OmniLynx Unlimited Data from Huntsville City school changes coming

[skyking]

Interesting article and response from Huntsville.

 

http://www.huntsvillecityschools.org/?L=3&PN=MainPage&DivisionID=%2711142%27&DepartmentID=%2711319%27&SubDepartmentID=%2711178%27&TabNo=2

[deecee]

Huntsville School Board/system is putting on airs OR they are severely ignorant.

A requirement (FROM THE 50 STATE conglomerate themselves) in the original RFP, which later became the WSCA/NASPO contract is very specifically that

 

a) The carrier was allowed to provide discounted services to Participating Entity employees only, and such employment status must be verified, AND

b ) All such discounts must be as Individual Liability accounts directly with the carrier. (As in not tracked under the government entity account, and paid with state funds.)

HCS/Omnilynx very specifically tracked thousands of non-employee accounts as sub-accounts under the school districts phone-bill, and all their customers (like us) paid their funds on an HCS owned PayPal account. Funds subsequently used to pay off the monthly Verizon bill.

 

 

There is certainly nothing in that contract that allows OmniLynx to start selling hidden sub-accounts to the general public to compete directly with Verizon's real business (and selling Verizon's own products for profit).

Neither is there anything that allows Huntsville to apply for a patent with the USPTO on essentially "how to scrape money off a government contract" as they did; in extreme detail.
For the further profit motive of wanting license fees from other school districts around the country, should they try the same scheme..

As they are bragging about here (Wardynski is the Huntsville Superintendent):

 

http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2015/03/mobile_wi-fi_units_coming_to_h.html

"With the patent, Wardynski said another school system wanting to implement the same plan would need to pay Huntsville a licensing fee. It's hard to predict what kind of revenue that could generate, he said, but the prospects are good.

"It certainly was worth protecting because it's very innovative and knowledgeable. There isn't a school system in the United States that wouldn't want to do something like this," he said."

Huntsville went far, far off the reservation on this one. No wonder Verizon cut off Huntsville's entire connection to the WSCA contract (cut the addendum-part signed by Huntsville), and will only do business under a new contract.

[chirakawa]

DeeCee is totally correct on this. The OmniLynx sponsor (Huntsville Schools) is simply trying to save face in the community and shift blame for their actions, which resulted in Huntsville students, staff, and local residents losing a good service. This is a simple case of greed on the part of a few employees of the district.

 

To me, this is the same as Verizon extending a discount service to a corporation's employees through the corporation. Then, the corporation goes and sells these services to the public at large. Verizon would be foolish to allow this to continue.

[deecee]

There is an even bigger story surrounding this debacle.

In July 2012 one of the Superintendents dream projects kicked off.. Digital One2One.. 22,000 tablets and laptops getting unpacked.

Kindergartners through third-graders will receive iPads. Fourth- through 12th-graders will have laptops.

The idea is to put the whole school districts curriculum on the Internet. Books and all.. Should result in a lot of $$$ savings in text-books and such long-term. $10 mill spent on computing devices instead.

Now.. Here comes the let-down.. Big, Big Woopps... Apparently someone forgot that this is a school district encompassing both rural districts and poor neighborhoods. Lots of students with either poor or non-existing home Internet connection..
Is that the most perfect excuse for not doing home-work or studying or what? :-) "The missing Internet ate both my books and my home-work." :-)

The school then has a published list of public access WiFi spots across the area. Schools, Libraries, ..., ... But this requires parents to drive their kids off to a hot-spot area to do home-work. Not good.

Fast-forward to 9/30/2014.. The Superintendent signs on the "Participating Addendum" (2 pager connecting them to the WSCA/NASPO contract from 2012) allowing the school, as a business, to buy wireless services off the contract.. Not a MiFi contract specifically.. A general contract with many products.

Seems a saving grace for the missing Internet for the Digital One2One program, Eh? Perfect.. They invent project "Huntsville Wi-Max", the original name for project "OmniLynx" and start to register sub-accounts first for faculty and employees (see earlier post for the contract rules against that, unless directly for work)..
OmniLynx declared purpose is to "increase capacity for networked learning throughout the city of Huntsville".

