IMHO, this story is more interesting because of it's claim that there is a "process" for requesting a cell tower if your home or business happens to be in a marginal service area. Having lived in two different houses in urban areas where there was little or no wireless signal, my experience was considerably different. (I was treated courteously by both Sprint and ATT -- and was told "tough.")
However, it must be a slow news day when this stuff hits the wire services. I've seen Verizon bring in their portable cell "towers" for sporting events like a golf tournament where there is going to be a crowd for a some limited period. Certainly, the staffers, security and press corps that surround a presidential candidate are worth as much consideration as a sports spectators.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Associated Press Thursday, October 16, 2008
Did McCains get special cell phone treatment? Campaign says Secret Service requested service near family's ranch
WASHINGTON - John McCain, a senior member of the Senate committee that oversees the telecom industry, now has cell phone coverage at the family's ranch near Sedona, Ariz., following a request from his wife, Cindy, early in 2007.
The Washington Post reported the story on its Web site on Wednesday and McCain's presidential campaign denounced it in the hours before the final presidential debate.
The two cellular companies most often used by the campaign staff, Verizon Wireless and AT&T, provided the coverage at the ranch, which is in a remote canyon where reception is difficult.
In June, Verizon delivered a portable tower free of charge to the ranch property after an online request from Cindy McCain's staff.
The "cell site on wheels" is ordinarily reserved for restoring service during emergencies.
AT&T brought in a tower in July.
The Post quoted AT&T spokeswoman Claudia B. Jones as saying that "you can't have a presidential nominee in an area where there is not cell coverage."
McCain is a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees the Federal Communications Commission and the telecommunications industry.
"This story is a disgrace," said McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers. "The McCains went through the process that is available to anybody who subscribes to one of these cell phone companies to inquire about getting service."
He added: "At the end of the day, the Secret Service determined that they felt they needed the service and proceeded as well."
According to the Post, Cindy McCain offered land for a permanent cell tower. The newspaper said Verizon abandoned its effort to install a permanent tower in August.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
***** Moderator's Note *****Many years ago, New England Telephone received a request for additional phone lines from a Congressman's office during an election. An N.E.T. sales agent told the Congressman's staff that no lines were available.
The next day, an air express company delivered a box to the CO where I worked, which contained a device called a "CM8": it's a frequency-divisioin-multiplex carrier system that allows two pairs of wires to carry eight phone calls. It was placed in between the "D" and the "E" shelf, hooked up to the existing cables and dial tones, powered from the soldering-iron outlet of a ladder which was lashed to the rail, and then six extra lines were connected - less than three hours, start to finish, including wiring the #5 Number Group and Translator, with an N.E.T. Vice-President waiting for a call when it was done.
It goes without saying that if Senator McCain loses the election, the micro-sites will vanish as quickly as they arrived. It goes without saying that if he wins, more will be added. It goes without saying that Captain of an aircraft carrier is entitled to a Marine guard at his door: the captain's time and experience are too valuable to waste on minor security concerns.
Someone at the Washington Post needs to get a life, or (let's be kind) needs to learn a little bit of worldliness: when we talk about the potential leader of the free world, the rules change.
Bill Horne Temporary Moderator
Please put [Telecom] at the end of your subject line, or I may never see your post! Thanks!
We have a new address for email submissions: telecomdigestmoderator atsign telecom-digest.org. This is only for those who submit posts via email: if you use a newsreader or a web interface to contribute to the digest, you don't need to change anything.