U.S.-based agents.”

Politics, law, and regulation

The FCC has defined broadband as 3 Mbps / 768 Kbps, which is the exact speed I get from Speakeasy (now part of Covad). The FCC notes that its latest report says “that more than 90% of homes have access to networks capable of providing that speed, today’s report shows that only 44% of fixed residential subscriptions have advertised speeds of at least 3 Mbps down, 768 kbps up.”

The FCC is saying the right things about White Spaces and E-Rate reform, according to Public Knowledge. The FCC will meet on September 23, 2010, to discuss these and other issues. One recommendation from Dave Burstein: the government should not pay retail rates on E-Rate if they’re buying a million lines.

The Economist magazine is no liberal rag, but recently printed an editorial favoring net neutrality and competiton: “America’s operators have long insisted that open-access requirements would destroy their incentive to build fast, new networks: why bother if you will be forced to share it? After intense lobbying, America’s telecoms regulators bought this argument. But the lesson from elsewhere in the industrialised world is that it is not true. The result, however, is that America has a small number of powerful network operators, prompting concern that they will abuse their power unless they are compelled, by a net-neutrality law, to treat all traffic equally. Rather than trying to mandate fairness in this way — net neutrality is very hard to define or enforce — it makes more sense to address the underlying problem: the lack of competition.”

In a key indicator of a lack of competition, the telcos are investing less in their networks this year, by about $4 billion (h/t Rick Harnish). Furthermore, the telcos are investing in cellular networks, which are being designed to not deliver video. Cellular industry data usage caps will help everyone who competes with cell service, including providers of DSL, cable broadband, and, of course, fixed wireless.

Craig Matthias, wireless guru and frequent speaker at trade shows, is the latest to oppose the Comcast-NBC merger (h/t Joly MacFie).

The USDA has rescinded a $19 million stimulus award that went to Tier One, a company that had been charged by the SEC with various improprieties (h/t Victoria Proffer).

The FCC decided to pre-emptively shut down M2Z, the outfit that wanted to offer free wireless in exchange for spectrum (h/t Joly MacFie).

The latest version of the international and secret Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has been leaked, and should contain language that will force ISPs to disconnect users under certain circumstances. “Of course with so many ISPs now in the content business, that cooperation was coming anyway from the largest carriers. Many ISPs are already cooperating well above their requirements by law, going so far now as to threaten (in some instances bluff) that they’ll disconnect a user from the Internet for repeated copyright infringement,” notes Karl Bode. “US Caves on ISPs,” comments Slashdot.

Indonesia is demanding that ISPs block all porn (even though it’s not possible to do so). The case of the United Arab Emirates highlights the difficulties.

In an ironic twist, a website that published a story about the Commodore USA Amiga received a takedown notice that appears to have been plaigiarized. from privacy activism website Chilling Effects.

A 31 year old British codebreaker who died mysteriously is connected to the telecom wiretap case, according to Wired magazine, and may have participated in high profile surveillance of Al-Qaeda members.

The latest tactic of copyright trolls involves suing people who clip content from newspapers and blogs. One of the latest victims is Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle.

Georgia World Congress Center Authority, Ontario Convention Center and Nantes Congress Center See Wireless as Revenue Generator, Select Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi for Better Range and Reliability

SUNNYVALE, CA, September 7, 2010 – Ruckus Wireless™ today announced that the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA), Ontario Convention Center (OCC) and France’s La Cité Nantes Events Center (CNEC) have selected its advanced “Smart Wi-Fi” systems and technology as the foundation for a Smart Wi-Fi infrastructure capable of supporting thousands of concurrent users at their sprawling sports and entertainment venues.

The GWCCA, OCC and CNEC are the latest of a growing list of convention centers and conference halls around the globe (as also including Hamburg Stadium in Germany and the Eagles Stadium in Philadelphia) that are turning to smarter, more reliable Wi-Fi for wireless broadband access, offloading data traffic from 3G cellular networks, video streaming and surveillance, voice-over-IP (VOIP) communications, and a host of other applications.

“With the explosion of wireless-enabled devices, the Wi-Fi network has clearly become a revenue generator for GWCCA,” said Sam Brown, IT director for CCLD Networks, which oversees the technology infrastructure at GWCCA. “So we needed to take a much harder stance on the type of Wi-Fi systems and technology being deployed at GWCCA in order to provide a level of service that was consistent in its performance and pervasive in its reach.”

