A member and valued friend of TMA, industry consultant Bob Harris, Attrition Busters, has been hospitalized with COVID-19 for the last month and has been on a ventilator in recent weeks. While his condition has slightly improved, he remains in very critical condition.
Bob and his family need our support at this time in the form of positive thoughts, prayers, and financial donations.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to collect donations for the family. Please take a moment to visit the page and make a donation of any size. https://gf.me/u/zan2y2
Thank you for your support.
A message from Lou Fiore, Chair, AICC:
As many of you know, AT&T and Verizon have announced sunsets for their 3G networks. AT&T is calling for a sunset date of February 22, 2022 and Verizon is calling for a sunset of December of 2022 – 10 months later. Because of the Coronavirus many of our customers have been reluctant to have alarm technicians enter their homes and businesses so that we can upgrade their equipment to make them compatible with newer networks.
We need your help especially if your business is headquartered in one of the following states:
AK, AZ, CA, CT, CO, FL, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV
The industry is seeking a longer transition period before AT&T sunsets its 3G network. We are asking elected officials to reach out to AT&T and urge them to push back their sunset to December 2022 which would make AT&T’s sunset the same time as Verizon’s proposed sunset, citing the pandemic as the reason.
Linked here is a spreadsheet that includes the staffers of all the members on the House and Senate Telecom Subcommittees. House Members appear first, scroll down to the second page to find Senators. Please use the staffer’s email to contact the Telecom Sub-committee member.
Ideally, if your business is headquartered in a Sub-Committee member’s district or state, we would urge you to reach out to that member. Even if your business is not located in the member’s district but are from his/her state, they will pay attention.
To find out who represents your district go to:
Please let me know if you have any questions. Our lobbyist Bill Signer or I will endeavor to assist you. Thank you in advance for your help in helping our industry.
We are asking you to send the message below to your elected officials:
Dear Representative/Senator:
The burglar and fire alarm industry is seeking your help in urging AT&T to delay the shutdown of its 3G cellular network which is currently scheduled for February 22, 2022 – a mere 16 months from now – to December 2022. This would then have both Verizon and AT&T shutting down their 3G network cellular networks at the same time.
Our industry protects the safety, and property of over 30 million homes and businesses. Additionally, many seniors depend upon us to monitor their personal emergency response systems allowing them to live at home. Many of these systems were installed using the 3G cellular network and must be upgraded, otherwise they will cease to communicate once the 3G networks are shutdown. Historically, AT&T recognized the need for an appropriate time period when it moved from 2G to 3G and provided 4 1/2 years for that transition. The industry estimates that we now have upwards of 3 times the number of 3G devices to change out as we did in the past transition.
Currently, the change-out requires an alarm technician to enter the premise and upgrade the existing equipment. Unfortunately, with the Coronavirus pandemic understandably many of our customers have been reluctant to have us enter their homes and businesses. For six months and counting this has curtailed what was to be a two year transition. Realistically, we are looking at least another nine months before we will be able to resume our normal ability to upgrade these systems.
While AT&T has been working with the industry for the development of equipment that will allow consumers to self-install equipment that would upgrade home security systems, to date that equipment is still in the testing stage. While we are hopeful that the equipment will work, we are not certain it will or whether the manufacturer will be able to meet the demand in a timely fashion.
Accordingly, we are asking you to speak directly with AT&T and urge them to move back their 3G cellular shutdown date to December 2022 and make it the same time as Verizon’s shutdown. Failure to do so will put millions of homes, businesses, and lives needlessly at risk.
Include your address on the emails that you send so they know you are a constituent.
Again, thank you in advance for your help.
Stay safe,
Lou Fiore
Chair, AICC
The Monitoring Association (TMA) is pleased to announce that Wayne Thorsen, Managing Director, Hardware Business Development for Google, will deliver the keynote address at its upcoming 2020 Annual Meeting. Mr. Thorsen will speak virtually via Zoom on Tues., Oct. 27th at 11:10 AM [EST].
“This has been a year like no other where we are reminded of how essential our service is to the homes and businesses of this country and of this world,” said Don Young, president of TMA. “TMA has come together, in partnership with many other organizations dedicated to the well-being of our customers and employees, to educate and advise on how to navigate through these uncharted waters. I am truly blessed and proud to serve amongst so many selfless individuals who have volunteered their time these last nine months to share best practices and help guide each other regardless of competitive pressure. I believe that crisis brings clarity and I am inspired by the meaningful work TMA has done this year to deal with the pandemic, but more importantly, to give our members the opportunity to share in the benefits of what the future holds for our industry. Two of those benefits will be the continued development of standards as referenced in our latest edition of TMA’s Dispatch and exploring how machine learning and artificial intelligence could play key roles in that effort. We are fortunate to have Wayne Thorsen from Google as our keynote speaker this year who will share his thoughts on how he sees this technology advancing and accelerating in the months and years ahead. He will provide some insight on how Google views the opportunities in our industry going forward,” added Young.
