NEW Operator Online Level 2 NOW AVAILABLE!

It’s here and ready for your team!

TMA is pleased to announce the release of its newly updated Monitoring Center Operator Online Level 2. The fully re-written course is designed to provide your team with a common language for success.

The new course builds upon TMA’s popular Monitoring Center Operator Online Level 1 training program by offering six, advanced modules that support skills and standards of professionalism needed to be an effective contributor in the monitoring center. The course is highly relatable and challenges operators to expand their knowledge through a focus on critical-thinking exercises associated with team-building, conflict resolution and more impactful customer care. Through an introduction to leadership, operators will experience a new skillset that reinforces accountability through better communication, cyber vigilance and personal responsibility.

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The six NEW modules presented in a narrated format include:

Module 1: Leadership Skills in the Monitoring Center

Module 2: Strategies for Advanced Call Handling in the Monitoring Center

Module 3: Conflict Resolution Using Effective Team Communications

Module 4: Industry Standards: The Fundamental Building Blocks of Professional Monitoring

Module 5: Telecommunications and Enhanced Technology; and

Module 6: Cybersecurity in the Monitoring Center

The exam passing requirement will match the Level 1 course with an 85% passing rate.  The full Level 2 course will continue to count towards all training requirements for TMA’s Five Diamond program.

In gratitude…

Industry participation in course development is a hallmark of the TMA education program. Numerous subject-matter experts have vetted the content for this course re-write.

TMA is grateful for the many, valuable contributions of the following member companies that brought this new course to completion:

  • Acadian Monitoring
  • ADT
  • American Alarm & Communications, Inc.
  • Bay Alarm
  • Cen-Signal
  • Calipsa, Limited
  • COPS Monitoring
  • CPI Security Services
  • Davantis
  • DMP
  • FM Approvals
  • Guardian Alarm Systems
  • Guardian Protection (PA)
  • Hauhn & Associates
  • Intertek
  • LRD Consulting
  • L.T. Fiore, Inc.
  • Laurie Mitchell
  • OneTel
  • Radius Security
  • Rapid Response Monitoring Services
  • Safe Systems
  • Security Partners
  • Security Sales and Integration magazine
  • SightLogix
  • Stanley Security Solutions
  • The Protection Bureau
  • TRG Associates
  • UL, LLC
  • Vivint, Inc.
  • Vector Security

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FCC’s Chairman Pai Asks Congress to Repeal T-Band Mandate

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai reiterated his call for congressional repeal of the T-band auction mandate while also circulating a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would take the next statutorily required step to implement this mandate to his fellow commissioners.

“An FCC auction of the T-band is a bad idea,” Pai said. “But as of today, the law mandates that we do it. It’s unfortunate that commission resources must be dedicated to laying the groundwork for an auction that will likely fail. This is especially true at a time when we are making every effort to keep Americans safe and connected, including allowing expanded temporary use of this very spectrum to help first responders save lives.

“Fortunately, there is bipartisan legislation in Congress to repeal this mandate, including bills that couple repeal with 9-1-1 fee diversion reform as reported out by the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation of the U.S. Senate and the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the U.S. House of Representatives. I hope legislation passes soon, so first responders who rely on this spectrum no longer need to worry about a potential loss of or significant disruption to their mission-critical radio systems. I remain committed to helping Congress in any way I can to ensure that such harms to public safety operations do not come to pass.”

In 2012, Congress passed the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act requiring the FCC to reallocate T-band spectrum used by public-safety and private wireless licensees and “begin a system of competitive bidding” for reallocated spectrum by 2021. The FCC has compiled a record on the T-band that demonstrates that an auction is unlikely to yield sufficient revenue to cover the costs to move public safety users out of the band.

Pai first asked Congress to repeal the mandate late last year.

FCC Will No Longer Issue Warnings

On May 1, the FCC adopted an Order ending its practice of warning most robocallers before issuing penalties for violating the law and for harassing consumers with unwanted robocalls. Such warnings were previously required by law until the TRACED Act was enacted in December 2019.

Specifically, under the prior statutory requirement, the FCC had to issue robocallers that did not otherwise fall within its jurisdiction warnings—formally called citations—related to their alleged violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (by, for example, robocalling cell phones without prior consumer consent) before the agency was able to move forward with an enforcement action. In addition, prior to the TRACED Act, any fine the FCC proposed for TCPA violations by robocallers could be based on violations that occurred only after the warning had been issued. While caller ID spoofing violations—namely, the use of spoofing to scam consumers—did not require warnings, the act of illegal robocalling by these scammers did.

In addition, the FCC action extends the statute of limitations during which robocallers can be fined for TCPA and for spoofing violations. Until now, the FCC had either one or two years, respectively, from the day a violation took place to propose a fine, and only the violations that took place within that timeframe could be included when calculating the proposed forfeiture. With this change, the FCC has four years to propose a fine for spoofing and intentional robocall violations. The Order also increases the maximum fines for intentional robocall violations.

“Robocall scam operators don’t need a warning these days to know what they are doing is illegal, and this FCC has long disliked the statutory requirement to grant them mulligans,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “We have taken unprecedented action against spoofing violations in recent years and removing this outdated ‘warning’ requirement will help us speed up enforcement to protect consumers. With strong enforcement and policy changes like mandating STIR/SHAKEN caller ID authentication and authorizing robocall blocking, we are making real progress in our fight against fraudsters.”

GA County Goes Live with ASAP-to-PSAP

The DeKalb County GA E-9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center (ECC) is the 66th ECC in the United States to implement ASAP and the 3rd ECC in the state of Georgia to implement ASAP.

DeKalb County went live on Monday, April 27th at 7am EST with Vector Security, then followed by Affiliated Monitoring, Guardian Protection, National Monitoring Center, Alert 360, Vivint, AT&T Digital Life, Tyco (Johnson Controls), Protection One, Brinks Home Security, Rapid Response and ESC. ADT is expected to go-live with DeKalb County in the near future.

Learn more about ASAP-to-PSAP.