Located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the GWCCA includes a 3.9 million square-foot convention center with 12 exhibit halls and 106 meeting rooms, and is complemented by the 71,250-seat Georgia Dome and 21-acre Centennial Olympic Park.  The GWCC ranks among the top five largest convention destinations in the United States.

According to CCLD, the selection of Ruckus “Smart Wi-Fi” over competitive offerings was due to the impressive range and performance, and significantly lower cost of the ZoneFlex equipment.

Each ZoneFlex system features Ruckus’ dynamic beamforming, a patented technology that delivers dramatic improvements in Wi-Fi signal range, reliability and performance – as well as the ability for smart wireless networks to automatically adapt to environmental changes.

“The Georgia World Congress Center is a premier venue for some of the largest sporting, musical and educational events in the country. The need for high-performing, reliable Wi-Fi connectivity became critical to providing attendees the world-class experience they expect,” said Brown.

“We literally have thousands of people on-site using iPhones, smartphones and other mobile devices at any given time, not to mention the state-of-the-art equipment used at various events, which pose further challenges for the wireless network. Ruckus is the only system we’ve found that has improved Wi-Fi technology enough to meet these requirements,” he said.

Smart Wi-Fi Delivers World-Class Performance at High Traffic Venues

The need for more reliable Wi-Fi stemmed from the coverage and performance limitations of the GWCCA’s previous network, as well as demands from clients to support 802.11n laptops and devices.

“Given the size of our facilities, with our previous network, coverage of all three venues was a big issue,” said Brown. “In addition, performance was unpredictable and the network couldn’t scale to high volumes of people and devices,” said Brown. “We were also interested in a system that could scale from an applications perspective. Looking forward, video streaming and surveillance are both important for us, and we needed a system optimized to support these applications.  So an advanced implementation of 802.11n became an imperative for us. “

Brown noted that in such large areas such as exhibit halls and stadiums, the changing environment can cause serious problems for Wi-Fi with respect to delivering consistent performance and signal strength. “At GWCC things are in a constant state of change as new exhibitions come in and the facility is reconfigured. The ability to have a Wi-Fi system that can automatically adapt to such changes was another crucial criterion for us.”

CCLD evaluated competitive wireless systems but found none delivered the range and reliability required at the right price point. “Ruckus clearly had the most compelling price/performance ratio and provided remarkably better range with fewer access points,” said Brown.  He noted that the unique combination of beamforming and beamsteering with airtime fairness and band steering helps optimize the use radio spectrum when thousands of users are simultaneously connecting to the Wi-Fi network.

To provide ubiquitous, high-speed, reliable Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the GWCCA, CCLD is installing 90 Ruckus ZoneFlex 7962 802.11n dual-band APs – a 40% reduction from the 170 APs previously in place. Additionally, CCLD Networks will take advantage of Ruckus Smart Meshing technology to provide additional coverage in the Georgia Dome, home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, which would otherwise require costly hard-wiring.

Brown explained that with Ruckus smart mesh networking technology, which utilizes long-range smart antenna arrays, it’s now possible for his team to quickly add capacity on-demand to support events with higher attendance while providing more stable client connections by steering Wi-Fi transmissions in directions that avoid interference.

The network is managed by two Ruckus ZoneDirector™ 3100 controllers that provide advanced monitoring and troubleshooting. With the controllers, CCLD Networks can remotely run diagnostic tests on APs and clients and centrally reconfigure individual elements when necessary.

Ontario Convention Center Deploys Smart Wi-Fi

Another convention center that recently deployed the Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi system is Ontario Convention Center (OCC) in Southern California. The center, which comprises two exhibit halls in 225,000 total square feet of exhibit, meeting and function space, provides a full-range of technology services including Wi-Fi, Internet, DS3, VOIP and video conferencing for trade shows and other events.

The OCC needed a reliable wireless network to support these next-generation services, as well as to provide broadband access for vendors and attendees, and to support point-of-sale systems and other applications. The center previously relied on a third-party service provider network of Cisco 802.11b and 802.11g APs. According to Clemmie Taylor, operations director for OCC, the legacy Wi-Fi network constantly suffered from stability, coverage and performance problems.

“Wireless has just become too important to outsource to a third-party provider,” said Taylor.  “We needed to have better control over the service levels we were providing to customers as the expectation for fast and reliability Wi-Fi connectivity has exploded over recent months.”

The OCC researched many offerings and ultimately chose the Ruckus ZoneFlex solution because of the range, reliable performance and low price-point. “We needed a solution that not only performed well and offered comprehensive coverage, we also needed something that was really simple to deploy,” said Taylor. “Additionally, we were looking to migrate to 802.11n in order to support video and other next-generation technologies. Ruckus addressed all of our requirements better than anything else we considered.”

