Telecommunications and telephone privacy rights.

Recently while searching for information on workplace privacy, I came upon a site called Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

This page deals directly with telecommunications and telephone privacy rights.

Some of the items that they have fact sheets on are:
• Wireless Communications: Voice and Data Privacy.

• Hang Up on Harassment: Dealing with Cellular Phone Abuse.

• When a Cell Phone Is More than a Phone: Protecting Your Privacy in the Age of the Super-Phone.

• How to Put an End to Unwanted or Harassing Phone Calls.

• Telemarketing: How to Have a Quiet Evening at Home.

• Employee Monitoring: Is There Privacy in the Workplace?

• Wiretapping/Eavesdropping on Telephone Conversations: Is There Cause for Concern?

• Caller ID and My Privacy: What Do I Need to Know?

When the children take over the Ma! or How the telecom companies grow!

Are the current treads of telecom mergers good for the future of telecommunication?

Once upon a time whenever one wanted to communicate with someone else on the other end of the country, a telephone was picked up, dialed a number, just one number to reach an operator. It was a nice friendly voice on the other end of the line, whose native language is the same as yours. You asked to be connected to a party and a few minutes later you had that person on the line. Everyone was happy.

But it appeared that not everyone was happy, and it was decided that this communications bliss wasn’t good for business. I’m not sure whose business, but a federal judge made it his business and decided there was a monopoly. So the company, the biggest telecommunications company in the world, one that was innovated and always at work to make things better for the user, was required to divide its company. There may have been others smaller parts that were broken away, but those that all could see was the formation of seven regional telephone company, whose purpose was to supply the service to the user in their region, and the parent who could communicate over great distances. Yes, there were a couple of smaller companies who had been trying to supply long distance, but now they were on a more even playing field.

But people were being bind by wires and more and more wanted to communicate wirelessly, which up had been used mostly by police, fire and other governmental agencies and taxis. The FCC, the all-seeing body of the airways, established in the 1930’s by a still existing telecommunications act of congress, made a plan. There is money out there to be gotten by selling off the radio frequency spectrum. This new natural resource of the US, which had been around freely in the air since time began, could be had by a price. A plan was made that would use a cellular approach to radio waves.

Is wireless communications a good thing? That can be debated and could make an entire another discussion. But the point to be said here is that these were created to be separate.

Time passed and the seven regional companies combined to make four. And each had a piece of the wireless pie. But they wanted more. They wanted long distance. So they followed the rules that the FCC set up and became long distance carriers themselves.

But was that enough, apparently not since mergers have been escalating to an unbelievable degree in the past year. ATT wireless, which only held the ATT name and not part of the corporation, merged with Cingular, who at one time was known as CellOne. A name I think is better than Cingular. Then Sprint and Nextel merged, creating another big wireless player, instead of two smaller ones.

Then what was unthinkable in 1984 the baby bell had finally gotten to be bigger than the bad old mother and SBC merged with ATT. They took the name and AT&T was reborn. Verizon not wanting to be left behind merged with MCI, after a long battle with Qwest on who would get the once 2nd biggest long distance carrier. And it’s probably not over.

But the worst part about all of these telecomm mergers is that soon the Daytona 500 will just be a Sprint race.

Ask me how I like my Cellphone?

The Associated Press recently did a poll of a little over 1200 cellphone users. The results of the poll can be found here; Washington Post Article (Free Registration).

The majority of those responding to the poll like technology, but most could live without their cellphone. Many though would miss it.

Features, such as Video Games, Music and Cameras aren’t important to most users. They aren’t always truthful to others as to their location while on the phone.

Users like the idea of being able to text message to and from cell phones, but most do not want to have Instant Messaging from their PC’s being sent to their phone.

A cellphone is a personal device and not usually shared with other users. Most have customized their phone. They don’t think they are being bothered by too many people having the means to get in touch with them.

The majority of the users have not given up their landline phone, and in fact they use their landline phone more. They are not very likely to give up their landline phone, even though the cellphone is on most of the time.

Most users think that at times people using their phones around them are loud and annoying. They however do not think that other people are giving them dirty looks or drawn criticism about their cellphone behavior.

Users are not shocked by the size of their bills, they don’t feel the need to use their free minutes nor are they concerned about making phone calls t times to use those free minutes.

I have to admit a few things surprised me but most of it is as I suspected. And most of it also fits me.