The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association likes to talk about safety. And why not? Thousands of 911 calls from mobile phones are made every day, millions each year. No doubt countless lives have been saved and serious injury averted by a device CTIA President Thomas Wheeler is fond of calling the greatest public-safety tool ever invented. And how right he is.
CTIA promotes the heck out of safety. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think CTIA invented wireless safety. But, of course, it didn’t; Bell Labs did when it invented cellular technology several decades back.
Truth is, when it comes to enhancing wireless safety, CTIA sadly has been a laggard.
Significant improvements to wireless safety technology have come from folks the industry loves to hate. You know them: Jim Conran, Carl Hilliard, Bob Zicker and, now, Bud Weiser. Gadflies to the industry; Godsends to consumers.
These individuals have been catalysts for change by bringing to the attention of policy-makers 911 call blocking, strongest-signal technology, emergency-alert capability and other safety issues.
Despite their contributions, the wireless industry has never really been fond of these guys. One hears a range of attacks on them: “He’s in bed with trial lawyers … He has an undisclosed commercial interest … He’s a shakedown artist … The technology doesn’t work.” And so on.
The moral of the story: If you have a good idea, but it causes the industry heartburn, watch out. Your good name may be in danger.
So then, what was on the mind of James A. Corry, CTIA’s director of carrier relations, when he called Weiser-a stubborn promoter of mobile-phone emergency alerts-on Friday, May 12?
Corry, according to Weiser, wanted to know (just between the two of them) what commercial interest Weiser had in championing the issue. Weiser repeatedly has said he has no emergency-alert-notification business on the side. SBC Communications Inc. did approach Weiser a year ago for a cost estimate on emergency wireless data. Weiser responded, but never heard back.
That hasn’t stopped industry groups from alleging to RCR, USA Today and possibly others that Weiser is in it for the money. (Newsweek is expected to publish a story this week about a coming White House report touting wireless emergency alerts.)
When contacted, Corry declined to comment. Furthermore, he declared the brief phone conversation between us never happened. Corry apparently once worked for the Secret Service.
Meanwhile, we’re thick into tornado season.