OCC purchased 23 Ruckus ZoneFlex 802.11n and 802.11g Smart Wi-Fi APs to provide coverage to all meeting rooms, exhibit halls and administrative offices in the building. “In one of our tests, we found the wireless signal from one Ruckus AP went much further and was much stronger than our previous Cisco APs could muster – and with the concrete and steel structure of our building, we were simply astounded by the performance we achieved,” Taylor concluded.

One of the largest convention halls in France, the Cité Nantes Events Center has standardized on ZoneFlex dual-band 802.11n 7363 access points to provide complete wireless coverage throughout a quarter million square feet of exhibition and conference space.  A single ZoneDirector controller provides simple, central management and control for the entire wireless infrastructure.

###

About Ruckus Wireless, Inc.

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Ruckus Wireless is supplier of advanced wireless systems for the mobile Internetworking market. The company markets and manufactures a wide range of indoor and outdoor “Smart Wi-Fi” products for mobile operators, broadband service providers and corporate enterprises around the world. Since 2006, the company has realized record revenue and shipments with a CAGR of over 119% percent. Ruckus invented, and has patented, state-of-the-art wireless technology that steers Wi-Fi signals around obstacles and interference. This unique capability extends signal range and ensures consistent reliable distribution of delay-sensitive multimedia content and services over standard 802.11 Wi-Fi. The company has shipped over 2 million Smart Wi-Fi systems around the world and has raised $51 million in funding from premier investors such as Sequoia Capital, Focus Ventures, Sutter Hill, Motorola, T-Ventures, Telus Ventures and Firelake Capital. The company is led by Ms. Selina Lo, president and chief executive officer. For more information, visit Ruckus Wireless at http://www.ruckuswireless.com.

by Alex Goldman

When most WISPs think about a standard network, they think about the core equipment, such as Motorola Canopy radios or Mikrotik routers. Justin Wilson, of MTIN.net, says that standardizing everything that you do can save you a lot of time in an emergency. Spend more time when you have it, and you’ll save time when you don’t.

He’s got an opportunity to put principles into action while helping a new startup WISP. “Every tower will be cookie cutter. There will be the same switches at each tower, and they will be wired the same way. Every tower will have deep cycle batteries providing the same voltage. We’ll provide DC power up to a box on the tower, and we’ll have two switches on that box. We’ll use a DC power remote reboot box from Digital Loggers.

Techs will be trained to document all activities. “I like documenting procedures,” says Wilson. “I like climbing towers, and any time I make the climb, I take a camera with me and take photos of what I’m doing. Recently a client called and asked if I was certain that a specific box was grounded on a tall FM tower they have. I showed them my photos, and the photos showed that the box was grounded. When you can do this, it saves a lot of time with troubleshooting.”

Once you’ve got the photos, they should be stored in a database where they can be found easily. “I like to have a materials list for every tower, pictures in the database showing where cables run down the tower, so that somebody else can do the job if I’m not there. We’re learning from the procedures of cellular companies, putting colored tape on all of our wiring, and putting a legend on the box, so that when someone goes out at 3 AM, they can get the job done quickly. It makes customers happier and save you money when you’re paying by the hour, especially if you’re paying overtime on a weekend.”

They payoff is constant and obvious.

Once procedures are documented, you can e-mail someone and know that you’ve told them exactly what they need to do. You cannot be part of every tower team, especially as the network grows. When Wilson worked for Omnicity, he says that the network was so large that it was a 1.5 hour drive from North to South, and a 2.5 hour drive from East to West.

“If we do all of the things the same way, everyone knows the quirks of the equipment we have. You don’t have to look up the equipment on the tower before you go out and remember to do x before y on this type of equipment. Radios then become drop in things at this point — you don’t have to customize the install for a particular radio type. You can change the radios in a year, but if they work with the voltages you’ve set, you can put them right in.”

Too many WISPs, Wilson says, don’t plan out their equipment purchases. “Guys will pick stuff up at Home Depot on the way to the tower, and they’re stuck with whatever’s in stock. It might have a known issue.

Wilson believes that you need to be able to change out the radios. People are constantly upgrading their networks, and some vendors may change pricing policies. “I had a lot of Motorola in a network, and after a certain point, the new equipment would not work unless we upgraded all of our APs, so I needed a backup plan.”

