The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
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Ridgewood NJ, In a significant cyberattack, hackers have stolen phone records from nearly all of AT&T’s 110 million wireless customers, the company confirmed on Friday. This breach adds to a growing list of cyberattacks targeting businesses and government agencies.
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Ridgewood NJ, on Tuesday, AT&T and Verizon customers across the United States reported difficulties in contacting users of other wireless carriers. Both companies acknowledged the problem and are actively working to resolve it.
Continue reading Nationwide Outage: AT&T and Verizon Customers Facing Connectivity Issues
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Ridgewood NJ, AT&T Inc. attributed a widespread outage on Thursday to “an incorrect process” during the expansion of its wireless network, causing disruptions for hundreds of thousands of subscribers and prompting investigations by the FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security.
Continue reading AT&T Outage Triggered by Company Network Expansion
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Twp. of Washington NJ, AT&T experienced a widespread network outage on Thursday morning, affecting many customers across the United States. Users were unable to make calls, send texts, or access the internet. By late morning, AT&T reported that most of its network had been restored.
Continue reading AT&T Suffers Nationwide Cellular Phone Outage
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Mahawh NJ, can you hear me now? After a 17-year quest for cellphone service in northeast Mahwah the Mahwah Planning Board gave its unanimous approval to site plans for a permanent 183-foot transmission tower at Firehouse 3.
Continue reading Mahwah One Step Closer to Getting a New Cellphone Tower
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Newark NJ, Warnings of a “catastrophic disruption” to the air travel industry have subsided, for now as AT&T and Verizon rolled out their 5G coverage countrywide Wednesday . The 5G coverage however won’t happen near some airports.
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Mahwah NJ, according to David May of the Mahwah Cell Tower Task Force , on February 5th the “Administration provided the following update last night at the Council Meeting in regards to the Cell Tower Project: A meeting was held at the Company 3 fire house on Friday January 29th. In attendance were representatives from Orange and Rockland, AT&T, Verizon, TK Wireless, Boswell engineering, the Mayor, the Administrator, the Fire Chief, and members of the Construction Dept.”
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Ridgewood NJ, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced today that New Jersey has entered into a new multistate agreement with 12 phone service providers, securing their commitment to work cooperatively with states to thwart illegal robocalls.
Under the agreement signed by 51 Attorneys General and the 12 participating phone companies, service providers – including AT&T, Comcast, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon – have agreed to adopt eight “Anti-Robocall Principles” for combating illegal robocalls.
Continue reading AG Grewal Announces Agreement with Telecom Companies to Combat Illegal Robocalls
August 4,2017
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Ridgewood NJ, Governor Chris Christie is helping transform first responder communications in New Jersey by “opting in” to FirstNet. With his decision, FirstNetand AT&T will deliver a specialized wireless broadband network to New Jersey’s public safety community. This will make New Jersey one of the first states in the country to bring first responders advanced technologies that will help them save lives and protect communities.
“New Jersey is proud to take this important step for first responders in our state. The decision to join this network means FirstNet and AT&T will deliver a highly secure, next-generation solution for our public safety community, building, maintaining and operating it at no cost and no risk to our state,” said Governor Christie.
AT&T, in a public-private partnership with FirstNet, will drive innovation and create an entire system of modernized devices, apps and tools for first responders.
This is one of the most economical and technologically advanced decisions Governor Christie will make for the State’s first responders and the residents they serve. The FirstNet network will transform the way New Jersey’s fire, police, EMS and other public safety personnel communicate and share information. Specifically, FirstNet and AT&T will:
Connect first responder subscribers to the critical information they need in a highly secure manner when handling day-to-day operations, responding to emergencies and supporting large events, such as game day at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
Create an efficient communications experience for public safety personnel in agencies and jurisdictions across the State during natural disasters. This includes seasonal hurricanes along the New Jersey Shore like Hurricane Sandy.
Enhance network coverage in rural areas. This will benefit first responders and residents throughout New Jersey’s topographically diverse landscape. First responders will also have access to dedicated network deployables for additional coverage and support when needed.
Drive infrastructure investments and create jobs across the State.
