Verizon’s proposal to replace wireline services on a portion of Fire Island, N.Y., with its Voice Link fixed wireless service concerns the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, it said in comments Monday (http://bit.ly/12YtOfJ). “APCO’s principal concern in this regard is to ensure that all subscribers in the affected area have 9-1-1 service comparable to the wireline service being replaced,” it said. While it “takes no position” on Verizon’s specific request, APCO urged the commission to take into account the inferior level of reliability of wireless services compared to copper wireline services. They're susceptible to disruptions from extreme weather, and damage to a single cell site could “leave large numbers of customers stranded,” APCO said. “If the Commission grants Verizon’s request, it should require that Verizon take appropriate steps to increase the reliability of the wireless networks used for Voice Link communications in the impacted areas,” APCO said. For example, cell sites could be “hardened and equipped with substantial backup power,” additional cell sites added, and 911 calls be given priority, the association said.

WebSafety said it retained the Knobbe Martens law firm to file additional patents “to protect WebSafety proprietary technology.” WebSafety “fully intends to protect its technology both in the United States as well as in other countries,” said WebSafety CEO Rowland Day II in a statement Monday. “We believe our software is worthy of protection and will be used by many people to protect their children."

A proposal to reform high interstate inmate calling prices was added to the agenda for the FCC’s Aug. 8 meeting, acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn said in a statement Monday. The FCC will take up a report and order on “exorbitant” calling rates, the commission said. Reform of inmate calling rates has long been a top issue for Clyburn, who has said the right solution will need to balance concerns of law enforcement, prison calling companies, states, and prisoners and their families (CD July 11 p1). “After ten long years, I'm proud to share with my colleagues a proposal to reform the exorbitant interstate inmate calling regime,” Clyburn said. “For too long, the high cost of long-distance calls from prisoners to their loved ones across state lines has chronically impacted parents and children, especially among low-income families. Multiple studies have shown that meaningful contact beyond prison walls can make a real difference in maintaining community ties, promoting rehabilitation, and reducing recidivism. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure the costs of interstate inmate calling service phone calls are reasonable.”

Some regulation of retail telecom service quality is necessary, said an order the Louisiana Public Service Commission issued Friday (http://1.usa.gov/160oJ8Q). The docket dates back to 2010. The PSC adopted staff recommendations given in January, which argued that some regulation and ongoing oversight is necessary. The PSC does recognize that modifications to existing service quality regulations may be necessary, and proposed that changes attempt to be “cognizant of the Commission’s desire to achieve parity by standardizing service quality requirements,” the order said, describing the adopted staff recommendations. The PSC judged “the most accurate measure of service quality” to be how a company compares to its peers, and killed many parts of the state rules that may create inconsistencies between different types of LECs, it said. The PSC should retain jurisdiction to investigate complaints as needed, the order said.

In requesting an amendment to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) that would allow it to access electronic communications through a service provider without a warrant, the Securities and Exchange Commission “is essentially asking Congress to fundamentally alter the U.S. justice system,” Center for Democracy and Technology Senior Counsel Greg Nojeim said in a blog post Monday (http://bit.ly/13sUaph). The ECPA reform bill, S-607, introduced by Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, is “vitally important and long-overdue,” and “the SEC’s proposed exception would neuter this critical reform,” Nojeim said. In an April letter, the SEC told Leahy that it needs to be able to access electronic communications from service providers to fulfill its investigative responsibilities (http://bit.ly/12YuQIC).

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers sought to block Pandora from buying a terrestrial radio station in South Dakota, filing a petition last Thursday at the FCC to deny the purchase (http://bit.ly/12YpcGp). The sale is a “theatrical media stunt” that doesn’t meet the public interest requirements for such purchases, said ASCAP. “Pandora’s interests and priorities lie only in its millions of internet music listeners, not in serving the thousands of local residents and listeners who depend on the station.” ASCAP said Pandora failed to fully disclose its ownership and failed to adequately demonstrate that it complies with foreign ownership rules. Pandora agreed to buy KXMZ(FM) Rapid City in June to qualify for the same publishing royalty rates as one of its largest competitors, iHeartRadio, which is owned by Clear Channel, Pandora said then (CD June 17 p16). Pandora had no immediate comment Monday.

The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment on a waiver request by 4RF concerning use of additional emission designators for supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) telemetry radios. The bureau said Monday that “4RF seeks a waiver of Section 90.207(i) to allow deployment of telemetry radios using emission designators G1D and D1D” (http://bit.ly/1aTiHd3). “In the alternative, 4RF requests clarification that these emissions already are permitted for Part 90 telemetry.” The waiver would speed the migration of critical infrastructure companies to “IP-enabled technologies for remote monitoring and control applications,” according to 4RF, the bureau said. Comments are due Aug. 28, replies Sept. 12.

San Juan, Texas, decided to upgrade its wireless network for municipal facilities and offices, said sub-6 GHz broadband wireless provider Radwin on Monday (http://yhoo.it/1bCxigP). It’s upgrading to the Radwin 5000 point-to-multipoint systems from its T1 infrastructure.

Aero Networks asked for a Community Connect grant of $870,000 from the U.S. Rural Utilities Service to deploy broadband in Gravois Mills, Mo., said its parent company Sanwire Corp. on Monday (http://bit.ly/160c5GX). “Aero’s newly registered office in Missouri will be responsible for the design, build, equipment procurement, and operation of the new network,” it said of the planned public-private partnership. “Aero expects to get USDA-RUS final grant approval in 4Q 2013, with installation and deployment to commence in 1Q 2014.” The service area includes parts of Gravois and Laurie in Morgan County, covering eight square miles, Sanwire said.

The SES-6 satellite successfully completed its extensive in-orbit testing and is fully operational at 40.5 degrees west. The satellite replaced NSS-806, “providing continuity of service and expansion capacity in the C band for video neighborhoods in Latin America and the Caribbean,” SES said in a press release. SES-6 has 43 C-band and 48 Ku-band transponders, and its largest Ku-band customer is Brazil-based Oi, SES said. The satellite was launched last month (CD June 5 p21).