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CTIA Daily News from WOW-COM - August 28, 1998
Communities Should Control Deployment of Antenna Sites, Boston Globe Editorial Says
The cellular operators building antennas in Massachusetts should be focused on the appearance of their communities, according to a Boston Globe editorial. Operators can appeal any opposing local decision on an antenna site under the Telecom Act of 1996, which gives carriers the edge over communities, the Globe says. In February, the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy gave telcos the same protection as public service corporations, allowing them to surpass local zoning. Because wireless service is not a requirement, communities should be able to control the deployment of towers, the Globe says. (BOSTON GLOBE)
Snafus Tower Over West Bloomfield Township, Michigan 
Cellular Agreement
Construction by five cellular phone companies of a $1 million recreation building for the West Bloomfield Township Parks and Recreation Commission in exchange for a land-lease permit from the parks panel to build 120-foot-towers at the township's Drake Road Sports Park has been delayed. The director of parks and recreation says the holdup is the result of pending negotiations with the cellular tower attorneys over a lease for the towers and a construction agency agreement, which would address such issues as what kind of insurance will be provided and who will pay for damages. (DETROIT FREE PRESS)
Firm Wants to Erect Two Cell Sites in Indianapolis Area
The Carmel Clay School Board in Indianapolis is reviewing Cellular One Communications' request to erect two nine-story communication towers concealed as flagpoles, one at Smoky Row Elementary School and another at the school corporation's soccer complex. Residents are expected to oppose the construction. (WOW-COM)
Ericsson Announces New Mobile Phone Forecast for 1998-2000
Ericsson expects that the global mobile phone market will exceed 140 million units by the end of this year, growing to 200 million during 1999, and 265 million units by the year 2000. The forecast is higher than Ericsson presented earlier this year. (YAHOO)
Big Meteor Storm Is Headed Our Way, Imperiling Satellites
The Leonid meteoroid storm, scheduled to hit in 81 days, is expected to be the worst meteor storm in 32 years. Although there is no risk to human life---the meteoroids will burn up in the Earth's atmosphere--the storm could damage the estimated 500 satellites orbiting the planet. The storm will send a 136,000-mile trail of sand and debris, most of which will be smaller than width of a human hair but will be moving at three times the speed of the average meteoroid. The sandblasting could create an electric charge that could possibly impair the satellites' electronics. (WALL ST. JOURNAL)
Columnist Calls Roamer Administration Fee One 
of "Technology's Hidden Costs"
A $3.50 roaming fee is charged on a monthly basis anytime a phone is used outside the home service area, the columnist writes.  Other cell-phone companies can charge a similar fee every day you use your phone in their area. It gets passed on through your company. And, like other roaming fees, it gets assessed on incoming, as well as outgoing, calls. (USA TODAY)
Ericsson Eyes Cell Phone Market for Teenagers
Ericsson said it is possible it will launch cell phones aimed at parents wanting to keep in contact with their children. If such a product were launched, Ericsson said, "it would be marketed responsibly to adults only, and [Ericsson] would certainly position it as a communication tool -- not a toy." (TECHWEB)
Dallas-Fort Worth Mobile Phone Market One of Priciest, 
Report Says
Boston was the most expensive market of 15 metro areas surveyed, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth, according to Consumer Reports. The findings were taken from prices as of June for subscribers who use their phones an average of 80 minutes a month. (WOW-COM)
Bob Shaner Named President and Chief Executive Officer 
of Pacific Bell Mobile Services
Prior to joining PBMS, Shaner was president of SBC International Inc., Europe and Middle East. He began working for Southwestern Bell Telephone in 1970. In 1988, he was named president and general manager of Cellular One in Chicago, and in 1991 he was named executive vice president of Southwestern Bell Wireless in Dallas. (YAHOO)
Union Says U S WEST Is Using Strikebreakers
CWA officials said they have told the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and Labor Department that U S WEST is recruiting illegal workers from Canada. U S WEST acknowledged in a statement that it is using contract workers during the strike, but said all arrangements "to the best of our knowledge" are legal. (USA TODAY) 
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