In his current position, Mr. Thorsen leads the global business development teams that manage partnerships for a portfolio of Google products and services, including: Google Home; Nest; Chromecast; Google WiFi; Google Pixel; Google ATAP (Advanced Technology And Projects); and, Google Daydream (Augmented Reality and Google Lens). Prior to joining Google in May 2018, Mr. Thorsen served as Senior Vice President, Marketing and Strategic Partnerships for San Francisco-based So-Fi. He also previously led the Corporate Development team at Viacom, where he was responsible for leading M&A and strategic partnerships across the international media company.
Set for Tues., Oct. 27 to Thurs., Oct, 29, 2020, TMA’s 2020 Annual Meeting is open to all security industry professionals, regardless of TMA membership. The event is designed with the security executive in mind with sessions focused on topics such as creating new business revenue sources, cyber security, and M&A trends. In all, a series of eight education sessions will be delivered virtually over the course of the three-day event. Speakers are industry thought leaders, respected entrepreneurs, and business experts. In addition to the educational program, daily networking and social events will also be featured, as well as a virtual trade show.
Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL) is the premier sponsor of this year’s meeting. Other industry sponsors include Full Meeting Sponsors: ADI; Altronix; Bold Group; Bosch; CIBC Bank, USA; DMP; MAS; NAPCO Security Technologies; Resideo, and TRG Associates. Event Meeting Sponsors include ADT; Alarm.com; ALARMAX; Calipsa; DICE Corporation; Johnson Controls; and, OneTel. Park Associates is our 2020 Organizational Sponsor. Security Sales and Integration Magazine is our official media sponsor.
For complete details and registration options, go to www.tma.us/annual-meeting/.
TMA is pleased to announce that Scott Stanton, Sr. Director, Americas Network Transformation, Cisco, will deliver a keynote address at its upcoming OPSTECH 2020. Mr. Stanton’s remarks will speak to the future of networking and WiFi 6 and the impact on how this technology enables IoT devices and fills in the gaps of LTE and 5G buildouts. The keynote address will be delivered virtually via Zoom on Wed., Nov. 18th at 11:10 AM [EST].
OPS-TECH is the new combination of two of TMA’s most popular annual education and networking events – the Fall Operations Management Seminar and the Tech Summit. TMA is pleased to introduce a reimagined meeting structure and delivery format this year with the intention that the virtual platform will open up new opportunities for additional attendees to actively take part in these valuable programs. By focusing on three main areas of interest, TMA will offer education that will appeal to operations, video surveillance and installation professionals, and IT managers who want to take their companies to the next level. This solutions-based event will offer attendees the opportunity to come with a problem and leave with a solution.
The program will be presented in three sections over the course of several days:
Industry sponsors of the event include Full Meeting Sponsors: BOLD Group and MAS. Event Meeting Sponsors include OneTel, SentryAI, and TRG Associates, Inc., SDM Magazine and Security Business Magazine/SIW.com are the official media sponsors.
View complete program details and registration options.
UL has posted content on their website to provide detailed information on the new virtual audit policy and procedure.
Due to the safety concerns of our its customers and audit staff surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, UL is announcing a virtual or remote audit (RA) option for completing the annual compliance audit of UL Listed monitoring facilities for the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The virtual RA will follow a similar process as the on-site audits normally conducted but will be conducted utilizing a combination of information gathering techniques through discussion, question and answer, document screensharing, webcam, FaceTime, and/or similar video sharing methods.
Go to https://www.ul.com/resources/monitoring-station-virtual-remote-audit-procedures for details.
The Monitoring Association (TMA) is pleased to announce the addition its 79th and 80th municipalities to go live with its expanding ASAP-to-PSAP program. Launched in 2011 as a public-private partnership, TMA’s ASAP-to-PSAP service is designed to increase the accuracy and efficiency of calls for service from alarm companies to PSAPs.
“TMA’s ASAP-to-PSAP program experienced nice momentum in 2020 with a new annual adoption record of 18 ECCs across the country,” stated TMA President Don Young. “As the network of ASAP compatible ECCs continues to grow, those not yet using the service are learning firsthand from their colleagues about the time and accuracy improvements that come with ASAP and therefore the enhanced capability for saving lives in the alarm response process. TMA remains proud to deliver this unique service to its members and accomplish their mission for providing professional monitoring capabilities to help better protect life and property in both residential and commercial settings.”
