3G is Ending Soon — And Millions of Medical Devices Too Take on Today

3G is Ending Soon — And Millions of Medical Devices Too

How the change to 5G can negatively impact millions and how you can prepare

AARP

Bob Edwards: Hi, I’m Bob Edwards with An AARP Take on Today. Bob Edwards: You might have seen advertisements from cell phone providers to switch your network to 5G, a shorthand for the fifth generation of wireless. It's an upgrade that offers better service and faster download speeds on mobile. However, what those ads don't mention is that each major wireless provider is planning to end their third-generation networks this year. Bob Edwards: Millions of people still rely on devices that utilize 3G. And it's not just phones. Some of life's everyday necessities, such as home alarm systems and medical alert bracelets are operated through the 3G network. AT&T is planning to sunset its 3G on February 22nd. T-Mobile's network will go dark on March 31st. And Verizon will retire its service on December 31st. Bob Edwards: As the dates approach, people using the network may experience a complete loss of service. Consumer advocates like Bill Signer have pushed for a deadline extension. Bill is a lobbyist for the Alarm Industry Communications Committee, or AICC. He joins us now to tell us about the problems associated with the 3G sunset. Bob Edwards: And after the interview, AARP’s Danielle Arigoni will discuss a new benefit from the FCC for those who need assistance affording their wireless costs. Thanks for joining us, Bill. Bill Signer: Thank you, Bob. Appreciate the introduction. Bob Edwards: Tell me about the risks of shutting down 3G too early. Bill Signer: Well, I think the number one risk is that the vast majority of the public that has 3G devices doesn't understand that they have a 3G device. They do not recognize and understand that starting 12:01 on February 23rd, that those devices will no longer work. You mentioned the medical alert systems. Bill Signer: There are about 500 to 600,000 of those that still are out there, that are on the 3G network. That on February 23rd, if you press the button, you're not going to be able to contact the people who are monitoring you to make sure that, if you have a crisis, that you can get emergency services dispatched to your home or to wherever you are. Bill Signer: If you have a break-in in your house, or a fire in your house, The system is not going to work on February 23rd. If you live in an area where there isn't, what is known as 4G, fourth generation, or 5G telephone service, your phones will no longer work. Bill Signer: If you are a child on a school bus. Many of your listeners are older Americans who have grandchildren who are on school buses. Those are monitored by 3G systems. They're not going to be able to tell if an intruder gets on the bus or if the bus is going to be late or it's going to be delayed and not come at all. Bill Signer: People are going to be left high and dry at this. This is a real problem out there. Unfortunately, we just haven't had enough time to change out the systems and to be able to upgrade them at this point in time. Bob Edwards: Sounds like a long list. Bill Signer: Yes, it is. Bob Edwards: How did the pandemic factor into this predicament? Bill Signer: In two ways. Starting in March of 2020 when everybody started locking down, nobody wanted to let people into their homes or businesses to upgrade their 3G radios. So, the alarm industry called up a consumer and said to them, "Well, we want to come in and we want to upgrade your system because in February of 2022, what's going to happen is this network is going to be shut down and your system won't work anymore." Bill Signer: What we've got in all too many cases is, "Well, the system's working fine now. Come see us when the pandemic's over." Well, I'm still waiting for that day to occur as all Americans are. The second problem, and that went on until February of 2021 when things got a little bit better, and we could get into homes. And then the second crisis hit us. And that is, as everybody has heard, there is a shortage of microchips because microchips are produced overseas. And as a result, there's a demand and competition for microchips and people cannot get enough supply. We need microchips in order to build the radios that you have to replace that broadcast the alarm signals, and we can't get enough of them. Bill Signer: We have a major shortage to the point at which coming on February 23rd, the best estimates we have, they're going to be 2 million, I'm sorry, 2 million units out there that are burglary and fire alarm and PERS units that are not going to be able to work on that date, because we can't get enough supply to switch them out. Bob Edwards: So, we need a deadline extension. Bill Signer: We do, indeed. Bob Edwards: For how long? Bill Signer: Well, we would like it... Verizon originally was going to shut down their network in 2019 and they responded twice and extended their deadline to the end of 2022. That is what we're seeking, an extension for another 10 months. Bill Signer: Basically, last year, we moved from 6 million units that had to be done down to 2 million units. And we think if we got another 10 months, maybe a little shorter, but at least 10 months would be ideal, we think it would complete the job. Bob Edwards: There's been some outreach that different companies have done to lighten this issue for the consumer. Bill Signer: Yes. There've been a lot of groups. Well, AARP has been terrific on this issue and working on it. Public Knowledge has worked on this, which is a group that advocates for consumers. As we indicated, the school bus industry has reached out. The ankle bracelet industry has reached out. Bill Signer: Manufacturers of alarm equipment have reached out on this issue. There's been a lot of people who've been out there on this issue. Electric meter people have contacted us and said that they have a problem here. This is how they monitor their systems. So, it's a big problem. Bob Edwards: What are they doing? Just educating consumers or they have practical steps we can take or what? Bill Signer: Well, they're doing both. Most of these companies, certainly companies I'm