Dear Editor:
I am reading with great interest the “war of words” being conducted in your editorial section concerning Nextel’s attempt to vacate a 1995 antitrust consent decree. As an employee of Nextel/Fleet Call for the past five-and-a-half years, I have seen the pendulum swing from support of our (then) small fledgling company to outright antipathy to our very existence.
While I have found your coverage of our company generally fair and balanced, the mood of the SMR industry, as voiced by the AMTA, SBT, Mobex, etc., is decidedly anti-Nextel. It’s interesting to note that some of the same people who were championing our entrance into the digital world in late 1993, are now so vehemently opposed to our existence today.
The whole things smacks of sour grapes. Many of these same small businessmen had the same idea or vision as Morgan O’Brien did in 1987, but failed to act on it. Twelve years later the vision has come to its fruition and it appears some people just can’t stand to see someone else succeed, especially if it comes at their expense.
Why aren’t these same businessmen up in arms over the consolidation of cellular A & B carriers, oil companies, or Internet providers? Maybe they have stock in those companies so the pain of “reduced competition” is offset by their capital gains.
Please continue to work towards providing fair and balanced coverage of news involving Nextel and begin to examine the motivations of those who are aligned against the company as well.
Walter Bolil
Operations Manager
Nextel Florida
