Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Governor demands recall of state employees’ Nextel cell phones

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2003 12:01:55 -0500

Governor demands recall of state employees’ Nextel cell phones
 Jim Baron February 12, 2003

PROVIDENCE -- State employees in the executive branch of government racked up more than a
quarter-million dollars in cellular telephone charges last year, prompting Gov. Donald
Carcieri to recall all the phones while he studies the policy for their use.

Carcieri's action comes just weeks after House Speaker William Murphy ordered all of the
telephones used by people in his office turned in while he reviews how those units are
used.

As part of his "Big Audit," Carcieri said, the administration learned there are 1,038
state-issued cell phones in use, 772 contracted with Nextel and 316 with Verizon. Between
the two companies, the state shelled out $268,008 for cell phone bills last year.

"Furthermore," the governor said in a press release, "we have found that there is no
formal policy outlining criteria for cell phone issuance, nor is there a centralized
billing and reimbursement system. This practice is unacceptable."

In the future, he said, only those with "a justifiable need for instant and 24-hour-a-day
communication will have access to state cell phones, and personal use of the units will be
"strictly prohibited."

Carcieri told The Times he has "no idea" how much the state will save in the cell phone
crackdown. "I would hope you could cut it in half, but I have no idea."

But by cutting the number of phones in use and stopping personal calls, he said, "I think
we will find we can shrink it down substantially."

To reduce the use of the phones, Carcieri told reporters Tuesday, "You go through a
process. You find out how many are out there, we found out how many are out there. Whose
got them? Who needs them, and so forth and we get a better handle on it. It's like a lot
of things, these just sort of proliferate."

Asked what the criteria will be for reissuing phones, the governor said, "for what
purpose, business-wise, do they have them? Who are they communicating with? Why do they
need to be reached with that degree of urgency? The departments have issued these things,
the first thing we do is get them back in and let's hear the department directors'
arguments why these people need them.

"If people absolutely need them," Carcieri said, "we'll see that they have them."

For employees to get their phones back, it will have to be authorized by their department
head and Administration Director Robert Higgins.

"We must reduce state spending across the board," Carcieri said in his release, "and this
is just one example of where we might find opportunities for substantial savings." Next on
his list for similar treatment, Carcieri said, are state-owned automobiles and
state-issued credit cards.

In a memo to department directors, the governor noted that the number of cell phones
issued to state employees has increased from 494 in 1995, well under half the current
number. Directors must tell the department of administration which employees were
re-issued cell phones, and the justification for re-issuance, as well as the number of
phones no longer in use that will be turned in.

Higgins will have until March 7 to make a final report to the governor on employee cell
phone use.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7022465&BRD=1713&PAG=461&

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From: "Bulldog <[email-masked]>" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2003 19:07:21 -0000

"...while he studies a policy for their use." (huh)

$268,000 divided by 1,038 units divided by 12 months in a year nets a 
monthly ARPU of $21.51 per unit.

You want 'em or you don't?!

--- In [email-masked], Marcel <marcelrf@b...> wrote:
> Governor demands recall of state employees' Nextel cell phones