Kramer Telecom Law Firm, P.C.

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Law Knowledge + Technology Expertise = Client Solutions

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Knowing the law is not enough . . .
...and neither is knowing technology.

We know both, and our clients benefit from that synergy.

Kramer Telecom Law Firm, P.C. (KTLF) is a very unusual law firm that combines decades of radio frequency, cable TV, broadband, fiber technology, and right-or-way management experience with practical law knowledge in those technology areas to provide our clients with real world, technology-based solutions to their matters.

KTLF NEWS HEADLINES

May 12, 2008: Jonathan Kramer has passed the FCC's GMDSS Radio Operator's License examination (FCC Class: DO). By virtue of his successful testing for the FCC's GMDSS Radio Maintainer's License on May 2, 2008 (FCC Class: DM), the Commission will now grant Jonathan the rarely-issued FCC GMDSS Radio Operator/Maintainer License (FCC Class: DB) with Ship Radar endorsement. This is the highest class radio license issued by the FCC for the operations, technical maintenance, and adjustment of radio systems operating in the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System service, and presently there are fewer than 530 such licensees.

Jonathan already holds the FCC's highest land-based General Radiotelephone license No. PG-11-35289 (Class: PG) with the ship radar endorsement, as well as the Commission's highest grade amateur radio license (Class: Extra).

April 16, 2008: Jonathan Kramer was a attorney-presenter at the Automated Photo Red Light Enforcement Users Group Meeting (meeting coordinated by LAPD).

Jonathan served as 'defense counsel' in a mock trial presided over by Judge Pro Tem Lisa Miller regarding a complicated photo red light ticket case touching on signal transmission, image capture and storage, image processing, and related technology matters.

(Yes, Jonathan 'won' the case for his 'client/defendant'! )

April 10, 2008: Jonathan Kramer successfully completed the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (U.S. Society) technical testing to be certified as a Broadband Distribution Specialist. To see a list of the testing areas in this examination, please follow this link to the SCTE's web site.

April 1, 2008: Jonathan Kramer successfully completed the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (U.S. Society) technical testing to be certified as a Broadband Premises Specialist. To see a list of the testing areas in this examination, please follow this link to the SCTE's web site.

OLDER KTLF NEWS HEADLINES ARE ARCHIVED HERE

Jonathan L. Kramer's Schedule of
Major Presentations in 2008

May 22, 2008: Jonathan will be a moderator at SCAN NATOA's 12th Annual Spring Conference. "Surfin' Telecommunication Choices: A New World, A New Direction"

Jonathan will moderate the session on wired and wireless communications (but mostly on wireless communications). Confirmed panel members are Jeff Melching, Esq. of Rutan & Tucker; Javan Rad, Esq. of the City of Pasadena; and Joe Thompson of T-Mobile.

For more information you can follow this link.

P.S., The dress code for this year's SCAN NATOA Conference is surf attire, Dude.

June 4, 2008: Jonathan will be John W. Pestle's co-presenter in this year's version of the "Current Issues in Cell Tower Regulation" teleconference coordinated by Lorman. Jonathan will focus on the technology issues as they are intertwined with legal issues. While this lecture is geared towards municipal government attorneys and staff, many wireless industry members also find the program to be very useful, too.

To learn more about this teleconference, and to register, please follow this link.

June 10 and June 12, 2008: Jonathan will be a faculty member at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute class, "Cable Television Unraveled" which will be taught twice in Pennsylvania; First in Philadelphia, and again two days later in Pittsburgh.

The law of cable television has been rewritten by the courts and the FCC. This program is designed for solicitors and municipal officials. It will provide an up-to-date toolkit that will enable you to navigate this often confusing and challenging arena. The intersection of law and technology will be explained, from the basics to the cutting edge.

To download the course brochure in PDF format, please click here or follow this link for more information

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August 8, 2008: Jonathan will be the Luncheon Keynote Speaker, as well as a technical session lecturer at the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers "Show Me" Chapter Conference in Springfield, Mo. The training session will focus on regulatory issues regarding cable TV proof-of-performance testing; safety issues related to plant construction; and odds-and-ends. The luncheon lecture will be a no-holds-barred presentation about the future of cable TV engineering.

Follow this link for more information.

October 9, 2008: Jonathan will present a lecture to the Palomar Amateur Radio Club in El Cajon, California. The title of the lecture is, " I love my neighbors, so why do they hate me?"

The lecture deals with amateur radio tower siting, the FCC PRB-1 rules, the California PRB-1 law, interference concerns, and whatever else strikes Jonathan's fancy.

Note that Jonathan Kramer, an amateur radio Extra-class operator and Volunteer Counsel of the American Radio Relay League, represents local governments in these matters, so the lecture will be from that perspective.

Follow this link for meeting information.

Give Me Your Bond
by Jonathan L. Kramer

Bonds; grounds; drops... It's an NEC Compliance Thing! Jonathan's article on these topics is the cover story in the October 2007 issue of Communications Technology magazine. (Updated October 26, 2007)

Click on the ARTICLES tab, above.

Cell Phonies

Is it a bird? A plane? A buffalo? Nope. It's a camouflaged cell phone tower site. The September 2007 issue of The National Geographic magazine features Jonathan's photographs of camouflaged cell sites. He's also quoted in the article, and he supplied additional photos for an on-line feature at the NGS web site.

