Beware of Misleading Solicitations: A Warning from Maine’s Secretary of State

As a Maine-based business, I recently received a form in the mail titled "2024 - ANNUAL REPORT INSTRUCTION FORM." Considering that other businesses may have run into this, here is some information:

Shenna Bellows, Maine’s Secretary of State, has already issued a critical warning to corporations and non-profits operating within the state. The alert pertains to misleading solicitations that have been circulating, offering to file annual reports on behalf of businesses—for a hefty fee of $210.

The Deceptive Scheme

These solicitations, which appear official but lack authorization from the Maine Department of the Secretary of State, have raised concerns among small business owners and non-profit directors. The organization behind these deceptive communications goes by the name C.F.S. and cunningly mimics the appearance of the Division of Corporations’ annual report form.

What You Need to Know

Here are the key points to keep in mind:

Unauthorized Solicitations: The solicitations from C.F.S. are not legitimate. Businesses and non-profits should exercise caution and avoid falling victim to this scheme.

Actual Annual Report Form: The official 2024 annual report form will be available online starting in January 2024. Businesses must complete and submit this form by the filing deadline of June 1, 2024.

Filing Fees: The filing fees for annual reports vary based on the type of entity:

Domestic business entities: $85

Non-profit corporations: $35

Foreign business entities: $150

The Future of Internet: Predicting the Rise of IPv6 Adoption in 2024

Recently, SOL noticed that a major Internet Service Provider (ISP) has introduced a policy mandating an IP Justification form for a static IP block of /29. Although this block technically comprises 8 IP addresses, standard networking practice typically allocates only 5 for devices. The remaining addresses are reserved for network identification, broadcast, and usually one for the gateway (router's IP). In February, Amazon AWS started increasing their price for IPv4 IP Addresses.  

Remember the good old days of dial-up Internet? You’d connect to the Internet and your Internet Service Provider (ISP) would give you an IP address. This was like your temporary ID while you were online. The cool thing was, these IP addresses were shared. So, when you logged off, someone else could use that IP address. It was like a timeshare condo, but for IP addresses!

But then came the broadband revolution. By 2007, more than half of us had switched to broadband. Unlike dial-up, broadband is always on, just like your fridge or your clock. This is because the gadgets that give us broadband, like routers and modems, are hardly ever switched off.

Now, here’s the catch. With broadband, each connection needs its own IP address. It’s like everyone needed their own personal condo instead of timesharing! Since these connections are always on, we can’t share IP addresses like we used to with dial-up. This has led to a huge increase in the number of IP addresses we need.

In a nutshell, moving from dial-up (where we could share IP addresses) to broadband (where each connection needs its own IP address) has led to a massive increase in IP address usage. This has forced us to rethink how we manage IP addresses and has led to the development of new technologies to handle this increased demand.

SOL has noticed a surge in the cost of copper POTS lines, prompting a greater uptake of fiber and wireless technologies. With this trend, we anticipate a subsequent increase in the price of IPv4 addresses from 2024 onward. As a result, we foresee an acceleration in the adoption of IPv6 starting in 2024.

Teaching AI to Our Customers: SOL Communications’ Approach to Value Maximization

Artificial intelligence will enable me to perform remarkable tasks for my customers, and I'll likely receive full credit for each completed task. And just as there's no need to openly advertise my use of a calculator when organizing billing, the same will be true for AI. Whether those calculations are integrated into Excel or utilized through a voice-activated assistant like Google Nest, customers won't be concerned about the specifics—they simply want the task completed. I'll leverage AI to help SOL Communications help business. For customers who are ready, I'll teach them to use AI themselves. This is the direction SOL Communications is heading as an advisory company: providing maximum value by guiding companies in selecting the right AI solutions for their specific needs. Our focus now will be related to customer service, but it will eventually branch off to other sectors as the industry matures.

Leveraging SOL Communications for Your Business’s Wireless Internet Needs

Contrary to some beliefs, acquiring a wireless internet plan from AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile does not necessitate a cell phone plan with these providers. If you have received different information, please reach out to SOL Communications.

At SOL Communications, we manage all aspects of your telecom interactions, including quoting, ordering, and management, relieving you of these responsibilities. You can think of us as an in-house team member dedicated to handling all your telecom needs.

Imagine being able to say, “SOL, could you contact AT&T and Verizon to determine the requirements for setting up our business plan? I’m too busy serving our customers their favorite pizzas.” That’s the convenience and efficiency SOL Communications brings to your business.

You don't need to be a telecom expert, but you should definitely interact with one. Let SOL Communications be a member of your team, at no cost to you.

T-Mobile’s 5G Business Internet: Speeds, Coverage, and Reliability

T-Mobile's 5G Business Internet offers typical download speeds ranging from 33 to 182 Mbps, with upload speeds typically between 8 and 25 Mbps. It's important to note that actual speeds may vary due to factors like location, signal strength, time of day, and other variables. These speed estimates are based on analysis of internal and third-party data.