In January is when they start wanting to save the Digital One2One project by providing devices to poor students.. The Verizon account manager is shown on video as OK'ing that at first.. At that time it is all about devices for poor kids/faculty only.. Connecting to the curriculum. (Video from January 13, 2015)

Then the ultra-fast ride trying to make money from selling public...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On August 21, 2015 their FB page (now called OmniLynx) announces that they have 1000 accounts. They are now going full-blown public delivery.

Sept 3 (little more than a week later) they are hitting order # 1837.. The RVer community, bargain sites, Netflixers, and others catch on and start ordering.
Orders continue for a while, and order numbers run up past at least 3300 before they cannot take more orders.
On Sept 10 or so, Verizon's legal eagles are already looking at the issue.

Around Sept 15 or before, Verizon effectively shuts them down by not shipping anymore.. But the order page at that time still shows first only "on backorder". On Sept 24 that page is changed to blaming Verizon for an "Unwillingness to support them". But existing devices are still alive.
Nov 4 the official notice come down.. Contract violation.. Big blast across Huntsville news. Notices distributed that all devices will go offline on or before Nov 30.

-------------------------

But it explains all the backtracking and paddling in Huntsville's story.. Because this is a bigger embarrassment than merely having violated a contract by wrongly selling for profit (or even trying to patent that action for even more licensing profit by skimming off other school districts).
It is potentially about having pushed the whole area over to a Digital, Internet based curriculum long before the area was ready and able to use it. And how exactly do you step back from that..

During the past month they have been trying to find an alternate carrier to pick up the slack.. So far to no avail.. And given Huntsville School Board's history, who would want to sign a contract with them, honestly. :-)

[DuffMan]

Ever wonder who all the players are in this? ie Follow the money! Whose PayPal account was this actually?

I wonder whose name that patent was application was in?

Jason would have had a stranglehold on the operation as owner of the domain name. (I wonder if he also trademarked OmniLynx in his own name?) He locked up the OmniLynx website (HSVWIFI.COM) and per GoDady WhoIs the registrant, admin & tech is:

• Registrant Name: Jason Taylor
  
• Registrant Organization:
  
• Registrant Street: 3023 Augusta Trace
  
• Registrant City: Owens Crossroads
  
• Registrant State/Province: AL
  
• Registrant Postal Code: 35763
  
• Registrant Country: United States
  
• Registrant Phone: +1.2567631175
  

[deecee]

Well.. It was not done for personal financial gain, if thats what you are hinting..

The patent application was registered through an attorney on Dec 19 2014, listing Jason Taylor (the Huntsville school system CFO) as the Inventor, but with the Huntsville City Board of Education as assignee.
By law, a patent application must have one or more named "inventors".. It cannot be an organization's name. But an organization can be listed as assignee (as in being the owner of the patent). Typical for all work-for-hire type patents done by big companies, but "invented" by employees.
The patent ownership was formally transitioned/assigned from the "assignor" (Jason Taylor) to the Huntsville Board of Education at a Board meeting in March 2015.

Apart from many pages of patent language and screen shots, it makes it very clear what its purpose is.. Making money.. See patent application text pasted below.
Highly unlikely that this application ever actually gets granted.. If so I would lose all respect for the USPTO..
There is not exactly anything "non-obvious" about "buy-low-sell-high". That has been a business principle since the dawn of time.

The other half of the patent is on how to skim off a government contract, which I assume is not patentable either..

 

But they tried.. :-)

In the patent, under heading "Key Considerations" pasted below, I have never before seen something supposed to be "internet for poor kids" referred to as "making discounted rates available to private and commercial consumption". :-)
Or as intended "to provide reciprocal financial benefit to the District in the form of increase ad valorem and sales tax revenues."

-------------------------- From patent application ---------------------------------

1. Leveraging of government entity status to take advantage of discounted wireless data rates

and equipment not otherwise available for private or commercial consumption, and causing

said discounted rates and equipment to be(come) available for private and/or commercial

consumption.
...
...
...

7. Leveraging of K-12 Board of Education status to take advantage wireless data plans

(unlimited data), discounted rates and discounted equipment not otherwise available for

private or commercial consumption, and causing said wireless data plans in order local

economic development efforts intended ultimately to provide reciprocal financial benefit to

the District in the form of increase ad valorem and sales tax revenues. (i.e. creation of

economic development program of this nature/magnitude never before contemplated,

formalized or initiated by a K-12 Board or Education).