Click on the ARTICLES tab, above.
(It's okay...you can click on the image!)

A Modern Game of Hide and Seek
by Jonathan L. Kramer

Want to learn about wireless site camouflaging from the perspective of government planners? In a new article by Jonathan in the July 2007 issue of AGL MAGAZINE, you'll find out!

Click on the ARTICLES tab, above.
(It's okay...you can click on the image!)

Picture Quality in the Digital Cable World: A Lost Science?
by Jonathan L. Kramer

There's a new article by Jonathan in the Summer 2007 issue of the NATOA JOURNAL.

Titled, "Picture Quality in the Digital Cable World: A Lost Science?", Jonathan discusses the history and future of the FCC's cable TV system picture quality rules and enforcement of those rules. Click on the ARTICLES tab, above.

KTLF's Story

Before becoming an attorney, Jonathan Kramer was licensed by the FCC for over 30 years. He holds the highest-grade FCC commercial radiotelephone and amateur radio licenses. Jonathan's also been licensed as a telecommunications contractor in California for over 20 years.

Jonathan has been 'on faculty' for various continuing education courses for attorneys, and he's advised hundreds of attorneys in how to deal with telecommunications technology matters. Involved in the nuts-and-bolts of radio frequency, cable TV, and broadband telecommunications for 30 years, Kramer has been recognized by industry and governments as a leader in telecommunications and regulation.

After working with so many attorneys over the decades, Jonathan recognized the need for technical expertise, coupled with a keen knowledge of law related to telecommunications, so he embarked on the long path of becoming an attorney. Today, Jonathan is admitted to practice law in California, the US District Court (C.D. CA), and he advises government and attorneys around the country regarding telecommunications issues.

KTLF has its own staff of radio frequency and cable TV engineers and investigators.

We can help guide you through your telecommunications law issues.

Antenna Tower Siting/Planning/Ordinances Tower siting and planning is a difficult subject for many governments and private parties. It's only getting more complicated with the current round of mergers and partnerships, and the entry of new FCC licensees into the marketplace.

Is the site the least intrusive? Is the design the best possible? Is the compensation at a fair rate? What about the lease terms? We'll help you answer those and other key questions.

Our staff have over 15 years of experience in educating and assisting hundreds of governments and private parties throughout the U.S. in tower siting cases, ordinance drafting, and lease negotiations. You can plan on us to help you, too.

Radio Frequency Emissions Safety Far and away, the public's first concern with new cell tower sites is radio frequency emissions safety. The public is often quite vocal about whether a particular cell site, or a combination of cell sites will be harmful to their health. We have nearly two decades of experience addressing RF safety concerns.

Our principal attorney, Jonathan Kramer co-authored the FCC's "A Local Government Official's Guide to Transmitting Antenna RF Emission Safety: Rules, Procedures, and Practical Guidance." (Long name, but a great guide in PDF and WORD formats.) We can help you deal with the public's RF safety concerns through education and independent RF reviews.

"Furniture" in the Right-of-Way It's a really big deal...with the telephone companies entering the video market place, governments and private associations are facing the prospect of dozens to hundreds of new, large equipment cabinets in the right-of-way and common areas.

We can help you to minimize the disruption to your right of way...and your community... through careful siting of these new cabinets, and by crafting specific construction regulations that address local concerns during the construction phases.

Litigation; Expert Witness Depositions; Examinations To paraphrase, 'Litigation Happens.' If you're going to litigate a matter, you need to know the in's-and-out's of the other side's case (and your own, too). In the technology areas, we can provide key insights to help you and your lead attorney frame your case, or your defense.

It's common for attorneys to depose expert witnesses in technology matters. It's uncommon for an attorney to have decades of technical depth in a subject matter area to ask the key follow-up questions of the expert.

Jonathan Kramer, KTLF's principal attorney has nearly three decades of technology experience in radio frequency communications, cable television, fiber optics, and plant safety matters. He's also been an expert witness in cable TV and wireless matters. It's that level of experience that enables us to ask the important follow-up questions to get to the real strengths and weaknesses of an expert's testimony.



Cable TV Plant Safety and Picture Quality When it's time to franchise, transfer, or renew a cable television system, two of the most valuable evaluations you can commission are in connection with physical plant safety (code compliance) and picture quality (FCC rules compliance).

Over the past 22 years, Jonathan Kramer and staff have performed and supervised tens of thousands of location safety evaluation and test point inspections for nearly 600 jurisdictions around the country.

Safety code compliance, and signal quality maintenance are top-level concerns for governments around the country. We have the experience to show you how to deal with these issues in a very practical way.



Amateur Radio Antenna IssuesAmateur radio station antennas enjoy special rights under the FCC's PRB-1 rules, and under some state laws as well. While those rules don't preempt local zoning laws, they do impact them, as Ham operators will quickly point out.

Jonathan Kramer has been licensed as an Amateur Radio operator for over 30 years. He holds the highest class amateur radio license (the "Extra Class" license; call sign W6JLK), and can translate 'Ham-speak' into English and/or Law during your zoning hearings, and when you draft a wireless ordinance that touches on amateur radio stations.

Over-the-Air Reception Devices The FCC, as directed by Congress, as adopted sweeping rules limiting the controls state and local governments, and private parties can impose and enforce regarding over-the-air receiving (and even transmitting) antennas/devices.

Call on us...we'll help you 'receive' high-strength guidance on OTARD!

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