440 Maple Avenue East (#201), Vienna, VA 22180

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For Release: Immediately
Contact: Celia T. Besore
Director of Marketing & Communications
703-242-4670, Ext. 16
communications@csaaintl.org

FCC MAINTAINS FEBRUARY 18, 2008 SUNSET OF CELLULAR LICENSEE ANALOG SERVICE REQUIREMENT

Vienna, VA, June 19, 2007 — Despite intense efforts by the Alarm Industry Communications Committee (AICC) and the rest of the alarm industry to seek an extension, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) denied today a Petition for Rulemaking seeking an extension of the requirement that cellular licensees provide analog (AMPS) service to alarm radio customers and others.

“The AICC is obviously disappointed at the decision not to extend the analog sunset,” said AICC Chairman, Louis T. Fiore. “We are evaluating the details of the Commission's decision and their options. However, we are encouraged that the Commission did decide to raise public awareness of the AMPS shutdown issue, and did grant our request to remind the cellular industry that their AMPS networks must remain viable through the sunset date. And we hope that the cellular industry takes Commissioner Adelstein's advice to heart by accepting the alarm industry's open invitation to have earnest negotiations over ways to minimize any adverse impact of the analog shutdown,” added Fiore.

Click here to see the full FCC release.

Despite the fact that digital cellular alarm radios have only become available in 2006, the FCC believes that the alarm industry has sufficient time and equipment to replace all analog alarm radios that are used as the “primary” communications path to the central station before the analog sunset date and that the public interest would not be served by extending the analog service requirement beyond February 18, 2008.

The Petition raised the concern that ALL analog alarm radios need to be replaced by the analog sunset, because (1) phone lines can be cut or damaged, turning a “secondary” AMPS radio into the primary link; (2) certain Fire Code and insurance requirements mandate the use of a second path to the central station, which has often been accomplished with an AMPS radio; and (3) in many cases, analog alarm radios will begin sending trouble status tones when the AMPS system is shut down, creating problems for affected customers. However, the FCC determined that it should focus on the so-called “primary” analog alarm radios.

The FCC also took three related actions to ensure the continuity of wireless service to consumers and to ensure that interested parties are fully informed of the analog sunset.

• The FCC ruled that before discontinuing analog service, cellular licensees must notify, at specified intervals, all of their analog-only subscribers of their intention to discontinue analog service.
• The FCC provided a strong incentive for carriers to ensure that the discontinuance of analog service will not result in any loss of wireless coverage by permitting a carrier to certify that the discontinuance of analog service will not result in any loss of wireless coverage in a Cellular Geographic Service Area (CGSA).
• The FCC directed its Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, in conjunction with the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, to initiate a public outreach campaign to ensure that consumers, public safety groups, and other interested parties are aware of, and prepared for, the analog sunset in February 2008

IMPACT ON ALARM COMPANIES

What this means to the alarm industry is that whatever cellular backup or primary units (both direct analog and control channel versions) an alarm company may had previously installed will no longer work once the cellular carrier shuts down its AMPS system, after February 18, 2008. Please be aware that some dealers are under the impression that their installed cellular units are "digital" and they are not affected by this sunset issue, when this may not be the case. UNLESS YOU HAVE SPECIFICALLY INSTALLED GSM CELLULAR RADIOS, WHICH DID NOT BECOME AVAILABLE UNTIL 2006, YOUR "DIGITAL" UNITS WHICH USE THE CONTROL CHANNEL OF THE ANALOG (AMPS) SERVICE WILL STOP FUNCTIONING.

THE FCC ALSO INDICATED THAT IT EXPECTS ALARM PROVIDERSTO COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR AFFECTED CUSTOMERS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE AMPS SHUTDOWN.

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The Alarm Industry Communications Committee (AICC) is a committee composed of representatives of the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA), the Security Industry Association (SIA) and major alarm companies and manufacturers. It provides coordination in a variety of areas between the alarm industry and the FCC, other regulatory agencies, and members of Congress, when needed. The committee monitors developments at the federal level affecting the ability of the alarm industry to utilize telecommunications technology in providing protection services to the public.