Wilson strongly believes in battery backup and power conditioning. Power conditioning is a feature touted by SoldHD, the brand of UPS that Wilson uses. The idea of power conditioning is that if your actual voltage fluctuates, the regulator will ensure a constant voltage to your equipment (however, if power fluctuations are extreme, the regulator won’t help you — each regulator has a specific voltage tolerance).

“Your Mikrotiks will lock up during a brownout. A regulated power supply is one way to prevent that.”

Wilson also believes in using DC power rather than AC power. “Running DC power all the way up the tower is a little more expensive, but it’s one less thing that could break. But I’ve installed hundreds of towers using an AC power supply and running PoE up the tower. I had a quality UPS and voltage regulator.”

Philosophy

The IP world has had philosophical (“religious”) wars ever since someone flamed someone else over a choice between Linux vs. Microsoft, and likely even before that. As a consultant, Wilson often has the job of changing network procedures without stepping on the toes of those who run the network, and those who built it. Simple business decisions can feel very personal.

“You can hash out ideas, but ultimately, someone needs to make the decision. If you can get it across that we’re doing it for a reason, then, whether they agree or not, they’ll understand why we’re doing it a certain way and then get to the how from that point.”

WISP owners should take training very seriously. If everyone’s doing things the same way, the network’s performance will thank you.

Wilson doesn’t like cutting costs on core systems, but he understands that some WISPs have no choice. “I’m a big fan of billing software, and of monitoring and ticketing software. When we did NDWAVE.com, we started out with PowerCode and accepted only customers who would pay by credit card. We turned customers away who wanted monthly invoices.”

Wilson says that PowerCode’s billing module works well, because it’s simple. I’ve heard mixed reviews of some of the other modules.

This is a truly competitive industry, and there’s no one way of doing things. “Everyone’s different in the WISP industry,” Wilson says. “We’re not the small phone companies.”

by Alex Goldman

NEW YORK — On Thursday, August 26, 2010, the Native American Broadband Association (NABA) held a strategy meeting hosted by Intersections International (II) in New York City. Also attending were representatives of the Wireless ISP Assocation (WISPA) and the E-Rate Service Providers Association (ESPA).

Introductions

Harold Pruner, chairman of NABA, welcomed attendees.

Meghan Hoelle, II director of strategic initiatives, said that II was pleased to aid NABA in its important work as II pursues its mission of global justice, reconciliation, and peace. She noted that the relationship between NABA and II began last year with a healing ceremony (Healing Turtle Island) and that II believes strongly in the empowerment of the Native American community.

USDA Rural Utility Service – BIP

Bartel Kendrick, director of outreach for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) read a statement from Jonathan Adelstein, administrator of the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS). In the statement, Administrator Adelstein noted that in Round two, 4 tribes received awards: Warm Springs Telecommunications Co., Hopi Telecommunications, Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, and the Tohono O’Odham Utility Authority.

The statement concluded by noting that USDA programs other than the stimulus should be of interest to Native Americans. Those programs include Community Connect and the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program.

Department of Commerce NTIA – BTOP

Angela Simpson, senior advisor on broadband to Larry Strickland at the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration NTIA, spoke of the NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). She noted that all funds will be awarded by September 20, 2010. She noted especially the recent award of $32 million to the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority and said this was just one of many awards to Native American groups.

Simpson added that in November, the NTIA will host an awardees’ conference, offering hands on assistance to those who have won BTOP projects. “We have a vested interesting in BTOP succeeding,” she told those on the call.

The National Broadband Plan

Steve Coran, of Rini Coran PC and legal counsel to WISPA , discussed the national broadband plan, which was published in February of 2010 and mandated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which is also known as the stimulus.

Although Native American broadband has a prominent place in the plan, Coran noted that the plan is a staff report, not an FCC decision, and is therefore subject to change. “It covers a wide variety of topics over 340 pages. It has 6 goals and about 200 recommendations. It will cause at least 40 rulemaking proceedings at the FCC, and will also cause rulemaking proceedings at other agencies.”

Coran said that recommendation 5.17 is particularly significant, “The FCC should take into account the unique spectrum needs of U.S. Tribal communities when implementing the recommendations in this chapter.”

Among the provisions of recommendation 5.17 are a Tribal Land Bidding Credit (TLBC) for spectrum winners who provide service on tribal lands. Also in 5.17 is a recommendation that an existing tribal priority for the allocation of AM and FM licenses be extended to the award of fixed and mobile wireless licenses.

