Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/31501
SECURITY SYSTEMS NEWS APRIL 2011 www.securitysystemsnews.com MONITORING 33 NYBFAA’s open discussion forum on Article 6-E Has the industry seen the last of this divisive proposed central station licensing legislation? By Daniel Gelinas ALBANY, N.Y.—It looks as though Article 6-E has reached the end of its journey—for now. In a Feb. 15 email interview with Security Systems News, NYBFAA executive director Dale Eller said the New York state association’s board of directors had a lot to think about after the Feb. 10 meet- ing at which two dozen security industry executives aired their opinions on the nascent central station licensing legislation. Eller said the board came to a decision late in the day Feb. 15. “As of today, the board has decided to suspend any additional efforts by their lobbyist toward seeking out a sponsor for the bill,” Eller said. “ So does that mean Article 6-E is dead? Or is there still a possibility of a revised piece of legislation appearing at a later date? SSN posed this question to Eller in a Feb. 17 interview. “The industry got what it want- ed. This thing is stopped right now,” Eller said. “But the board was accused of not taking input, so they’re going to go above and beyond.” A Feb. 16 posting from the NYBFAA on ACCENT explained the legislation was created by former New York third district Sen. Brian Foley “in response to a local alarm dealer constituent’s request.” When asked if he could share the identity of the constitu- ent, Eller demurred. “We’ve decided we’ll let him come forward himself if he wants to,” Eller said. “There have been a lot of personal attacks involved in this, and he’s a little nervous about coming forward, not because he’s ashamed of what he did, but who wants to deal with the abuse that’s being dished out. It’s sad.” The common theme among the numerous security industry pro- fessionals with whom SSN spoke during the interim between the Feb. 10 meeting and the NYBFAA’s Feb. 15 announcement has been trepidation. “They kept saying at the meet- ing, ‘Well, with a little tweaking—’ No! No tweaking … The amount of money involved in people fly- ing in to attend this meeting and hotel rooms and everything else was crazy,” said Rapid Response president Jeff Atkins. “We should be working together as an industry in a synergistic fashion on [important] issues ... not wasting resources fight- ing legislation no one wants.” ADT industry liaison manager Bill Cooper said anti-6-E sentiment was prevalent at the meeting. “I felt that the opposition to the bill was fairly obvious at the meet- ing,” Cooper said. “The cumulative Untitled-1 1 Panasonic System Networks Company of America Surveillance, Monitoring & Video Imaging panasonic.com/security 1/13/11 9:10 AM market share of those in opposition is very large, which should carry some weight.” Doyle Security president John Doyle spoke with SSN on Feb. 10 as he was leaving the meeting. “There was a great turnout at the meeting of members and guests. I was just pleased that they had this meeting. It was well organized and everyone got to say what they wanted to say,” he said. The licensing torch, in the form of a national push, has been passed, it would appear, to CSAA. “We are prepared to take this up and we will be communicating with the industry as we move forward,” CSAA president Ed Bonifas told SSN. “The solid plan is that the AICC—the membership committee that handles the industry’s lobbying in Congress and with the FCC—has been delegated with studying this ... I think we’ll measure twice. Lobbying Congress is not going to be cheap, and we need con- sensus.” SSN Ed Bonifas ideas for life W 469 N - V W We’ve got it all covered. Panasonic offers surveillance system solutions with superior performance and cost-efficiency for virtually any application. Configure the system that best meets your specific needs from the most comprehensive line of IP, analog and hybrid products available. Our latest innovations include i-PRO SmartHD cameras and recorders with automatic real-time face detection, and UniPhier® large-scale integrated chips to assure the highest levels of integration. They’re advancements that will make any system smarter and more cost-efficient. Any way you view it, Panasonic has got you covered. see more with your smartphone