Usher in a new wave of innovation that first responders can depend on. This will create an ever-evolving set of life-saving tools for public safety, including public safety apps, specialized devices and Internet of Things technologies. It also carries the potential for future integration with NextGen 9-1-1 networks and Smart Cities’ infrastructure.
“Opting in to FirstNet underscores New Jersey’s commitment to ensuring first responders are capable of meeting constantly evolving challenges,” said Jared Maples, Acting Director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. “As one of the first states to opt-in, New Jersey continues to be a national leader of public safety technology innovation.”
The FirstNet solution that will be built in New Jersey was designed with direct input from the State’s public safety community. As a FirstNet early builder participant, New Jersey shared best practices for the network’s implementation, especially as it relates to deployables. FirstNet has also been meeting with New Jersey’s officials and public safety personnel for several years to address their unique communication needs. This includes:
Giving first responders access to a reliable network connection and extending coverage along the Jersey Shore and in the Pine Barrens as well as other areas throughout the state
Taking extra steps to protect the network in hurricane-prone areas
Improving interoperability for public safety across the state as well as with neighboring states
Providing feature-rich services at highly competitive rates
“New Jersey has been at the forefront of public safety broadband, and with Governor Christie’s decision to join FirstNet, the state is once again leading the nation,” said FirstNet CEO Mike Poth. “FirstNet and AT&T are pleased to offer a plan that surpasses the challenges that New Jersey’s bravest face every day, and we look forward to delivering the network for public safety in the Garden State.”
The decision enables FirstNet and AT&T to begin creating an entirely new wireless ecosystem for public safety communications. New Jersey’s first responder subscribers will have immediate access to quality of service and priority to voice and data across the existing nationwide AT&T LTE network.
Preemption for primary users over the AT&T LTE network is expected by year-end. This means fire, police, EMS and other public safety workers will have dedicated access to the network when and where they need it – 24/7/365, like their mission.
“Governor Christie is making public safety a priority,” said Chris Sambar, senior vice president, AT&T – FirstNet. “His decision will bring an entirely new communications experience to New Jersey’s first responders. And it’s our honor to equip the state’s public safety community with the cutting-edge tools they need to help protect New Jerseyans every day and in every emergency.”
May 17, 2016
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Ridgewood NJ, Since the Tyler Clementi Foundation began a partnership with AT&T a few months ago, they have been able to expand our reach and work to end bullying. TCF collaborated on an extensive poll of New York-area teens and parents to uncover attitudes and behaviors related to cyberbullying. The results were substantial. Nearly half of all teens say they have been bullied online. 8 in 10 know someone who has been the victim of cyberbullying.Read the full results of our poll here!
On May 14th TCF joined AT&T and the All American High School Film Festival in kicking off an exciting opportunity for 100 New York-area student filmmakers, as they compete at the national Teen Film Festival. The teens created films focused on the personal effects of cyberbullying. We are honored to be a partner for this incredible event. The films produced and the relationships built during this weekend will create more compassion and respect at high schools across the New York area.
The videos are a powerful and emotional lens into the experience of being cyber-bullied, by teens and for teens. Check out one of the submissions below:
Gold Coast Film Festival Submission: Stop Bullying PSA : https://youtu.be/rnxn1BRgLlM
By JULIA ANGWIN, CHARLIE SAVAGE, JEFF LARSON, HENRIK MOLTKE, LAURA POITRAS and JAMES RISEN AUG. 15, 2015
The National Security Agency’s ability to spy on vast quantities of Internet traffic passing through the United States has relied on its extraordinary, decades-long partnership with a single company: the telecom giant AT&T.
While it has been long known that American telecommunications companies worked closely with the spy agency, newly disclosed N.S.A. documents show that the relationship with AT&T has been considered unique and especially productive. One document described it as “highly collaborative,” while another lauded the company’s “extreme willingness to help.”
AT&T’s cooperation has involved a broad range of classified activities, according to the documents, which date from 2003 to 2013. AT&T has given the N.S.A. access, through several methods covered under different legal rules, to billions of emails as they have flowed across its domestic networks. It provided technical assistance in carrying out a secret court order permitting the wiretapping of all Internet communications at the United Nations headquarters, a customer of AT&T.