BROWSING: Opinion

How much is too much for specialized mobile radio spectrum?Once again, deep pockets prevailed in the recent government auction for 900 MHz SMR spectrum. The biggest license winners were Geotek (181 licenses for $31 million), Nextel (177 licenses for $29 million), and PageNet (126...

Kevin Mitnick, a convicted computer hacker, recently plead guilty to charges of illegally using stolen mobile phone numbers. Federal prosecutors in North Carolina arranged the plea as part of an agreement when he was arrested last year after three years on the run. Mitnick,...

At one-month-old, my daughter has discovered how to kick off the covers. This delights her and she does it often, leaving her mother obsessed with room temperatures and blankets.According to my favorite parenting book, the room temperature should be set between 70 degrees and...

Editor: I must take very strong exception to the comments in the April 15, 1996 issue of RCR under the heading D.C. Notes by Jeffrey Silva.These comments are obviously the personal political agenda of Mr. Silva and have very little place in your respected publication....

WASHINGTON-Incumbent microwave operators who have been less than forthcoming in their relocation negotiations with A- and B-block personal communications services licensees will be subject to third-party inspections of their facilities to assess true relocation costs.In action taken April Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission adopted...

Dear Editor: Your April 8th issue, which uses anonymous sources to question the relevance of the Wireless Technology Research L.L.C. scientific program, is incorrect and misleading to a consuming public interest in the conclusions of WTR's public health research into cellular telephone safety.WTR is an...

It seems to me the whole auction process has just continued the spirit of tainted opportunity that we have seen in America's short history.It makes me think of the Oklahoma land rush in particular. The area first was known as Indian Territory ... where...

WASHINGTON-Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Larry Pressler (R-S.D.) said Congress is unlikely to consider spectrum reform legislation this year, and conceded the bill he wants to craft probably will fall short of the sweeping policy changes advocated by the nation's top technology thinkers."It's going to...

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a "videot." There is no such thing as too much television. My personality-when split into its definitive sectors-reflects the social mores of Roseanne, Murphy Brown and Martha Stewart.There are others out there like me*...*who get nervous when the power...

First wedding of Baby Bells has many eyes on their siblings ... Ameritech sees no value in mergers ... BellSouth says plans unchanged in wake of SBC-PacTel deal ... U S West not seen bidding for PacTel ... SBC-PacTel deal whets industry appetite for...

It has been a year since I left a high-tech computer magazine to join RCR Publications. After five years as a techie writer and editor, I decided to try something new. I chuckled when a colleague said I was foolish to leave the growing...

Is the C-block PCS auction successful? Is it unsuccessful? Or, as Thomas Gutierrez and David LaFluria ask in an RCR guest article this issue, is it too successful?The answer to these questions depends on your point of view. Yes, in terms of raising money...

Although I promised myself a break from any columns that have to do with CDMA vs. GSM technology and hearing aid interference, I'm breaking the rule-because something positive happened and, frankly, there hasn't been that much positive to comment about on the issue.However, Dr....

WASHINGTON-Jackson, Miss.-based Mobile Telecommunication Technologies Corp. will have to wait a while longer to learn if it is liable for a $33 million payment for the pioneer's preference narrowband personal communications services license it won in 1993.After considering oral arguments put forth Dec. 8...

Dear Editor: The Telecommunications Act is now law. The President's pen unlocked doors to fair and free telecommunications competition that had been closed in some key areas for decades. Business and residential users, and our economy, will be the big winners if we, the communications...

WASHINGTON-The gloves finally are off in the fight for the most desirable C-block broadband personal communications services markets. Instead of taking the battle outside to duke it out, certain C-block bidders are using the Federal Communications Commission as the venue of choice.In a March...

A popular reason to carry a cellular phone is personal safety, yet a main complaint from both cellular users and emergency assistance providers is lack of cellular "locatability."When a person dials 911 from a landline phone, emergency services are able to place the call...

WASHINGTON-The U.S. Court of Appeals has rejected a petition to review mandatory relocation of public-safety entities from personal communications services frequencies to perceived lesser-quality channels.In an opinion written by U.S. Circuit Judge Patricia Wald, the three-judge panel decided that the Federal Communications Commission "had...

At some point in most relationships, one partner looks at the other, and instead of seeing Prince or Princess Charming, sees a human ... complete with flaws.The partners in the newly named Sprint Spectrum L.P. are at that point. In other words, the honeymoon...

Just when you thought the war between proponents of Global System for Mobile communications technology and those who want Code Division Multiple Access technology to be used for personal communications services systems couldn't get any dirtier, it did.Billions of dollars could be made and...

Dear Editor: In her recent letter, Jo Waldron of Phoenix Management misrepresents and simplifies my position on wireless add-on devices by taking a polite corridor discussion out of context.I did try the HATIS at the EMI wireless working group meeting in Oklahoma, and I did...

To borrow an adage from the real estate business, the most important rule in the wireless communications industry is going to be brand name, brand name, brand name.In the quick aftermath of President Clinton's signing the Telecommunications Act of 1996, telecommunications giants are moving...

Dear Editor: You recently published a letter from James Valentine that misstates a newly adopted CTIA (Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association) certification standard for portable phone handsets. In his letter, Mr. Valentine writes that CTIA is requiring ports for external hearing aid devices. That is not...

The telecom reform bill has passed Congress and should soon be signed by President Clinton. The country is embarking upon a brave new world of increased competition-at least in the short term.The ramifications to the wireless industry cannot be understated. The antenna siting provision-language...