Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Dog Pound - Jan. 9, 2003

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 01:04:22 -0500

Dog Pound
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Whoa! The monthly "Consumer Reports" magazine has published a long article focusing on the
nation's 911 system, particularly access via wireless phones. The magazine surveyed its
on-line subscribers, and found that 15% had trouble reaching someone after dialing 911.
"For most of those, a weak signal, a bad connection, or some other phone-system problem
seemed to have caused the trouble," the magazine noted. "Trouble for the remaining
respondents apparently involved the emergency system: excessive rings, unanswered calls,
or being left on hold." They didn't mention the exact breakdown of the statistics for
these conclusions.

The report then beat the drum last played by the Wireless Consumer Alliance: handsets
should attempt to dial 911 using any available carrier, not just the user's subscribed
carrier. Their short field test in Indiana and New York stated showed that not all 911
calls go through, even when an alternate carrier's signal is stronger.

And then Consumer Reports reported, "What Needs To Be Done," including, "The 911 system
needs fixing." They claimed, "The FCC's 911 regulation is out of date for today's wireless
phones." The story quoted NENA's Roger Hixson saying the regulation defies "general common
sense." The magazine also said the FCC needs to impose higher standards for the wireless
911 system, and must ensure that digital phones are more compatible. Surf the entire story
at:

http://www.911Dispatch.com/consumer_rpts.html

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After receiving public comments, the FCC has granted a waiver request from Fort Lee (NJ)
to use six non-public safety frequencies in the 470 MHz band to support its public safety
agencies, replacing 9 simplex VHF frequencies for police and fire operations. The city,
which is just across the river from NYC, told the FCC that its radio system was overloaded
and has dead spots, and proposed operating a trunked system on the channels. They promised
to give up the VHF frequencies if the waiver were granted. No opposing comments were
filed, and the FCC agreed to the waiver.

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A big "Oops!" in Cambria County (Penn.), where radio officials forgot to renew their radio
licenses last June-August, and the FCC subsequently cancelled them. Even worse, county
commissioners found out about the cancellations from a newspaper, who then telephoned
county emergency services director Michael Hoover for his comment. Turns out he found out
on Dec. 20th from a Motorola dealer, but didn't inform his bosses about the situation.
"We’ll be taking care of the situation," Hoover told a reporter. Hoover claimed he didn't
receive the renewal notices, but FCC officials told the reporter that three renewal
notices were mailed to the correct address. Oh, why didn't Hoover mention the problem to
higher-ups? He said, "Our concern with publicity is that someone could beat us to the
punch and apply for these frequencies. We’re getting the licenses renewed, but we have to
keep this quiet for a while." Seems the spectrum wars have begun...

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Panasonic announced price reductions on its line of Toughbook laptop computers, which are
the most common model used in public safety mobile data systems. Take another look at:

http://www.panasonic.com/toughbook

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