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Come "Walk the Hill" with Us
As we mentioned in the previous CSAA Signals, Congress is about to undertake its first comprehensive rewrite of telecommunications laws since the enactment of the 1996 Telecommunications Act.
CSAA would like to encourage our members to join us in Washington, DC on the afternoon of February 7 for a briefing at the Marriott Key Bridge Hotel, followed by a day of Congressional visits on
February 8 to talk with Congress about several industry issues--VoIP, Monitoring Reciprocity, and the provision of analog (AMPS) services by cellular carriers.
We especially want to encourage members with operations in those states represented in the House and Senate Commerce Committees (see lists below) to come to Washington: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana , Kentucky, Louisiana , Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana , Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Below are some key documents to help in your discussions with your congressman/congresswoman:
- A background paper on the three issues - VoIP, Reciprocity, and Cellular analog (AMPS) services.
- A list of the key House and Senate members that we want to visit.
- A draft letter that you can send to your Representative/Senator to seek a meeting during January. Remember if they say no at home, then it enhances our ability to get a meeting for February 8.
Host Hotel Information
- Our host hotel will be the Marriott Key Bridge,
1401 Lee Highway,
Arlington, VA 22209.
- Room Rate: $199 per night
- Cut-Off Date for Reservations: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
- Reservation Number: (800) 228-9290 or (703) 524-6400
- Be sure to ask for the “Alarm Industry Communications Committee” special rate (notice it is not under “CSAA.”)
If you are planning to attend, please contact Steve Doyle at director@csaaul.org as soon as possible.
The meeting agenda will be forwarded soon to those attending. Remember, the earlier you let us know that you are coming, the easier it will be for us to secure a meeting with your representative and two senators.
CSAA in Support of H.R. 4460
CSAA has joined forces with the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) to support H.R. 4460, the College Life Safety and Fire Prevention Act, sponsored by the Honorable Vito Fossella.
The Act establishes an incentive program with the U.S. Department of Education to promote the installation of fire alarm detection systems or other early warning, prevention and suppression technologies in qualified student housing.
Thousands of fires occur in dormitories and other related student dwellings each year with resulting loss of life, injuries and property damage. In almost all cases, these events could have been either prevented or mitigated to a great degree. Many colleges and universities have placed student housing safety low on a list of financial priorities and have literally hundreds of millions of dollars in “deferred maintenance” while the relatively small costs of early warning, detection and fire suppression systems goes unaddressed.
Without doubt, early warning, detection and suppression systems—the cornerstones of life safety—have a proven track record of protecting lives and property in all types of dwellings. As a Past President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs told us at CSAA’s annual meeting a few years ago, “I have never seen a loss of life in a building that was protected by a qualified UL Listed alarm system and monitored by a UL Listed alarm monitoring company.”
We will keep you informed on this issue in future Signals.
