Frequently Asked Questions
Stay connected with your colleagues, partners and customers by making sure they get your message. With American Messaging, you can send your message reliably and quickly in any number of ways.
Simple
Keep it simple by sending a message to American Messaging’s devices using many of the most popular email programs available today. With email and American Messaging, you can send important messages to people, not to computers – your messages won’t go unnoticed sitting in an email “inbox”. If the recipients have 2-way messaging devices, they can respond to your email messages immediately.
Reliable
Send messages with confidence by connecting real-time to the American Messaging network. If timely message delivery is critical, connect via Simple Network Paging Protocol (SNPP) and receive confirmation that our network has received your message. You can also visit our messaging website, www.MyAirmail.com, to send messages instantly. This exclusive website will allow you to receive delivery confirmation from our network – if the recipient has a 2-way messaging device, you can even get confirmation when the message is received. And, if you install messaging software, you can connect real-time to our network right from your personal computer.
Secure
Keep it private by using the latest in messaging network protocols, Wireless Communication Transfer Protocol (WCTP). All your information may not be sensitive, but when security is paramount, utilize the messaging protocol that contains some of the same security features of the most advanced e-commerce sites in the world.* Plus, with its supported advanced features, you can create automated programs to receive full round-trip delivery confirmation of messages – provided that the recipient has a 2-way messaging device.
* Messages sent via radio frequencies (RF) are not guaranteed to be private or secure.
How can I get messages on my smartphone?
Please visit our Applications page.
Are our messaging devices (pagers) HIPAA compliant?
Please visit our Message Security page.
Who still uses our messaging devices (pagers)?
View a few recent articles on this subject:
What are the ways to send a message?
How do I send a message using e-mail?
All American Messaging customers can be sent a message by sending an e-mail to their 10-digit number @amsmsg.net. And if they have registered at MyAirmail, they can send an e-mail to their MyAirmail name @amsmsg.net.
Example 1: 8005551212@amsmsg.net
Example 2: lname.fname@amsmsg.net
Because e-mail uses the public Internet, we cannot guarantee that we will receive all messages sent via e-mail. If your message is critical, please choose a different method for sending your message.
For more information, see the Email Messaging Frequently Asked Questions.
How do I use a Simple Network Paging Protocol (SNPP)?
To use SNPP you must “telnet” from a computer on your network to our SNPP server at snpp.amsmsg.net, port 444. You should verify that your firewall allows outbound connections to port 444. Once connected, you should press the “Enter” key, and you should get a banner screen that says, “SNPP Ready,” if all went well.
If you do not see this banner, you have not successfully connected to our SNPP server. The following are the supported SNPP Level 1 commands: PAGE, MESSAGE, RESET, SEND, QUIT, and HELP.
Please visit our SNPP page for the latest information on obtaining software and connecting via SNPP.
What do I need to know to use a Wireless Communications Transfer Protocol (WCTP)?
Using WCTP requires that all messaging operations be “well-formed” and “valid” as defined by the XML specifications of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and adhere to the Data Type Definition (DTD) file specified by American Messaging.
Please visit our WCTP page for the latest information on connecting via WCTP.
Who should I contact if I have additional questions?
Contact Customer Service at 888-247-7890.
Modem/Software
Is support provided for alphanumeric messaging software?
We can tell you how to set up the software to communicate with our systems, but support for usage or malfunction of the software should be requested from the company that developed the software. On the Windows system, this usually can be found in the About… option in the Help section of the Menu bar.
LNP and Paging
What is Local Number Portability(LNP)?
This is an FCC mandate that allows phone subscribers to transfer their number to or from another wireless or wire line carrier (referred to as “Port”). This allows a customer to take their number with them to a competitor’s network, or for a customer to bring a number from a competitor’s network to American Messaging.
Can I keep my paging phone number when I switch to or from a wireless carrier?
Currently the FCC has not extended the LNP mandate to the paging industry, hence wireless carriers are not permitted to port pager phone numbers to other wireless carriers.
Where can I find more information about wireless LNP?
For additional information on wireless LNP, contact the FCC’s Consumer Center toll-free at: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice, 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY, or visit their Web site at www.fcc.gov/cgb/NumberPortability.
Additional Information
What are the surcharges and fees associated with services provided by American Messaging?
American Messaging surcharges include Federal Universal Service fees, as well as Regulatory and Network Administrative fees. They may also include other fees to reimburse American Messaging for costs incurred to process and make payments to the government. We set these fees; they are not taxes and the amount and basis for such reimbursements may change.
Federal Universal Service Fund Charge
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires American Messaging to support the Federal Universal Service Fund. The Federal Universal Service Fund provides subsidized funding to low income and high cost customers (i.e., the low-population density areas), schools, hospitals, and other public service entities for the purchase of telecommunications services. Beginning April 1, 2003, the Federal Universal Service Fee (FUSF) is listed separately on each customer’s bill. All accounts are assessed a monthly fee. This is a service fund fee rather than a tax; therefore, tax exempt accounts are still required to pay these fees. The rate is based on a quarterly published rate by the FCC and is subject to change.
Regulatory Fee
The Regulatory fee listed on your bill is the Regulatory fee that is American Messaging’s fee, not the Federal Government’s. American Messaging created the fee to help recover costs of regulation. We have designed a single, monthly per-line fee. It is not a tax and customers who have a tax-exempt status are not exempt from this fee. It is billed to all customers and it is permitted by the FCC. This fee is subject to change.
Network Administration Fee
This fee helps American Messaging offset the continually rising costs associated with managing our networks, maintaining fully redundant systems, maintaining our systems 24/7, and maintaining overall system integrity. The Network Administration Fee is only applied to recurring charges, and not applied to one-time items. This is our fee, not a tax and is subject to change.