Recommendation 5.17 notes that TV white spaces could play a critical role on Tribal Lands. Coran noted that WISPA is petitioning for changes to the white spaces rules that would enable service providers to deliver broadband more efficiently, especially in sparsely populated areas (for those interested, a detailed report on white spaces is available here from the New America Foundation). WISPA’s comments made the news and an update was provided at the regional meeting.

Mark and Harold Pruner asked Coran whether there will be action on these items soon. They noted that the FCC just established the Office of Native Affairs and Policy (ONAP) on August 12, 2010.

Coran replied that although he’s seen little activity at the FCC, he also would encourage tribal leaders and NABA to reach out to the FCC.

NABA meets WISPA

WISPA executive director Rick Harnish said that WISPA and NABA have many interests in common. The history of wireless broadband, Harnish said, began when the FCC licensed the worst spectrum available, in the 2.4 GHz band (“junk spectrum”) and accidentally unleashed a torrent of innovation.

“Today, many WISPA members are using a hybrid of licensed and unlicensed frequencies. Some use fiber as well. WISPA members deploy when the ILECs and cable companies cannot — or will not — deploy in sparsely populated areas. Many WISPA members are located adjacent to tribal areas and many have customers in tribal areas.”

“I urge NABA to leverage the knowledge earned by WISPA members — sometimes through expensive mistakes. We want to do what we can to create a bridge between tribal governments and private, local businesses in your areas.”

Harnish concluded by thanking Harold Pruner for reaching out to WISPA and asking WISPA to participate in the NABA strategy meeting.

by Alex Goldman

The weather should start changing (finally), but not too quickly. The National Weather Service is predicting a warm and wet winter across the U.S., except in the Southeast.

Jack Unger posted the latest terminal doppler weather rader news to the lists. Look for the e-mail titled, “TDWR Update – August 26, 2010″. Also see TDWR on the WISPA site.

There’s a mammoth thread on the lists under the title “Bandwidth Pricing Plans.” It covers the topic of handling increased per-user consumption of bandwidth as services like Netflix prompt users to watch movies online rather than over the cable networks. ESPN has found a way to charge ISPs (but not end users directly) to watch the ESPN3.com online service. The list of ISPs that have signed up is here (h/t Ken Hohhof and others). I contacted a couple of research firms to talk about this, but the key people were out of town. I will try again after Labor Day.

Brad Templeton of the EFF is the latest to contribute to the discussion of the Google-Verizon deal. He writes that the real problem is monopoly, not regulation or a lack thereof, and that the FCC has never been good at regulating a monopoly (h/t Frank Coluccio). Perhaps the FTC should get a chance.

“If the FCC or FTC want to make rules, they should be monopoly busting rules. Let’s have better roaming, for example, so our devices can readily and rapidly make use of the small cells. Most new phones have 802.11, so what about a system where any operator of a short-range access point can easily make it a picocell and sell service to the wireless company (now a wireless aggregator) at negotiated or auctioned rates,” Templeton writes.

AT&T would firmly oppose that.

A key provision of the Google-Verizon deal is exempting “wireless” from net neutrality rules, although whether that means “cellular” or all wireless has not been made clear. Templeton writes that network management or more bandwidth will solve any network problems the wireless networks have, and that therefore regulation, or an exemption from it, is not necessary. As the most expensive form of broadband, cellular networks are what companies such as Verizon are investing in.

Bruce Kushnick points to Economics and Technology, Inc., a research firm out of Boston that publishes studies that support competition and regulation.

OneWebDay 2010 will occur on September 22, 2010. Celebrating the open internet, this day was founded by Susan Crawford (see video on site) who was briefly Obama’s technology advisor before leaving to do things like criticize the NBC-Comcast merger in 4 pages of dense testimony.

As for the Google-Verizon deal, Crawford wrote, “Both companies left ‘managed services’ (or ‘other services’) off the table for regulation. That’s a giant, enormous, science-fiction-quality loophole. It means that Verizon could decide what bits reach consumers more quickly; it means they’ll be able to favor particular uses of Internet access for exclusive deals. It’s the exception that swallows the rule, as lawyers like to say.”

Because many expect to see no rules, or rules that are not enforced, there is some support for a national broadband system which would mean not expropriation, but the construction of open middle mile networks. In scattered areas, this will happen with the stimulus (especially large projects will happen in Oklahoma, Vermont, and North Carolina, for example, while Montana will get a few small patches of fiber).

One of the big rule changes is about the USF. The fund that brought telephony to rural areas will become a broadband fund. The head of that fund right now is Sharon Gillett, and she recently visited California to see a major telehealth project. (Note also the commenter on Gillett’s FCC blog post who says the internet is illegal because of its high pornography content.)

