I just asked my administrative assistant how long it took her to compile the information to complete the FCC 477 form. She said it took her about 6 hours this time. Most of that was adding census tract data to new customers since last September. This was a job my sales staff was supposed to do with each new customer addition. I now know what we need to improve by next September.
We have always filed the 477 since the first time it was requested. The early years were frustrating, but each year we try to make the job easier by keeping track of the information needed so that next time, it is easier. We have added the information needed to our customer records and when the time comes, we merely run a report and then clean up the new customer data that may need added or amended. The government is telling us what they want, it is our job to figure out how we can compile our data in an efficient manner which will minimize the man-hours needed to complete the form. The point I am making is that we are in the business to supply Broadband and Broadband is recognized by our Government as a key measurement of how our country is doing compared to other countries. It is essential that our Government maintains as accurate of records as it can, so that policy can be written to keep the US in the top echelon of the World's leaders in Broadband productivity. Given that, it is also essential that WISPs and other Broadband industries adopt better practices to track this data in their own businesses. It frustrates me every six months to read complaints on how hard the 477 is to complete when it is evident that little effort was done by many companies to make the job easier on their staff's the next time the 477 needs filed. We demand proper documentation of all aspects of our business, whether customer support, network construction and operation, trouble issues, project management or reporting. The more information we have available to us as manager's of our businesses, the better we can perform our duties as managers and the more productive we will be. I personally want to thank my programming staff for the fine work they do. Their work saves the rest of our staff hours of time and hence our productivity is increased. I recognize that many WISPs are short staffed and crippled with lack of funding and overly multi-tasked employees. What I do recommend is that with proper documentation of your customers, network and finances, each of you can grow your business much easier than with sloppy documentation. Don't take this as a criticism, but as a helpful hint that will help each of you succeed. Don't become mired in the chore, develop tools to make the chore a piece of cake. We make mistakes also, the important thing is to learn from the mistakes and if documented properly, we can recognize mistakes quickly when they happen and know how to fix the mistakes quickly the next time. Respectively, Rick Harnish From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Josh Luthman Sent: Monday, February 15, 2010 4:47 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [WISPA Members] [WISPA] WISP's are killing themselves!!!! - New FCC form 477 reportis out, not looking good for Fixed Wireless What WISPA does with the government is great. But this discussion is between government and WISPs (not WISPA). If history has taught anything it is that the government does not do its tasks well. 900, 2.4 and 5.8 - works pretty well, without these three bands no one would be a WISP. 3.65 - how well do you think that works. Couldn't we all do without this band? Future bands - follow the trend. I would love to have a dozen 20mhz channels in 700mhz, but in reality I just don't see it happening. Maybe we should all unite in one big WISP Co., go into massive debt, somehow incorporate oil usage and then ask for a government bailout. Josh Luthman Office: 937-552-2340 Direct: 937-552-2343 1100 Wayne St Suite 1337 Troy, OH 45373 "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." --- Winston Churchill On Mon, Feb 15, 2010 at 4:40 PM, Chuck Bartosch <[email protected]> wrote: I can believe the data set is an accurate reflection of the filing (though not an accurate reflection of what's actually deployed and used). For example, though we filed, we filed late-somehow the nominal deadline just slipped past us. I can imagine that happened to other providers too (and skimming ahead in the thread I see others did file late just like we did). In terms of numbers, the last time I checked (I think it was last fall), something like only 5 fixed wireless providers had reported 477 data in the entire state of NY and there are at least 7 other wireless ISPs merely in the areas we serve (none of whom filed as far as I could tell). Chuck On Feb 15, 2010, at 3:17 PM, Marlon K. Schafer wrote: > Something has to be wrong with the data set. I don't know of ANY WISPs that > have actually gone backward in the last year or two. > > It's very likely that the new reporting mechanism is messed up due to the > confusing new form etc. > > marlon > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Brian Webster" <[email protected]> > To: "WISPA List" <[email protected]>; "memb...