[deecee]

 

Jason would have had a stranglehold on the operation as owner of the domain name. (I wonder if he also trademarked OmniLynx in his own name?) He locked up the OmniLynx website (HSVWIFI.COM) and per GoDady WhoIs the registrant, admin & tech is:

 

BTW. No they were not very smart on that either.. The domain and mark OmniLynx is already in use by a communications equipment company.. (Canadian OmniLynx Technologies)

Given that they are in the same "business" so to speak, with all this bad OmniLynx press clogging up the search engines, they are lucky if they do not get hunted down by the Canadians for using someone else's name.. :-)

 

I feel sad that these are the folks in control of educating children.. Very little common, business, or practical sense amongst them all. :-)

If they had any business sense, they would have known up front that running a state-run business, with employees already getting their salaries paid by tax-payers, designed to cannibalize the carriers own business across the whole country, is not valid.

 

Also, NASPO contracts cover everything needed.. Office supplies, truck accessories (I'd like a cheap lightbar for my truck), computers, ...

Setting up an online business, using state employees, to sell cheap stuff off a 50-state government contract is an FTC case waiting to happen.. No normal business in the country can compete with that.

MiFi devices today, Truck accessories tomorrow. :-)

[IRUNL8R]

Wife has had verizon for years. I have used Sprint for years and unlimited data ( Unfortunately their coverage stinks but it does well in my home base).

 

TMobile offering unlimited data now for a reasonable price and they now have better coverage than they once did. I am not saying it will match Verizon's coverage but I can say with more and more competition the prices will start coming down. As other have put it..Capitalism at its best!!! I am glad wife has 4 more years until she can retire from nursing and by then I am sure more changes and lower prices for unlimited data will be further along.

I for one, love that Huntsville City Schools is hitting back. I am glad they are choosing all or nothing approach. And since Capitalism is what some love to point to...Power of choice is better... I am n more willing to use an "underdog's services if they are cheaper and can fulfill the mission I would like it to do. If any company came out with unlimited data 4g/LTE for $99.99 per month per account and $10 for each line or device with coverage over 75 % of the US in and outside of buildings, I would go with that company regardless of who they are. If anyone knows any company that offers this at this price let me know...LOL

I know Assumptions are gone now but if there is another that has a grandfathered Unlimited plan, Please let me know and see if we can't work out a deal to "add another line/hotspot to the account. I would be willing to pay for it....

Just as a question.....Can someone who has a grandfathered unlimited data plan from verizon, allow another to "piggyback" on their plan if they purchase outright phone/jetback??? and just pay the account holder for the use??

[Biker56]

 

I know Assumptions are gone now but if there is another that has a grandfathered Unlimited plan, Please let me know and see if we can't work out a deal to "add another line/hotspot to the account. I would be willing to pay for it....

I'm guessing you have never watched Judge Judy or any of the other TV judges.

Where others were added to their cell plan and promised to pay.

Good Luck with that idea.

 

Not sure they are any unlimited hot spots data out there. I have unlimited Sprint data/text/voice on my iPhone 6 Plus for $50 a month. But it's not usable for a hot spot.

[IRUNL8R]

I'm guessing you have never watched Judge Judy or any of the other TV judges.

Where others were added to their cell plan and promised to pay.

Good Luck with that idea.

 

Not sure they are any unlimited hot spots data out there. I have unlimited Sprint data/text/voice on my iPhone 6 Plus for $50 a month. But it's not usable for a hot spot.

 

Ahh yes reality TV judges.. Always real...Just like Joe Brown.. (Think he just got out of jail a little while ago).

It was more of a question than anything. If you are added on to an account the account owner can always remove you. To add on lines is usually just $10 if you own the phone already.

I have Sprint as well and there isn't a "hotspot" or jetback for that.

But if someone has a grandfathered verizon unlimited plan and want to "add a line or device" I am sure they are allowed to. Then the person can that gets the line can pay the owner say $100 a month when actually the increase in the bill would be about $10.

[chirakawa]

 

Ahh yes reality TV judges.. Always real...Just like Joe Brown.. (Think he just got out of jail a little while ago).

It was more of a question than anything. If you are added on to an account the account owner can always remove you. To add on lines is usually just $10 if you own the phone already.

I have Sprint as well and there isn't a "hotspot" or jetback for that.

