Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Senator Schumer Incorrectly Harps On Cellcos

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 03 Dec 2003 05:39:20 -0500

Senator Schumer Incorrectly Harps On Cellcos
Contributed by derek on Tues, Dec 2 2003

I've been critical of Senator Charles Schumer before, saying that the senator
seems to have an unreasonable animosity toward the wireless industry, and even
as he criticizes it, he expects it to solve all the worlds problems - not just
mobile communications, but flawless communications, unlimited capacity,
emergency locating services, and the ability to operate through a 24 hour
blackout. Now it seems Schumer has been caught exaggerating the evils of the
cellular industry again. A list of all the cellular deadspots in NYC was taken
down from Senator Schumer's website two weeks ago after it was proven that the
locations the Senator said were dead spots actually had adequate cellular
coverage. It's not just a case of his list being out of date: it was only
created in October. A spokesperson for Schumer said, "There's no drama" about
the list being taken down, they're just too busy right now to put it back up...
Sure. Cellular telephony is not an industry that has exploding gas tanks, toxic
waste, or is killing babies, so why the attacks? Some of the senator's ongoing
criticism, and calls for technologies and changes that are being implemented
anyway is nothing more than grandstanding for constituents. But, hey, I'm not a
telco shill: a website that correctly identifies signal strengths and deadspots
for each carrier would be a great aid for consumers. The carriers all know where
their deadspots are, and they should be required to provide that information to
the public, as the carriers are in other countries (England, for example.) But
that would point to a regulatory failure by our government, not our
profit-minded businesses.
www.techdirt.com
==================================================================================

Senator's Wireless 'Dead Zone' List Dropped
BY MARK ROCKWELL
DECEMBER 2, 2003

WASHINGTON -- A list of wireless phone "dead zones" for New York City has been
taken off of Sen. Charles Schumer's Web site after tests showed some of the
zones weren't so dead anymore.
Apparently the list was taken down about two weeks ago. According to carrier and

other sources, the list was removed and revised after carriers and Schumer's
staff
re-tested some of the zones and found they provided adequate service.

The list had been posted by Schumer's office to illustrate the need for carriers
to update their networks and keep up with demand for services, including E911,
in New York.  The list's information was attributed to a survey done by
Schumer's office in October.

Carriers serving New York City include AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless, Sprint
PCS, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless. Over 60 "dead spots" were listed within
the five boroughs of New York City, with the majority in Manhattan.

A spokesman for Schumer's office said the list was revised after follow-up tests
were done by the senator's staff. He said the list had not been immediately
reposted on the Web site because Congress has been embroiled in end-of-session
duties in the last few weeks. "We revised it after testing. There's no drama"
about the list's removal, he said.

http://www.wirelessweek.com/index.asp?layout=newsat2direct&starting=8&pubdate=12/02/03

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/61FxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/