TMA welcomed its 79th ECC, the Cayuga County NY 9-1-1 Center and the 6th ECC in the state of New York to implement ASAP. Cayuga County first went live with Vector Security and Rapid Response Monitoring. A second wave of companies including ADT, Amherst Alarm, Affiliated Monitoring, AT&T Digital Life, Guardian Protection, Brinks Home Security, National Monitoring Center, Protection One, Security Central, Tyco (Johnson Controls), Vivint, and Doyle went live with Cayuga County just days later.
“This is a seamless procedure allowing alarm companies to transfer alarm activations and the data associated directly to our computer aided dispatch system”, said Denise Spingler, Cayuga County 9-1-1 Administrator. “This allows for a more expedited dispatch of emergency services.”
The Paradise Valley AZ Police Communications Center is the 80th Emergency Communications Center (ECC) in the United States and 4th ECC in the state of Arizona to implement ASAP. Paradise Valley went live with Affiliated Monitoring, AT&T Digital Life, ADT, Alert 360, Guardian Protection, Brinks Home Security, National Monitoring Center, Protection One, Rapid Response Monitoring (plus A3 Smart Home), Security Central, Tyco (Johnson Controls), Vivint, and Securitas over a two day period in mid-December.
As some of you may recall, Mallory Todd left TMA about a year ago to pursue new career opportunities. She served in an administrative capacity, supporting all of us at TMA in many ways. With the onset of COVID-19 about the time of her departure and the uncertainty that ensued, we opted to delay a search for her replacement. In true team fashion, the remaining six staff members picked up and carried on, but we sorely missed having someone in that pivotal role.
But, with the turn of the calendar, TMA added a new staff member! We are so excited to welcome Ms. Tara R. Compher to our headquarters’ team. In her new role as TMA’s Programs and Administrative Coordinator, Tara will oversee TMA’s Five Diamond, IQ, and FirstNet programs, in addition to assisting with CRM data management and other projects and serving as the staff liaison to TMA’s NextGen group.
“Tara brings a broad range of valuable business and administrative experience to TMA,” stated TMA Executive Director Celia T. Besore. “In her previous roles, Tara demonstrated an outstanding commitment to quality and to customer service, which make her ideally suited to this pivotal, customer-focused position within our organization.”
“I am excited for this new chapter in my life, but more importantly, I am looking forward to helping The Monitoring Association achieve their mission of creating a safer world for everyone,” said Ms. Compher.
Prior to accepting her new position within TMA, Ms. Compher worked for the U.S. Courts as a probation clerk and as a front office coordinator in a dental practice.
Please join us in welcoming Tara to our community! She can be reached at tcompher@tma.us.
As we begin a new year, it’s a great time to reflect on how we can give back to our professional community. The past year demonstrated what can happen when we come together and share our resources with one another. Knowledge and experience are two of the most valuable assets that professionals possess. Giving back is often as easy as connecting with peers and sharing your knowledge and experience. This can take many forms, including, writing and speaking. As we begin to prepare for our 2021 Mid-year Meeting, we’re reaching out to TMA members in search of speakers.
Our 2021 Mid-year Meeting will be presented virtually, April 20-22, 2021. If you or someone you know is interested in sharing your experience and expertise with your colleagues in the professional monitoring industry, we would like to hear from you!
The three-day event will offer monitoring center professionals a series of educational sessions on best practices and trends in leadership, operations, and technology.
Start off the year with your commitment to give back and make a valuable contribution to the profession’s field of knowledge.
The deadline to submit your proposal is COB, Friday, January 22, 2021. Go to https://lnkd.in/eaF8huS
Questions? Contact education@tma.us.
Please read the announcement regarding changes needed to be made by Burglar and Fire Alarm Companies in preparation for the nationwide implementation of 988 as the 3-digit abbreviated dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
It is imperative that alarm companies reprogram alarm panels in customers’ premises if they currently are programed to dial out seven digits to reach the alarm monitoring bureau. If they are dialing out seven digits now, they must be re-programed to dial out a ten-digit number which includes the area code plus telephone number.Such updates or reprogramming must occur between April 24, 2021 and October 24, 2021 (the permissive dialing period). Starting these efforts before April 24, 2021 may result in failed calls if permissive 10-digit dialing has not yet been implemented.The changes need to be completed by October 24, 2021.
No change is needed if the alarm panels are currently dialing out ten-digits, or if they are dialing out a toll free number (800, 888, 844, etc.) to reach the alarm monitoring bureau.
We need your assistance in notifying alarm companies in 37 states and 83 area codes about the transition from 7-digit to 10-digit local dialing. Any assistance in notifying your membership would be appreciated.
Additional information about this transition on the NANPA website at https://nationalnanpa.com/transition_to_10_digit_dialing_for_988/index.html