One agency that is still regulating the internet (after the FCC and FTC stepped aside) is the Department of Justice (DOJ), which is investigating the market power of internet video providers. In related news, Blockbuster should finally go bankrupt in September.

Brough Turner, who is a VoIP expert (among other things), says that net neutrality is the wrong fight, and that we should be insisting that ILECs be treated as common carriers. “If we accept Network Neutrality instead of common carriage, we guarantee future innovations happen only above the IP layer … If anything, we should be fighting to extend the ideas of common carriage to lower layers, e.g. dark fiber. Installing dark fiber is expensive and requires access to rights-of-way that are limited. The installed fiber is capital expensive infrastructure that lasts for decades. Such conditions justify granting monopoly access, in exchange for common carriage and regulated rates of return.”

If your subscribers are worried about the internet at all, they may be worried about ads that follow them from site to site (h/t JG). “‘For days or weeks, every site I went to seemed to be showing me ads for those shoes,’ said Ms. Matlin, a mother of two from Montreal. ‘It is a pretty clever marketing tool. But it’s a little creepy, especially if you don’t know what’s going on.’” One ad company is being sued for creating a cookie that users cannot delete.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon is worried about its own security, as the military and military contractors are under constant attack.

For those interested in snow mobiles, the new issue of Snow Tech came out on August 17, 2010.

Business

Intel is buying into the cell phone industry. When it acquires Infineon, it will be making chips for smart phones, making it a supporter of the Google-Verizon cell phone regulation exemption (h/t JG).

The New York Times says that if you plan on giving millions of dollars to your children, this year could be a good year to do that. “This year, only the 35 percent gift tax applies, which makes the $1.05 million tax on a $3 million gift to a grandchild a relative bargain.” We should all have these problems …

An interesting study of bird collisions with towers (.pdf file) says that if this is a problem in your area (many on the lists said that it is not a problem), you should add lights, preferably lights that blink (h/t Victoria Proffer).

One of the patents that the EFF hates the most (for preventing internet business) was invalidated by a court (h/t S.J. Vaughan-Nichols). But people will continue to sue the internet. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen launched a lawsuit so comprehensive that The Inquirer wrote, “Microsoft co-founder sues everyone but Microsoft and Amazon. Here are some timely thoughts on the original intent of patent law (h/t Harold Feld). In related news, Facebook is suing a website called Teachbook.

Google may release an Android tablet.

Brian Webster echoed a comment of Jack Unger’s from several months ago when he posted resources for free to air TV. Unger pointed out that TV antennas can still receive free TV. If you’re going to install an antenna on a roof, would it not be cost effective to add free TV to the service you offer? Also, if you plan on working in TV white spaces, you want to get to know TV antennas.

The resources Webster posted are related to free satellite:

• A list of free TV stations.
• An FAQ.
• A description of the equipment you’ll need in order to receive free satellite TV.
• A link to forums, including this excellent history of free to air satellite TV (note: Charlie Ergin is a keynote speaker at the Broadband Expo in November in Dallas).

Security

An exploit that uses bad DLL files (and PowerPoint) was demonstrated (warning: loud music in video). “This DLL loading vulnerability is full of fail. Why should apps have to be written to defend themselves against bad OS default behavior,” asked security blogger Dino A. Dai Zovi (h/t Ryan Naraine).

Another charming hacking passtime: “jackpotting” ATM machines. Manufacturers have released a fix for the latest security flaws.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) hopes to extradite a famous Russian credit carder and hacker from France, where he was caught (the DOJ finds it nearly impossible to catch Russian hackers in Russia). “Computer security researchers have raised a more sinister prospect: that criminal spamming gangs have been co-opted by the intelligence agencies in Russia, which provide cover for their activities in exchange for the criminals’ expertise or for allowing their networks of virus-infected computers to be used for political purposes — to crash dissident Web sites, perhaps.”

In one charming YouTube video, hackers replace software in voting machines with Pac Man.

Builds Smart 802.11n Mesh Outdoor Network to Offer Monthly Wireless Broadband Access Services to Homeowners within 300-Unit Community Complex at 1/10th the Cost of Wireline Alternatives

PROVO, UTAH, August 30, 2010 – Ruckus Wireless™ today announced that Veracity Networks, a leading telecommunications and broadband service provider in Utah, has selected and deployed its advanced “Smart Wi-Fi” products and technology to offer high-speed wireless broadband access services to more than 300 homes within the Cambria Community.

