911 Reliability Certification The Annual 911 Reliability Certification is due October 15, 2020. Beginning October 15, 2015, all “Covered 911 Service Providers” are required to certify annually that they have taken reasonable measures to provide reliable 911 service related to (1) 911 circuit diversity, (2) central office backup power, and (3) diverse network monitoring. The…
Continue ReadingWhy Password Length is More Important than Complexity In today’s digital world, we access sensitive information and systems frequently. Administrators protect sensitive systems from unauthorized access by implementing some form of authentication mechanism, which requires users to prove their identity before being granted access. There are three primary methods of authentication: something you know, something…
Continue ReadingPsyberSecurity: Where Computer Security Meets Psychology We have all heard stories of computers being hacked, but did you know that your brain can also be hacked? High-tech computer hacking can be difficult, especially when the target organization has invested many resources into cybersecurity technologies. Because of this difficulty, many cyber-attackers have discovered that it is…
Continue ReadingYour Computer May Be More Valuable to an Attacker than You Think We hear so much about data breaches and cyber attacks these days. Learning that hackers exposed millions of credit card numbers or other pieces of personal information seems to happen more and more. Even large companies with well-funded security such as Facebook, Microsoft,…
Continue ReadingLifeline Supported Services Minimum Standards New standards take effect December 1, 2020. On July 31, 2020, the FCC released a Public Notice announcing the new Lifeline Minimum Standards that will take effect on December 1, 2020: Fixed Broadband: 25/3 Mbps with 1024 GB of usage per month Exception: If 25/3 Mbps is unavailable at the…
Continue ReadingTRS Fund Modifications Contributions will be modified for 2020-2021 fund year. The FCC released a Report and Order in November 2019 to broaden the support mechanism for Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS) and reduce the current burden put on Interstate Telecommunications providers. The FCC launched IP CTS many years ago with an interim…
Continue ReadingPerformance Measures Module The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) has developed a Performance Measures Module (PMM), which will be the reporting system used for performance measures testing. The PMM will: Allow carriers to differentiate HUBB reported locations as actively served vs. not actively served. Allow USAC to select a random sampling of actively served locations…
Continue ReadingCARES Act: COVID-19 Funding Assistance Measures The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt daily life and business operations, creating additional urgent demand for reliable broadband networks while causing financial hardships for many. On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) was signed into law in an effort to help meet…
Continue ReadingData Collection Extension On April 2, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a 30-day extension for Supply Chain Data Collection in DA 20-370, making the new due date May 22, 2020. All Universal Service Fund (USF) recipients that were eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) as of December 31, 2019 must respond to the mandatory FCC…
Continue ReadingCOVID-19: Recommendations for Broadband & Telecom Providers These are unusual times, as COVID-19 has disrupted daily life and business operations across the country. In doing so, the current pandemic has highlighted the need for reliable, robust, fully supported broadband networks. Vantage Point offers the following recommendations and best practices for maintaining and supporting your networks…
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