Ore. House E-govt. Committee put indefinite hold on bill to protect mobile phone and data terminal users from unwanted ads. Bill (HB-3345) would have prohibited mobile phone providers from disclosing location of customer’s phone except to 911 and law enforcement agencies. Measure also would have banned sending ads to mobile phones based on customer’s location unless user consented in writing in advance. Committee Chmn. Jim Hill (R- Hillsboro) said he was opposed to adopting “onerous prohibitions” on emerging industry and feared bill unintentionally would affect new wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, allowing computers to communicate with other wireless devices in confined areas. Wireless industry interests at recent hearings said bill could make it hard for wireless customers to get services they wanted and that wireless privacy concerns were best addressed at federal, not state, level. Proponents said privacy implications of technologies that precisely pinpointed mobile phone users needed to be addressed now, before problems could arise. Bill technically isn’t dead and could be revived in current session if compromise is worked out.

LAS VEGAS -- As U.S. carriers eye FCC deadline this fall for Enhanced 911 Phase 2 services, wireless industry still is grappling with finer points of which location-based services will provide best return on investment, how privacy will be guarded and how ads will be delivered, panelists said at CTIA Wireless 2001 here Tues. “The real challenge is getting handset prices down to where they need to be,” said Tom Wrappe, SnapTrack vp-product and program management. But as technological advances drive down costs, he said, “you will see this does go mass market in the next year or year and a half.”

W.Va. bill to prohibit release of 911 recordings or transcripts to anyone, including news media, without court order or subpoena cleared Senate committee process and was poised for Senate floor amendments. Bill (SB-412) is being pushed by emergency center directors who say they want to protect privacy of people who use 911 but are concerned with broadcasters’ airing lurid 911 calls. It would also prohibit making public the identity or location of person making 911 calls, reflecting proponents’ concerns of retribution because of reporting crimes or domestic violence.

Ore. House E-Govt. Committee opens hearings today on bill (HB-2987) that would prohibit local govts. from regulating or restricting mobile phone use. State Rep. Jim Hill (R-Hillsboro), bill’s sponsor, said that if mobile phone use was to be restricted, curbs should be enacted at state level and be same statewide. Municipal govts. say bill is unwarranted preemption of local authority over highway safety. No localities have adopted mobile phone restrictions in Ore., but issue was considered in cities of Salem and Tigard. Meanwhile, Ore. House Fri. decided to return to committee another bill involving local telecom authority -- HB-2680, which would impose restrictions on local govt. entry into telecom business, including requirement for 3-year cost projection before locality could enter business, rates that fully covered costs, no discrimination against competitors and no direct or indirect subsidies from tax revenues. New Ore. bill (HB-2436) would make recordings of calls to 911 confidential matter that’s not public record. There would be exemption for news media, but only after one day had passed since incident. State’s newspapers and broadcasters say they're opposed because 911 tapes are important for exposing weaknesses in emergency response systems.

Canada’s federal govt. announced Fri. start of 3-month public consultations on use of cellphone silencer devices that could block mobile phones. Industry Canada said purpose of consultation was to see “whether the public interest would be served if the present occasional authorization of these devices, for law enforcement and public safety purposes, were to be broadened for wider niche market and location-specific applications.” Jamming devices aren’t permitted for sale or use in Canada now because, “in the absence of a license and appropriate technical standards and equipment certification,” their use would contravene Canada’s Radiocommunication Act, said Industry Canada, govt. department that’s in charge of such matters. However, it said it wasn’t “prepared to address a license-exempt status for these devices.”

NTIA released test results Fri. analyzing potential impact of ultra-wideband (UWB) devices in GPS bands, raising questions about potential scenarios in which UWB would be used for high-data rate applications in that spectrum. Test results, in highly technical 150-page report submitted to FCC, appeared to raise fewer concerns about applications of UWB at lower pulse rates, such as ground- penetrating radar. Fantasma Networks, which is developing UWB devices for non-GPS bands, said report raised “open-ended questions” on UWB in GPS bands and FCC should move ahead and authorize operation above 2 GHz while GPS concerns were being addressed. Another UWB developer, Time Domain, said it was heartened by apparent NTIA conclusions that in certain scenarios UWB pulses have same impact as Part 15 unlicensed devices. NTIA study sets stage for FCC decision later this year, with more data placed before agency on this issue “than there is in all but a few FCC proceedings,” said Jeff Ross, Time Domain vp-corporate development & strategy.

City of Detroit decided it’s time to upgrade overburdened and obsolete 911 emergency calling system after seeing report that 5% of such calls in Dec. were put on hold or blocked by busy signals. Motor City will be soliciting bids on $40 million project to expand 911 center and install new technology, and city officials expect new facilities to go into service by 2003. Records for Dec. show 5,700 of 119,000 calls to 911 were unable to get through. Detroit 911 currently has staff of 109 and has 30 phone lines into its 911 dispatch center.

Research firm Jupiter Media Metric forecast that wireless Web users in U.S. would grow to 96 million in 2005 from 4.1 million in 2000. In report, Jupiter projected that of 96 million users then, 74.9 million would be using handsets centered on voice functions, 7.3 million data-centered handsets, 4.4 million Web-enabled personal digital assistants. Report predicted that national carriers would be consolidated into 3 companies within 5 years as regional operators are absorbed by larger rivals. Jupiter said 3rd-generation wireless services were “no near-term reality” in U.S., although they were scheduled to launch in Asia in next 2 years, with U.S. and European markets not seeing wireless broadband connections for 4 to 6 years. U.S. deployment of location-based wireless services will emerge in 2 years, report said, driven by FCC mandates on Enhanced 911 capabilities. Jupiter said European carriers would promote location-based mobile services in next year using less precise location data.

Sponsor of Ark. car phone restriction bill withdrew measure (HB-1229) rather than see it defeated in House Transportation Committee, which had scheduled March 6 vote. Measure would have banned use of handheld mobile phones while driving except for calls to 911. State Rep. Kim Hendren (R-Gravette), bill sponsor, said driver distraction from mobile phones was real highway safety threat, but he expected defeat after committee members recently expressed doubt link had been proved, questioned whether advancing technology would make bill obsolete soon and criticized Hendren for singling out mobile phones from all other driver distractions. By withdrawing bill, Hendren will be able to refer it to an intersession study committee for possible action in 2003.

Wyo. legislature passed bill to offer universal service subsidies to encourage local service competition by wireless phone companies. It also voted measure to curb intrusive telemarketing. Both bills have been sent to Gov. Jim Geringer (R), with his signing expected. Wireless bill (HB-52) would allow wireless carriers to receive subsidies from state universal service fund if they offered flat-rate local calling throughout their coverage areas. Wireless local service also would have to offer 911, operator and long distance access plus toll restriction capability. PSC would determine wireless carrier eligibility and could cap amount available from $3 million fund for wireless support. Telemarketing measure would direct PSC to impose fine of up to $5,000 per call for calls to users who have put their name on national “no-call” telemarketing list maintained by Telephone Preference Service of Direct Marketing Assn., Farmingdale, N.Y. Contact would be banned effective 60 days after person put name on list. Exemptions include company calling its established customers and merchants making under 225 unsolicited calls annually. Fine also would apply to telemarketers who failed to immediately identify themselves and disclose nature of call. Measure would require telemarketers to register with state attorney gen. before soliciting Wyo. residents.