Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Dog Pound - Nov. 18, 2002

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 21:14:48 -0500

The FCC has posted the final 73-page report of its Spectrum Task Force. There are several
sections that mention public safety, and all of them suggest that public safety agencies,
"should have flexibility to lease their dedicated spectrum capacity that is available
during lower-use periods to commercial users with a 'take-back' mechanism when public
safety use increases." You can download the report in Acrobat (pdf) format at:

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-228542A1.pdf

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The Hound is keeping his paws crossed: Sprint PCS announced it will lay off 1,600
employees and 500 contractors to cut costs as the company continues to lose customers. So
far this year the company has slashed 16% of its workforce. A spokesperson said the cuts
wouldn't affect network operations or customer service. No word on the effect on Phase II
upgrades, however.

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The FCC has also issued a long-awaited report on "A Proposal for a Rapid Transition to
Market Allocation of Spectrum," and an accompanying spectrum chart. While it deals mainly
with commercial spectrum, it has significant implications for all frequency license
holders. The FCC's Office of Plans & Policy proposes moving from "administrative"
allocation to "market" allocation, which means companies would be free to obtain or
dispose of frequencies based on their need and finances. Oddly, one section of the report
states:

"The Ideal: In a market allocation of spectrum, markets, not central authorities,
determine spectrum uses and users. An ideal market allocation should impose no
restrictions on spectrumuses and users beyond those necessary to limit interference, to
prevent anti-competitive concentration, and to comply with international agreements.
Spectrum should not be set aside for federal users or for specific non-federal users such
as public safety providers, and public users should be allowed both to sell spectrum and
buy spectrum from the private sector. For example, police and fire departments should be
able to sell some of their spectrum and use the proceeds to buy new spectrum-conserving
radios that could provide greater capacity and
interoperability."

Download this report in Acrobat (pdf) format at:

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-228552A1.pdf

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The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Intrado Inc. announced a
joint project on Monday, under which they will, "work together to facilitate deployment of
Intrado’s emergency notification service--IntelliCast Target Notification--in order to
help law enforcement agencies throughout the nation find missing children." You'll recall
the Intellicast system can make thousands of targeted telephone calls to play a recorded
alert message. A joint press release noted just-released statistics that there were an
estimated 58,200 victims of non-family abduction during 1999 (the latest figures), and a
Washington State study that claims that in 74% of child abduction homicides, the child was
murdered within the first three hours. Under the plan, Intrado will waive the costs of
launching IntelliCast Target Notification events to recover missing children.

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And...the Intrado/NCMEC press release didn't include a companion statistic to the new
federal study: there were just 115 sterotypical abductions during the same year (stranger
or slight aquaintance, detained overnight, transported >50 miles, ransom, murder or
permanent abduction involved). And just 37% of those were by strangers. The myth has long
been that "One child is abducted in the U.S. every xx seconds." Actually, using these
figures, it would be more like--every nine minutes for the larger figure, and once every
~3 days for the smaller figure.

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To prove the point that 911 should be universal for both landline and wireless phones, the
Hound notes his confusion in the last edition over the #77 mobile number:  #77 is in
Virginia (not Maryland), and *77 is in Maryland. Thanks to all for the clarification...
but what do I dial when I visit DC?

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