January 13, 2012

 

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Digital contracts

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Sure, but when you go to SELL the contract, will there be buyers for contracts which I can print 100 of. 10,000 of and sell over and over again. Will I get 40x or 10x? An original signature may garner the full 40x while a facsimile may very well not. As someone who has bought several alarm companies and who uses financing to grow our company, I can tell you that none of the financing sources we use (and they are well-known to the alarm industry) will accept nothing less than the inked original (mainly because they've been scammed in the past by people trying to sell multiple copies of the same contract).

I've got everything on our iPads except one document that I just can't find a way to do digitally: the RMR contract.

If someone can convince the lenders to accept non-inked contracts, please let me know.

David L. Myers

Myers Protection Services

Indiana “ Kentucky “ Ohio

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Response

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Digital contracts are available from www.dfisoftware.com. [after you order them at www.alarmcontracts.com] That company may want to comment on Dave's observations. Certainly, no matter what format your contracts are in, you will have to maintain those contracts. That makes sense because the contracts are your most important asset. Paper contracts also need careful preservation. You might be surprised the condition of some paper contracts by time it comes to sell those contracts. Of course if you follow my advice and update [and upgrade] your contracts rather than rely on endless renewal clauses, your contracts won't ever be that old.

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Threat to central station businesses

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You should know about AICC. We are a self-funded committee under CSAA and are a group of 38 companies and associations who have interest in alarm communications

AICC has been working with the FCC to educate them that of the dangers of alarm sending signals to 911 directly to 911 without the "intervention" of central stations. Wasn't it the CSAA that started this crap about 12 years ago with dedicated software that went from their member centrals directly into 911.... I think so...... Can't have it both ways! Be careful what you wish for....!!

Mike

CSS

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Competition from cable companies - call to arms

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He's walking a fine line on antitrust. Hope all is well Ken, thanks for coming to Texas, we enjoyed you at the TBFAA!

Mark Matlock

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I whole-heartedly agree with Mike but I doubt it will happen due to the nature of (most) alarm companies and their owners.

First, you're going to have to find a cable/internet/phone service provider that can work in all areas you do. Not going to happen. Most, if not all, municipalities partner with one or two cable companies (Comcast and Brighthouse in Indianapolis for example) and ONLY those two can play ball in that community. In a small neighboring suburb, we have a company called Nine Star Connect. They would be a perfect candidate if they, too, were not in the alarm business. All of the cable companies are sitting back and watching Comcast and considering getting into the alarm market or have already done so.

Now you have the issue of (most) alarm company owners. They aren't going to band together because they don't trust that it isn't some veiled attempt to steal their customers. Or they have other reasons. I can't even get a local competitor to honor a 90 day non-compete on sales managers. Wow. What a way to say 'let's all get along'. Then you go out and hire him a lawyer on your dime? Allow him to keep stolen equipment? Nothing fosters good-will and trust more than acting like this.

I would LOVE to sit down with my fellow alarm company owners and do a group mailing to every home in the area warning about the summer-model companies for example. I'd LOVE to sit down and talk to them about ways to strategize against the cable companies. I'd LOVE to co-fund a commercial or radio spot WITH other owners touting the benefits of using a LOCAL alarm company. You see HVAC companies selling the same brand do it. You see car dealers doing joint sales events at the local shopping mall parking lot.

 

There is no reason not to sit down with one or more fellow owners and just talk. There is no reason we can't all work together. If I need help on a large project, I should be able to call up a couple of companies and get some help and the reverse should be true also. Does any of us really want to lose that big sale just because we don't have the manpower due to other projects? There are only so many (good) techs to be found in any given market. Shake a guy's hand and congratulate him on getting such a great account, help with the job, get paid (well) and make sure he's there for you when the time comes.

Other industries will continue to erode our customer base because they know that our industry is fragmented and, largely, not united. Sure, we'll go to capitol hill on some law but we don't band together in the trenches. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly where we will win, or lose, our battle against the companies invading our industry. It's your choice. Pick up the phone and make some calls or keep doing what you've been doing. Because that's what the cable companies are hoping we'll do.

David L. Myers

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Unintended Consequences of ASAP-PSAP Program

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Ken,

thanks again for helping to connect some of the dots;

Central Station Alarm Association/CSAA is promoting the ASAP-PSAP project, which substitutes data for voice communication to law enforcement requesting alarm response.

History: During the 1980's the "automatic dialer" was sending calls for help directly to law enforcement (PSAP) from the alarm site, and was siphoning much business away from traditional monitoring firms. The industry got the automatic dialer banned from all PSAPs, nationwide, by requiring real-time voice communication with PSAP, thus forcing all alarm signals to a traditional monitoring center. This added tremendous growth and value to the alarm monitoring industry.

Questions? Does the ASAP-PSAP Program send the monitoring business backward three decades?

How can the Program by-pass the existing legislation that bans 'non-voice' communication?

How will law enforcement react to the surge of false alarms a/k/a unnecessary police response?

How will the market value of monitoring firms and RMR contracts be adjusted?

Lee Jones

Support Services Group

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AICC supports NG911 initiative, with appropriate protections for PSAPs

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As Chairman of the Alarm Industry Communications Committee (AICC), I wanted to make sure everyone in the industry understands AICC's position regarding efforts in Congress and at the FCC to move forward with the development of Next Generation 9-1-1 'NG 9-1-1' technology. First, I want to make it clear that AICC is in favor of NG 9-1-1 as an important new set of capabilities for our allies in the public safety community. As we said in our February 28, 2011 comments in response to the FCC's inquiry about developing NG911, AICC supports the Commission's initiative to modernize the nation's 911 system, as there are technologies (such as texting) that can appropriately and effectively communicate with public safety dispatch centers. In creating a path for the implementation of NG 9-1-1, it is important that protections be put into place so that public safety dispatch centers (also known as PSAPs) are not overwhelmed with raw, unverified data. AICC has discussed this issue at length with APCO, IACP, IAFC and the National Sheriff's Association, and all four organizations filed comments with the FCC strongly supporting our position on this issue.

In this regard, AICC wanted to be sure that the NG 9-1-1 language included last week in the draft Payroll Tax bill did not mistakenly permit the unintended consequence of permitting automated and unverified data into PSAPs. AICC is in absolute agreement that certain automated signals should go directly to 9-1-1. An example is "Shot Spotter" technology that triangulates the location of gunshots. Chemical release detectors are another. But to enable the sending of automated burglar, fire and PERS alarms directly to 9-1-1 without verification would indeed overwhelm the 9-1-1 centers. The alarm industry worked long and hard with the public safety community to accomplish the great feat of Alarm Verification described in CSAA CS-V-01. This has dramatically reduced false alarm dispatches. We want to prevent the inadvertent dismantling of all of that hard work.

As NG 9-1-1 is further considered by Congress and the FCC, we will continue our full support of NG 9-1-1, and only want to be sure that the resulting statute and regulations require NG 9-1-1 data to be appropriately verified. If by tweaking the language in the relevant grant legislation, we can prevent setting a precedent for the FCC which would encourage them to allow unverified alarm industry calls to go into to the PSAPs, that is a good thing for both public safety and for central stations. In addition, this would help to ensure that verified alarms reporting actual emergencies are not buried by a potentially massive amount of unverified data. AICC feels strongly that it is important to have these protections adopted as part of the enabling law or regulation. Once a new technology is allowed, it can take on a life of its own and gain widespread use before adequate restrictions are in place.

AICC welcomes your input on the best way to approach NG 9-1-1, and we look forward to working with you in the future.

Lou Fiore, Chair

Alarm Industry Communications Committee