Vol. 16, No. 14 - August 10, 2010
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Table of Contents

• Alarm Companies With FCC Licenses Should Comment On Proposed FCC Licensing Rule Changes
• Besore to Leave CSAA
• Results from July's CSAA Security Trends Survey available now!
• Save the Date: 2010 Tri-Association Awards Dinner
• Remember To ...

Alarm Companies With FCC Licenses Should Comment On Proposed FCC Licensing Rule Changes

The FCC is proposing to adopt a uniform set of renewal requirements that will apply to almost all of the radio licenses held by alarm companies, and to standardize its policies and rules governing the discontinuance of radio operations.  Of concern to alarm companies holding wireless licenses, the FCC’s proposed rule changes could impose additional obligations on existing licensees.  

First, most licensees will have to report a significantly greater amount of information in their renewal applications; and may be harmed in their renewal efforts by a requirement to report violations and protests involving not only the licensee company but related companies, family members and other situations over which the licensee may have little or no control. 

In addition, the FCC is suggesting that it may decline to renew a license because it disagrees with the amount of money invested in the station’s construction, or the pace of construction, or other vague factors. 

The FCC’s rule changes would also require disclosure of proprietary information in some circumstances. 

For these reasons, we strongly encourage all of our members holding radio licensees to comment to the FCC that a more reasonable approach be used. 

One avenue to do so is by participating in comments prepared by Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast, LLP (CSAA’s outside counsel), which comments will object to problematic aspects of the FCC’s proposals, and suggest alternative approaches.  Of particular interest to alarm companies is Blooston’s suggestion that Part 90 Private Radio Service licenses (which are the vast majority of licenses used by alarm companies) be exempt from the proposed rule changes. 

The cost to participate in the Blooston comments is capped at $275 per company.  Please contact John Prendergast at (202)828-5540 or jap@bloostonlaw.com to indicate your interest in participating in the comments, or with any questions. 

The initial comment date was August 6, but the FCC will allow additional comments through August 20.

Besore to Leave CSAA

After 11 years of service to the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), Celia Trigo Besore is moving on to become the Executive Director & CEO of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN), a 1,200-member professional society, with chapters throughout the U. S. “I am honored to have served CSAA. I will greatly miss the wonderful people I met here—from co-workers, to Board members, committees and wiki workgroup members and all the other wonderful members with whom I was fortunate to work,” said Celia

"I have had the pleasure of working closely with Celia over the past several years and found her enthusiasm and commitment evident in every project she undertook," said Pam Petrow, Chair of the CSAA Marketing & Communications Committee and Chief Operating Officer of Vector Security.  "She has been a tremendous asset in many areas and I will miss her tenacity, organization and passion for excellence." CSAA Executive Vice President Steve Doyle added that "Celia has helped enormously to bring CSAA into the electronic age and developed our communications efforts to an exceptional degree. We will all miss not just a colleague, but a 'family' friend." “Working with Celia is always a pleasure," said Ed Bonifas, president of CSAA and Vice President of Alarm Detection Systems. "I cannot recall ever asking for something from her that she did not accomplish with perfection. The list of her accomplishments is longer than this space would allow. CSAA will surely miss her enthusiasm.  Abe Lincoln said “Whatever you are, be a good one”.  Celia has always been better than “good”.  Best of luck, madam Executive Director! Celia, we will miss you." Celia’s last day will be Friday, August 13, 2010. We wish her luck in her new position!

CSAA Security Trends Survey

The July CSAA Security Trends survey results are now available. The results include a detailed analysis of demand, profitability, and attrition year-to-date.

• Download survey at www.csaaintl.org/CSAASecurityTrendsSurveyAugust2010.pdf

The goal of this monthly online survey is to deliver real-time feedback to members on business trends in the industry. The monthly survey results are analyzed in the aggregate and all individual data and feedback is kept completely confidential.

If you would like to participate in this survey, or have any questions, please contact Steve Doyle at 703-242-4670, Ext. 13 or at director@csaaintl.org.

Save the Date: 2010 Tri-Association Awards Dinner

The 2010 Tri-Association Awards Dinner, presented by the Security Industry Association (SIA), the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) and the Electronic Security Association (ESA), will take place on November 3, 2010 at The Lighthouse on Pier 61 in New York City during ISC Solutions.

The focus of the event will be the presentation of the Lippert Award and the Triton Award, both of which recognize leaders in the security industry.

Remember To ...

To sign-up for the 2010 CSAA Annual Meeting at www.csaaintl.org.  Just click on the 2010 Annual Meeting icon.

Order your copies of A Practical Guide to Central Station Burglar Alarm Systems - 4th Edition. Download the 2010 order form of A Practical Guide to Central Station Burglar Alarm Systems - 4th Edition here. If you have any questions, please contact Grace Fanzo, CSAA Administrative Assistant at 703-242-4670, Ext. 21 or gfanzo@csaaintl.org.