But if someone has a grandfathered verizon unlimited plan and want to "add a line or device" I am sure they are allowed to. Then the person can that gets the line can pay the owner say $100 a month when actually the increase in the bill would be about $10.

 

It doesn't work that way. If it did, we'd all be subleasing our unlimited data and making thousands of dollars.

 

Verizon's unlimited data is a feature on a single line. So, I have a phone plan for 450 minutes of talk time and the added feature of unlimited data for $30 per month. I could go to a family plan and add a line for you, but you could not get unlimited data as a feature because it is no longer offered. The only way I could share my unlimited data with you is to park next to you and give you my hotspot password.

[deecee]

These grand-fathered accounts are pretty much untouchables.. Generally speaking, any attempt to change the contract or setup can cause the grand-fathered part (unlimited data) to go away. They cannot even upgrade their devices/phones..
Typically people will take the SIM from the device and put it into a purchased MiFi device to get the data portion up..

But "selling" add-on lines or devices.. No, No.

Many of the older Unlimited accounts are 3G accounts only.. If they ever want to move to 4G (or when 3G dies), the Unlimited part goes away as well.

Or so is my understanding.

[IRUNL8R]

I am glad that there are many people on here that are very knowledgeable in this area. It is very hard to navigate all of the possible possibilities and make a "Real" Informed decision. With anything, I am always looking for the most economical service or product that I would use or am using.

[IRUNL8R]

 

It doesn't work that way. If it did, we'd all be subleasing our unlimited data and making thousands of dollars.

 

Verizon's unlimited data is a feature on a single line. So, I have a phone plan for 450 minutes of talk time and the added feature of unlimited data for $30 per month. I could go to a family plan and add a line for you, but you could not get unlimited data as a feature because it is no longer offered. The only way I could share my unlimited data with you is to park next to you and give you my hotspot password.

 

Thanks for enlightening me on this. I am sure that others have also wondered how it works but don't always put thought to writing or asking like I do lol

[champ_49]

I don't see where we really have a complain here. It was way to good to be true in the first place and we all knew it. So why be surprised when it isn't a surprise in the first place. I hate it when people are blunt at times, but in this I'm being pretty darned blunt!

 

Dave

[Dutch_12078]

Looking at the bright side of the OmniLynx fiasco, it looks like I'll end up with at least a couple of months of unlimited data and a Verizon/Novatel 6620L Jetpack for $95.50. When the OmniLynx plan finally dies, I'll turn my suspended $100/mo 20GB Verizon plan back on and move the SIM from the Millenicom supplied 4620 to the newer 6620. I do wonder though, if Verizon will offer us some sort of replacement plan before the cut-off, such as they did when they forced Millenicom out. In this situation, I'm not holding my breath though...

[chirakawa]

I do wonder though, if Verizon will offer us some sort of replacement plan before the cut-off, such as they did when they forced Millenicom out. In this situation, I'm not holding my breath though...

 

I'm not sure Verizon even knows who you are. As I understand it, the account was not in your name with Verizon. I doubt OmniLynx is going to help Verizon get new customers by sharing it's client list.

[Dutch_12078]

 

I'm not sure Verizon even knows who you are. As I understand it, the account was not in your name with Verizon. I doubt OmniLynx is going to help Verizon get new customers by sharing it's client list.

 

I don't know how much Verizon knows about each OmniLynx subscriber. As I said, I'm not holding my breath expecting an offer.

[deecee]

Looking at the bright side of the OmniLynx fiasco, it looks like I'll end up with at least a couple of months of unlimited data and a Verizon/Novatel 6620L Jetpack for $95.50. When the OmniLynx plan finally dies, I'll turn my suspended $100/mo 20GB Verizon plan back on and move the SIM from the Millenicom supplied 4620 to the newer 6620. I do wonder though, if Verizon will offer us some sort of replacement plan before the cut-off, such as they did when they forced Millenicom out. In this situation, I'm not holding my breath though...

 

Don't hold your breath waiting for Verizon to pay this time for someone else scamming them.. Quite a few of these devices have died already (because of their pay-schedule days) and some people said that their devices died, but asking Verizon they were told that OmniLynx had put in "On Vacation" requests on some of the devices. :-)

 

It even still remains to be seen who will end up paying for the thousands of devices, which legally belong to Huntsville School district, and by agreement everyone accepted should be returned.

