To create some excitement before his swing through New Hampshire last week, Al Gore declared he
invented the Internet. It worked. A dumbfounded James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Science
Committee, exclaimed: “I had no idea!” Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) countered that he
invented the paper clip.
All right, so the Internet thing bombed. From Buddhist temple community outreach (get out
your checkbooks) to White House dialing-for-dollars (no controlling legal authority) to claiming inspiration for Eric
Segal’s Love Story, the veep-like his boss-can be a little shaky with the facts. That’s why he needs our help.
Got
talking points for Al. Call ‘N11’ on your cell phone at your next traffic jam.
Talk about misunderstandings, Houston
Cellular President Donald Kovalevich wrote TruePosition Inc. President Kent Sander earlier this month to complain
about claims that the E911 trial in Greater Harris County was in commercial mode.
Motorola’s Norm Sandler, for
his part, took the CBC’s Fifth Estate to task for an expose on cell phone health implications, a report that he complained
“offered a highly selective and incomplete-if prejudicial-version of the facts.” He’s absolutely right. After
interviewing yours truly for an hour or so, CBC left me for dead on the cutting-room floor.
Meanwhile, the U.S.
wireless industry is closely monitoring the ramp-up of Canada’s RF health program. The big fear: Dr. William Leiss.
He likely will determine the direction of the project. But Canada’s wireless industry has discovered it cannot control
him.
In the lower 48, RF health activists are stirring things up on Capitol Hill with the Vermont delegation.
At
the FCC, David Nghiem, president and CEO of USA Wireless Inc., has become a gadfly of sorts. Nghiem wrote twice
to Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain because of frustration with responses from the FCC’s Dale
Hatfield (OET chief) and Gerald Vaughan (wireless bureau deputy chief) to concerns about why cell phone RF
exposure guidelines are less stringent than those for microwave ovens. Nghiem’s firm makes safety devices for mobile
phones.
Cell phone addiction? For sure, the nation’s 69 million subscribers love their phones. I do. But The
Observer, a Brit pub, reports users might be ‘hooked on radiation.’ Citing research of Dr. Henry Lai of the University of
Washington, the article said “a mobile high is triggered by endorphine released when microwave radiation from
the phone enters through the ear.”
But wait. I thought mobile phones caused short-term memory loss. So then,
how the heck can you get an RF buzz if you can’t remember getting one?
… GOP and Dem lawmakers are making a
federal case of satellite tech transfer and spy charges against China. Some want to deny favorable trading status for
Chinese imports and possibly block the Asian giant’s entry into the WTO.
… Say what? The European Commission
is taking legal action against Greece for not opening its mobile phone service market. My advice to the EC: Go talk to
Qualcomm Inc. The salvo was fired at Greece when there still was an EC. All the commissioners left last week on
charges they turned a blind eye to fraud and abuse.
… Hell’s Bells. Turns out local telco monopolists can’t account
for some $5 billion in equipment, according to FCC audit. Oh well, just write it down and lower our phone bills.