working with, are reaching out via phone, via mailings, by knocking on doors to tell people that we need to upgrade their systems. And that's one way they're doing it. We've been reaching out to Congress on this issue. Bill Signer: We've been reaching out to the White House. We've had discussions with the Domestic Policy Council and with the National Economic Council. And they're looking into this, and it would be very, very helpful if your listeners are concerned about this, if they would call the White House. The White House number is 202-456-1414. I'll repeat that. 202-456-1414 and ask, "What is the president going to do to make sure that your emergency response system is going to work on February 23rd?" Bob Edwards: Now, what about the blow to people's finances? Could this move be costly to the consumer? Bill Signer: Some companies are charging an amount for upgrading, and it depends upon what the equipment is. Certainly the PERS, the personal emergency response systems, are not particularly expensive to replace and many personal emergency response companies are doing it for little or no cost. Bill Signer: The burglar and fire alarm systems, because you have to dispatch somebody, you have to switch out the radio. It's a much more sophisticated process. It takes a lot more time. There are charges there, but we're not talking about a major charge here. We're talking about maybe a couple hundred dollars. And we're talking about, if you talk to your company, I'm sure they'll work something out with you. Bill Signer: If you're talking about phones, depends upon what phone you're going to get. If you're going to upgrade to a 4G phone, that'll take care of you for another 5 to 10 years before they switch off 4G. Won't be all that expensive, but you could also get a 5G, which will be fairly expensive. It depends upon the device. You have to upgrade Kindles, things like that. Cars, it's going to be harder to do cars because car industries is scraping around to get chips to build new cars, not only replace existing equipment. Bob Edwards: Yeah. Well, in the absence of an extension, what do you recommend that everyday people do? Bill Signer: What I recommend is that you contact the provider of your service. If you have a burglar and fire alarm system, you're getting a monthly bill. There should be a phone on it, a phone number on it. Call them up and ask them whether you need to upgrade your system. Bill Signer: And if you do, talk to them about having somebody come out and do that for you. And work something out with them on if there's a cost involved. If you have a personal emergency response system, what I would suggest is if you don't know who your provider is, press the button. They'll get on the phone with you, and they will tell you whether you need to upgrade. Bob Edwards: Anything else you'd like to add, Bill? Bill Signer: What I'd like to add is that this is a public health life safety issue that frankly has not been recognized by AT&T. They have stonewalled us repeatedly on this issue. We've tried to work with them. We've come up with alternative proposals at the request of the FCC and they just have not budged. Bill Signer: And somebody's life is going to be put at risk on February 23rd. And it's all needless. And it's happening, not because we did not do everything and put all due diligence into it. It's happening because of a once in a lifetime, hopefully crisis, the national pandemic that occurred and because there is a microchip shortage. Bill Signer: And that has to be taken into consideration. Government has done that in the past on numerous issues over the last two years. And this is another instance in which government needs to step in to protect public health and safety. Bob Edwards: Bill Signer is a lobbyist for the Alarm Industry Communications Committee. Bill, thanks for all this good advice. Bill Signer: Thank you and thank you for your listeners. Bob Edwards: There is government assistance available for people who are losing service. It’s called the Affordability Connectivity Program from the FCC. To explain further, here’s Danielle Arigoni, Director of Livable Communities at AARP. Danielle Arigoni: So, that is a new program. It replaces the emergency broadband benefit that was put in place during the pandemic, which brought down the cost of internet service for qualified households. The affordable connectivity program provides up to $30 a month for qualified households to use for their internet access but it's higher on tribal lands. On tribal lands, people can receive up to $75 a month. But it's a new program that AARP helped to fight for. We know that more than 40% of the eight million people that use the affordable connectivity program that was put in place during the pandemic, more than 40% of them were older adults. So, this is a program that really made the difference for millions of older adults in terms of allowing them accessible and affordable internet service. Bob Edwards: That’s it for today’s show. If you like this episode, please let us know by emailing us at Thanks to our news team producers, Colby Nelson and Danny Alarcon. Production assistant, Anita Fagbamila. Engineer, Julio Gonzales. Executive producer, Jason Young, and my co-hosts Mike Ellison and Wilma Consul. Become a subscriber on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Stitcher or other apps. And be sure to rate our show as well. For an AARP Take on Today, I'm Bob Edwards. Thank you for listening. You might have seen advertisements from cell phone providers to switch and upgrade your network to 5G. It is an upgrade that will bring better service and faster download speeds on mobile. However, the carriers plan to shut down 3G networks to make room for the upgrade this year. Millions of devices, such as smoke alarms and personal emergency response systems, continue to depend on 3G, leaving countless older adults potentially without service. Today Bill Signer, a lobbyist for the Alarm Industry Communications Committee, explains how this change will negatively impact millions. We'll also hear from AARP's Danielle Arigoni on what you can do to prepare. For more information: Subscribe:

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