 

On that note, it is also VERY interesting to note, that on their FB page Technomadia on Nov 5 asked the question "Will people need to return the hotspot?"

The OmniLynx admin almost immediately replied something like "Keep them".. But that reply has now been deleted from the FB page. As have any other replies from OmniLynx those latest days.

 

My guess is, that some level of intelligence suddenly struck them, remembering that THEY actually now "own" all these devices. They ordered them. They are tracked as assets. That if they give them away for free, someone will have to find several hundred thousands in their Budgets.. Either HCS or Verizon.

But we'll see.

 

 

[deecee]

 

I'm not sure Verizon even knows who you are. As I understand it, the account was not in your name with Verizon. I doubt OmniLynx is going to help Verizon get new customers by sharing it's client list.

 

All these "accounts" were created as sub-accounts under HCS' phone-bill.. As if they were work-devices, legally created under the contract.

 

I do not believe that Verizon would have any interest at all to even find out who y'all are for devices that were only alive for a few months. Only if one show up later to enable these devices as normal accounts.

Millenicom was different, because they were partially legitimate, plus that business had been running a lot longer.

 

BEWARE, though, that similarly to some of the Millinicom devices, which officially belonged to schools, universities, and even the Dept. of Defense, these will be registered by their EIN as government/school owned devices.. Many people were blocked when showing up in Verizon stores to enable Millinicom devices.

The same might happen here, at least probably for a while until all the cleanup is done. It may be a tricky process to move them into official Verizon accounts.

I haven't heard of anyone trying that yet.

 

[Dutch_12078]

 

Don't hold your breath waiting for Verizon to pay this time for someone else scamming them.. Quite a few of these devices have died already (because of their pay-schedule days) and some people said that their devices died, but asking Verizon they were told that OmniLynx had put in "On Vacation" requests on some of the devices. :-)

 

It even still remains to be seen who will end up paying for the thousands of devices, which legally belong to Huntsville School district, and by agreement everyone accepted should be returned.

 

On that note, it is also VERY interesting to note, that on their FB page Technomadia on Nov 5 asked the question "Will people need to return the hotspot?"

The OmniLynx admin almost immediately replied something like "Keep them".. But that reply has now been deleted from the FB page. As have any other replies from OmniLynx those latest days.

 

My guess is, that some level of intelligence suddenly struck them, remembering that THEY actually now "own" all these devices. They ordered them. They are tracked as assets. That if they give them away for free, someone will have to find several hundred thousands in their Budgets.. Either HCS or Verizon.

But we'll see.

 

 

How many times do I have to say "I'm not holding my breath..."?

 

Quoted from the email I received from OmniLynx in reply to my inquiry:

 

"Please let me know the status of my Jetpack and payment status..."

 

"Dutch,

 

1) You can keep the jetpack.

2) Your monthly service plan will expire on the 8th."

 

The plan is still alive here, but I expect it to die at any time from now until the 30th deadline.

 

As for using the 6620 Jetpack, I'm sure trying to get the OmniLynx supplied SIM activated as a direct Verizon account would be problematic at best, but moving the already activated SIM from my 4620 to the 6620 shouldn't present any problems I believe. I've moved it between other devices at times in the past, with no interaction with Verizon needed.

[Jack Mayer]

I also got an email that said we could keep the device.

[deecee]

FYI. Someone whose OmniLynx device died off today called Verizon to get Internet back (had to buy a normal plan)

But she posted this:

"I called and they said the accounts are being suspended one by one from now UP UNTIL the 30th.."

[Ronbo]

Many of the older Unlimited accounts are 3G accounts only.. If they ever want to move to 4G (or when 3G dies), the Unlimited part goes away as well.

Or so is my understanding.

Upgraded my wife's 3G only iPhone to a 3G/4g/lte/new lte iPhone on her unlimited plan. No problems at all.

[Dutch_12078]

FYI. Someone whose OmniLynx device died off today called Verizon to get Internet back (had to buy a normal plan)

 

But she posted this:

"I called and they said the accounts are being suspended one by one from now UP UNTIL the 30th.."

 

My OmniLynx 6620 service died not long after I posted my previous message in this thread. A few minutes after that I brought my 4620 Verizon direct Jetpack and 20GB plan online back from suspension. Tomorrow I'll trim the 4620's micro-SIM down to fit the nano-SIM slot on the 6620.