Instead of requiring homeowners to purchase cable or DSL connections from their local telecom supplier at prices ranging from $50 to $75 per month, the Cambria Homeowners Association (HOA) teamed with Veracity Network and its integrator, Cinergy Wi-Fi, to build a powerful 802.11n outdoor network that offer reliable wireless broadband connections at less than half the monthly costs.

New and more reliable high-speed Wi-Fi service networks, like those in the massive 320-acre Cambria Community, are being made possible through a combination of new technologies, including dual-band 802.11n, Ruckus-patented dynamic beamforming and smart mesh networking that enable ubiquitous indoor/outdoor, long-range wireless connectivity.

With 58 buildings and more than 300 condominiums and townhomes, Cambria needed to replace an unstable and under-performing cable modem network to satisfy residents’ needs for higher connection speeds and consistent performance from anywhere within the residential complex.

After evaluating several competing systems, Veracity chose the Ruckus Wireless ZoneFlex™ Smart Wireless LAN (WLAN) system due to its ability to support adaptive meshing, automatically avoid interference and provide stronger, long range Wi-Fi connections.

According to Veracity, Ruckus Wireless was also the only Wi-Fi supplier to provide a complete end-to-end wireless broadband access solution ranging from 802.11n mesh nodes to point-to-point bridges, indoor customer premise equipment and unified systems management.

“Within the unlicensed band, Wi-Fi as a wide area community service has largely been a science project,” said Chris Modesitt, CTO for Veracity Networks. “But with recent advances in Wi-Fi signal controls and adaptive meshing, we discovered that offering a reliable service over Wi-Fi was not only possible but highly advantageous to our customers.”

Modesitt explained that upgrading the existing wired network would have posed too great an inconvenience to residents, and the associated costs and challenges would have been too high. Because of the performance and reliability benefits of the Ruckus system, coupled with its smart mesh technology which enables access points (APs) to be placed where no cabling is available, Veracity turned to the Smart Wi-Fi provider.

“Within two days, we had the Ruckus system installed, up and running,” said Jared Griffith, President and CEO of Cinergy Wi-Fi. “Being able to offer 3 to 5 Mbps of broadband service to residents without having to trench and pull cables everywhere was a huge saving in deployment time and infrastructure costs.”

Veracity estimated that the cost of deployment broadband access using Smart Wi-Fi from Ruckus was achieved in half the time at one-tenth the cost of a traditional fixed line network.

Smart Wi-Fi Opens New Doors for Veracity and Cambria HOA

Previously, the Cambria development had a cable-based broadband network that suffered slow, erratic performance. “Residents constantly complained that the network was too slow and unreliable,” said Modesitt.

Turning to Veracity, the HOA discovered that access to the existing cable and conduits wasn’t possible, which made wireless even more desirable. But for wireless to address residents’ service needs, Veracity needed to deliver pervasive coverage, and predictable and consistent performance. They also needed a system that was easy to deploy and manage on an ongoing basis.

To meet the growing demands for reliable wireless broadband access, Veracity ran a high-speed 100 Mbps fiber connection in to the main clubhouse.  From there, Cinergy Wi-Fi installed four ZoneFlex 7731 point-to-point 802.11n bridges to extend the broadband capacity to other locations within the community.

On select rooftops Cinergy Wi-Fi deployed four ZoneFlex 7762 dual-band 802.11n APs as “root” nodes to feed 20 ZoneFlex 7762 mesh nodes placed around the complex.  The 5GHz band was used to provide reliable mesh connections between mesh nodes while the 2.4GHz band provided Wi-Fi access for users. Some residents were also provided Ruckus MediaFlex™ 2211 wireless bridges to extend the Wi-Fi signal indoors.

The entire network is managed by a single ZoneDirector™ 3150 controller that automatically handles the mesh network and provides advanced monitoring and troubleshooting. With it, Veracity can quickly view the mesh topology, remotely run diagnostic tests on APs and clients, see the state of active clients and centrally reconfigure individual elements or entire system parameters.

Metro Wi-Fi without the Metro

“The use of advance Wi-Fi systems to deliver reliable broadband access in areas where fixed lines just don’t make economical sense is a major trend we are seeing everywhere,” said David Callisch, VP of Marketing for Ruckus Wireless. “Basically it’s Metro Wi-Fi without the “Metro” and without a build-it-and-they-will-come business model mentality.”

