CSAA Talks ASAP at APCO’s Emerging Technology Conference

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CSAA’s Becky Lane

ASAP activity continues across the country. On March 16 and 17, CSAA Vice President of Membership Becky Lane presented two sessions on the service at the Association of Public Communications Officials (APCO) Emerging Technology Conference in Kansas City, MO.

Lane’s first session was a “Tech Talk” program overview for law enforcement and 9-1-1 communicators. Her second, more in-depth session was tailored to PSAP directors and 911 Communications Coordinators, and included details on the service. At this session, several representatives of  those in attendance discussed  the process of becoming connected and  shared their experiences.

ASAP was launched in 2011 as a public-private partnership, designed to increase the efficiency and reliability of emergency electronic signals from central station alarm companies to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). ASAP utilizes ANSI standard protocols developed cooperatively by APCO and CSAA. With ASAP, critical life safety signals and accurate information is processed more quickly, through the Nlets system of state-to-state PSAP communication, insuring that complete and accurate information is transmitted to the PSAP every time. The ASAP program has the potential to save PSAPs and emergency services millions of dollars.

ASAP-Concept1D“The ASAP service would not be possible without the relationships shared by APCO, CSAA, INLETS, and other respected Associations,” said Lane. “It is because of these relationships and belief in vision and steadfast commitment that the ASAP service is a reality. We are very appreciative of APCO’s invitation to attend these very important meetings.”

For more information about ASAP, contact asap@csaaintl.org or Becky Lane at 703-242-4670 x 18.

Call for Volunteers: CSAA Standards Committee

CSAA, as an ANSI-approved SDO (Standards Development Organization), is reviewing the best path to establishing an up-to-date remote station standard. This standard will define the parameters of a remote station as well as its operational procedures.

The CSAA Standards Committee seeks volunteers to participate in this important project. To volunteer, contact CSAA Vice President of Membership Becky Lane (blane@csaaintl.org or 703-242-4670 x 18.

If you are not the right person at your company for this project, please share this message with subject matter experts in your organization! Questions? Contact CSAA Standards Committee Chair Steve Shapiro at sshapiro@adt.com.

Ownership Changes and Internal Corporate Reorganizations May Require FCC Approval

Alarm service providers and equipment manufacturers should keep in mind FCC approval is required for most ownership changes.  If radio licenses are involved, prior FCC approval is generally required, although there may be ways to significantly reduce the usual 90 to 120 day approval time, using the FCC’s “conditional temporary licensing” mechanism (depending on the type of licenses involved).  For equipment manufacturers, the FCC generally must be notified of ownership changes that affect FCC equipment certifications within 60 days after the closing.  But some manufacturers also have radio licenses (such as demonstration licenses) that may require prior approval filings.

These entities should also keep in mind that many types of reorganizations, estate planning and tax savings activities and other transactions require prior FCC approval. Companies planning on such transactions should determine whether they must file an application for FCC approval, and obtain a grant, before closing the transaction.  Transactions requiring prior FCC approval include (but are not limited to):

  • The distribution of stock to family members in connection with estate planning, tax and other business activities, if there are changes to the control levels discussed above; Any sale of a company that holds FCC licenses;
  • Any sale, transfer or lease of an FCC license;
  • A change in the form of organization from a corporation to an LLC, or vice versa, even though such changes are not regarded as a change in entity under state law.
  • Any transfer of stock that results in a shareholder attaining a 50% or greater ownership level, or a shareholder relinquishing a 50% or greater ownership level;
  • Any transfer of stock, partnership or LLC interests that would have a cumulative effect on 50% or more of the ownership.
  • The creation of a holding company or trust to hold the stock of an FCC license holder;
  • The creation of new classes of stockholders that affect the control structure of an FCC license holder.
  • Certain minority ownership changes can require FCC approval (e.g., transfer of a minority stock interest, giving the recipient extraordinary voting rights or powers through officer or board position).
  • The conversion of a corporate entity or partnership into another form of organization under state law – e.g., from corporation to LLC or partnership to LLP and vice versa.

–Contributed by CSAA Counsel John Prendergast (Blooston, Mordofsky, Dickens, Duffy, and Prendergast, Washington, DC)

Alarm Industry’s Jerry O’Brien Laid to Rest

Jerry O'Brien funeral

Photo by Lou Fiore

Former Alarm Industry Communications Committee (AICC) Chair Jerry Michael O’Brien was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on February 29. He passed away in Tampa, FL on August 30.

CSAA Past President and current AICC Chair Lou Fiore and CSAA Counsel Ben Dickens attended the burial service. Last fall, AICC members passed a resolution in honor of O’Brien’s contributions to the alarm industry.

The following is an excerpt from the remarks given by the Chaplain, Captain Scott Foustat, at the service.

“By the time Jerry was 18, he was married, he had enlisted in the Air Force, and he soon would be a parent. Jerry’s dream was to develop, design and launch rockets, but as many of us discover, the needs of the Air Force come first, so Jerry was assigned to become an air traffic controller … not rockets, but a very reputable career path nonetheless. Jerry made the best of it, and he excelled at his job, establishing air traffic control centers all over the world, often in very remote places.

“Jerry was eventually selected for officer training, and he commissioned as an AF Officer, one of the last to do so without a college degree. While in the Air Force, Jerry and his family moved 21 times in 20 years. Jerry’s service spanned the Vietnam War, and he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, among many others.

“Following his military career, Jerry took on various adventures, including managing a motion picture studio, representing an energy conservation business, managing API Security telecommunications, which led him to join Omnipoint-a start-up telecommunications company.

“Jerry will be remembered as a patriot, loyal friend, caring father, and beloved husband. Jerry rarely asked for anything in life (except maybe another cup of coffee), but he did have one request: to be buried at Arlington. It’s an honor for us today to grant that request!”

ADT Goes Live with ASAP in Boca Raton

March 1, 2016 — ASAP Subject-Matter-Expert Bill Hobgood reported that today “ADT went live with Boca Raton at 1:30 p.m. and received the first actual alarm within one minute of going live.”

ADT Boca(Right to left) Tonya George, ADT MAStermind Administrator; Tammie Hilend, ADT Vice President of IT; Bill Hobgood, Project Manager, Public Safety Team, Department of Information Technology, City of Richmond, Virginia; and Cindy Cevallos, Boca Raton Project Manager. The picture was taken shortly after ADT’s go-live with Boca Raton.

ADT follows Vector Security, Rapid Response, Monitronics, Affiliated, Protection One, and Guardian as the first alarm companies to connect with ASAP in the state of Florida. For more information about ASAP, visit csaaintl.org/asap.

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