@wispa. org" > <[email protected]>; "WISPA Board" <[email protected]>; "Motorla List Beehive" > <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, February 15, 2010 10:36 AM > Subject: [WISPA] WISP's are killing themselves!!!! - New FCC form 477 > reportis out, not looking good for Fixed Wireless > > >> The latest FCC report on form 477 broadband data is out >> (http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-296239A1.pdf). >> While >> I don't see a whole lot of useful data in it, I do see where WISP's are >> killing themselves and the industry, why? >> >> a.. In the periods prior to the December 2008 report, fixed wireless has >> shown a steady increase in subscribers. The last reporting period the >> number >> of subscribers dropped from 808,000 to 488,000!!! That's a 39.6% drop in >> the >> actual data that had been previously reported. Know I know that most of >> the >> problem is the fact they now require census tract reporting rather than >> zip >> codes, but dropping like this does not help the industry as a whole. >> b.. Because of the low number of reported subscribers, the reporting by >> technology portions of the report does not even earn fixed wireless a spot >> on the charts in it's own category. It's lumped in with the 1.4% total of >> all other technologies compared to the rest of the broadband industry. >> Hell >> Satellite has their own category with .9%. >> c.. The total number of fixed wireless providers reporting is 617. That >> means there are a huge number of WISP's not filing form 477 and those that >> didn't report must have a large number of subscribers. The previous period >> where fixed wireless had 808,000 subscribers had only 505 WISP's report! >> Matt Larsen and the WISP directory have around 1,800 WISP's registered. >> I've >> heard other estimates between 2,000 and over 4,000. Only 617 fixed >> wireless >> operators reporting is not helping the cause at all. >> d.. The National broadband plan is being formulated as we speak, looking >> at those statistics it appears the WISP industry is in a serious decline >> and >> that as a total percentage of broadband provided to consumers nationally, >> they make no significant difference. >> If you were a government policy maker, would you even pay attention to >> WISP's. I certainly would not. They have to make decisions based on data >> and >> that benefit the majority of the country. WISP's have thumbed their noses >> at >> providing this data for years. I think it is really going to bite them in >> the butt now. Fiber to the home is coming liking it or not. USF reform is >> coming like it or not. USF reform is going to subsidize broadband to the >> very markets wireless serves more economically today. Removing that >> advantage is going to put the WISP industry in serious trouble. >> >> The manufacturers are killing themselves as well. In their quest to just >> sell radios, they have missed the importance of keeping the industry >> healthy. If the WISP's cannot compete and/or show that they are a >> significant option to the overall broadband infrastructure in the US, how >> will they continue to sell product. If anyone knows the true number of >> WISP's out there it is the manufacturers. They should be leading the >> charge >> with groups like WISPA to make sure ALL WISP's stand up and get counted. >> How >> hard would it be to stuff each shipment with educational material on the >> importance of filing form 477? >> >> The current FCC is very open minded but the results of this type of report >> force them to make decisions that benefit the most people. 488,000 is a >> very >> small portion of over 129 million homes. >> >> All I can say is ouch........ >> >> >> Thank You, >> Brian Webster >> >> >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- >> WISPA Wants You! Join today! >> http://signup.wispa.org/ >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- >> >> WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] >> >> Subscribe/Unsubscribe: >> http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless >> >> Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- > WISPA Wants You! Join today! > http://signup.wispa.org/ > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- > > WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ -------------- Chuck Bartosch Clarity Connect, Inc. 200 Pleasant Grove Road Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 257-8268 "When the stars threw down their spears, and water'd heaven with their tears, Did He smile, His work to see? Did He who made the Lamb make thee?" >From William Blake's Tiger!, Tiger! _______________________________________________ WISPA Membership Mailing List ----------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.435 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2687 - Release Date: 02/15/10 07:35:00 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wants You! Join today! http://signup.wispa.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