“In the U.S. this outside/in approach to wireless has become commonplace among multi-dwelling and multi-tenant unit environments. And in developing countries, where fixed lines are sparse and licensed spectrum is expensive, we are seeing a mad rush to install smarter Wi-Fi by operators looking to grab as much broadband land as quickly as possible,” Callisch concluded.

About Veracity Networks

Veracity Networks (www.veracitynetworks.com), located in Provo, Utah, is a facilities-based telecommunications provider servicing commercial and residential customers throughout Utah and portions of Nevada. We own and operate next generation FTTP (Fiber to the Premises) Networks in Provo and St. George. and extensive fiber network throughout Utah. Veracity Networks combines its advanced communications services with local, friendly and accessible customer service to save its customers both time and money while enjoying unmatched Internet speed, high-definition video and feature-rich telephone services. With combined leadership experience of more than 50 years, and the most advanced telecom platform in the industry, our customers experience a tried and true network delivering them “World Class Service with a Local Touch.”

About Ruckus Wireless, Inc.

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Ruckus Wireless is supplier of advanced wireless systems for the mobile Internetworking market. The company markets and manufactures a wide range of indoor and outdoor “Smart Wi-Fi” products for mobile operators, broadband service providers and corporate enterprises around the world. Since 2006, the company has realized record revenue and shipments with a CAGR of over 119% percent. Ruckus invented, and has patented, state-of-the-art wireless technology that steers Wi-Fi signals around obstacles and interference. This unique capability extends signal range and ensures consistent reliable distribution of delay-sensitive multimedia content and services over standard 802.11 Wi-Fi. The company has shipped over 2 million Smart Wi-Fi systems around the world and has raised $51 million in funding from premier investors such as Sequoia Capital, Focus Ventures, Sutter Hill, Motorola, T-Ventures, Telus Ventures and Firelake Capital. The company is led by Ms. Selina Lo, president and chief executive officer. For more information, visit Ruckus Wireless at http://www.ruckuswireless.com.

DISHOnline.com also includes access to thousands of popular movies and TV shows

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Aug. 24, 2010 – DISH Network today introduces DISHOnline.com, the only online video portal that integrates live and recorded TV with more than 150,000 popular movies, TV shows, clips and trailers into one easy-to-use interface.

Through DISHOnline.com, customers can watch their live TV, all of their DVR recordings, and instantly view thousands of movies, TV shows, clips and more from programmers such as Food Network, Discovery Channel, MTV, EPIX, Starz and Encore – all free with their paid subscription. Through a robust search engine, customers can browse for content by title, network, actor or genre.

For example, if a customer likes the TV show 30 Rock, he or she can search that title and pull up a range of instantly available video content related to the show, including episodes currently playing that can be watched live, past episodes, and special features and clips from the Web. DISHOnline.com will also list episodes recorded to the DVR, as well as upcoming episodes that customers can record with the click of a mouse. In addition, the search for 30 Rock will list actors on the show like Alec Baldwin. When the user clicks on his name, DISHOnline.com will display a page featuring all video content featuring Alec Baldwin, plus the ability to rent Alec Baldwin movies, such as It’s Complicated.

“DISHOnline.com integrates DISH Network’s expansive TV programming lineup with the vast amount of online video content, adding another dimension to our ‘pay once, take your TV everywhere’ product platform,” said Dave Shull, senior vice president of Programming for DISH Network. “DISH Network is committed to offering an unrivaled experience that satisfies our customers’ need to consume video in a variety of new and exciting ways.”

DISHOnline.com is also open to non-DISH Network customers, who have access to thousands of free video selections available for instant streaming. Those with a DISH Network subscription can enjoy the enhanced features of DISHOnline.com by logging in with their existing DISH Network online account information. Live and recorded TV viewing is enabled for customers with a ViP 922 SlingLoaded DVR or the upcoming Sling Adapter.

For more information or to create an account, visit www.DISHOnline.com.

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About DISH Network

DISH Network L.L.C., a subsidiary of DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ:DISH), provides more than 14.3 million satellite TV customers, as of June 30, 2010, with the highest quality programming and technology at the best value, including HD Free for Life. Subscribers enjoy the most national HD channels, the most HD local coverage in the U.S., the most international channels, and award-winning HD and DVR technology including the ViP 922, the world’s only DVR with built-in Sling functionality. DISH Network is first in Customer Satisfaction among all cable and satellite providers according to the 2010 American Customer Satisfaction Index survey results for the U.S. largest cable and satellite TV providers. DISH Network Corporation is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) and is a Fortune 200 company. Visit www.dish.com.