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This October, Chris Soghoian — computer security researcher, oft-times journalist, and current technical consultant for the FTC's privacy protection office — attended a closed-door conference called "ISS World". ISS World — the "ISS" is for "Intelligence Support Systems for Lawful Interception, Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Gathering" — is where law enforcement and intelligence agencies consult with telco representatives and surveillance equipment manufacturers about the state of electronic surveillance technology and practice. Armed with a tape recorder, Soghoian went to the conference looking for information about the scope of the government's surveillance practices in the US. What Soghoian uncovered, as he...

I just spoke with a personal assistant to Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint Nextel regarding the controversy surrounding Glenn Beck. The gentlemen said that the AP was mistaken in reporting that Sprint had pulled their ads from the Glenn Beck show. The marketing team at Sprint discussed this issue earlier this morning and sent out notice to the rest of Sprint corporate headquarters that no decision had been made regarding ads on Glenn Beck. The assistant couldn't tell me whether or not Sprint was considering pulling their ads or not. I explained to him that I am a premier Sprint...

Sonoma. Wine country. 80 degrees. Race #16 plays out on a road course. It's anybody's race, come along for the ride but try and stay out of the gravel pits. Thanks to our Armed Forces members, past and present. Oh. Did I forget Dad? HaPPY Father's Day!

... Williams said he attempted to use the man’s cell phone signal to locate him, but the man was behind on his phone bill and the Verizon operator refused to connect the signal unless the sheriff’s department agreed to pay the overdue bill. After some disagreement, Williams agreed to pay $20 on the phone bill in order to find the man. But deputies discovered the man just as Williams was preparing to make arrangements for the payment. ... “I was more concerned for the person’s life,” Williams said. “It would have been nice if Verizon would have turned on his...

. The Coca-Cola 600 Sunday 5:00 pm Eastern on FOXSpeed Prerace show 3:00 pm Green flag 5:35 pm from Lowe's Superspeedway Please give your support to the FR Canteen - Dedicated to our troops, veterans, and their families: The FR Canteen God Bless Our Troops

Daytona Twist: Kenseth Wins Matt Kenseth can thank a monster wreck and rainstorm for winning the 51st Daytona 500 on Sunday 1 Matt Kenseth [+] 17 -- 2 Kevin Harvick [+] 29 0.762 sec 3 AJ Allmendinger [+] 44 1.382 sec 4 Clint Bowyer [+] 33 1.903 sec 5 Elliott Sadler [+] 19 2.575 sec 6 David Ragan [+] 6 3.801 sec 7 Michael Waltrip [+] 55 4.627 sec 8 Tony Stewart [+] 14 5.549 sec 9 Reed Sorenson [+] 43 6.793 sec 10 Kurt Busch [+] 2 7.253 sec 11 Martin Truex Jr. [+] 1 7.842 sec 12 David...

"Clearwire has a cooperative agreement with Sprint to build a 4G wireless internet network. When it comes online, it would be the fastest wireless internet network in the country. Naturally other wireless companies are working on their own 4G networks too. Clearwire's major competitor in this capacity is Verizon....."

Sprint Nextel Corp. will cut a total of about 8,000 jobs by March 31, the company said Monday. The plan is to reduce internal and external labor costs by about $1.2 billion on an annual basis, Sprint Nextel (S, Fortune 500) said in a press release. The cuts will affect all levels of the company and geographic locations will vary, the Overland Park, Kan.-based company said.

telecommunications company has confirmed for this columnist that its vice president for policy—who is also an Obama donor and a former lobbyist—is advising Barack Obama’s transition team on telecom policy. Obama’s transition team, which has failed to disclose this executive’s involvement, happens to have proposed a significant change in telecom policy that will profit that very company, called Clearwire. By pushing to delay the long-scheduled transition of television broadcasting from analog signals to digital signals, president-elect Obama is directly aiding Sprint and its partner Clearwire while hurting Verizon. Clearwire’s executive vice president for “Strategy, Policy and External Affairs” is R....

A telecommunications company has confirmed for this columnist that its vice president for policy—who is also an Obama donor and a former lobbyist—is advising Barack Obama’s transition team on telecom policy.

Getting down to the last couple races , 2 to go, and the Chase for The Keg .. Uuhh .. Chase for the Cup. :-] Join us this Labor Day week-end and unwind after the Obama Slamma Jamma Fest. As Always , This thread is dedicated to the men and women that serve and have served us so proudly. Let their labor and sacrifice not be in vain. God Bless Our Troops and Their Families!

I'd like to see NEXTEL return to its roots. Maybe Sprint sells off NEXTEL and its originator buys the system back, along with the rf spectrum and the iDEN technology Make it into a NO FRILLS system for jobsites and RedNecks Keep the 2-way, text messaging, and phone patch; ditch all the junk: fancy ring tones, internet, graphics, -- all that stuff that is only for geeks offer only high performance, MIL-spec phones like the i305 and guarantee restricted access to keep advertising thugs out

The long-rumored national mobile WiMAX partnership between Sprint and Clearwire is finally official, both companies said today. Sprint will own 51% of the new company, which will be called Clearwire. Google, Intel, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks combined are investing $3.2 billion, based on a $20 estimated per-share price when Clearwire opens on the NASDAQ after the deal’s expected completion later this year. “We’ve made an excellent start developing XOHM WiMAX services. Contributing those advances to a strongly backed new company – in which we’ll hold the largest interest – provides Sprint with additional financial flexibility and...

FREE REPUBLIC NASCAR THREAD Goody's Cool Orange 500 Welcome all to the Sprint Cup race atMartinsville Speedway (Click on the Pics, Graphics, & Links for related news & info.) Current Cup driver standings VT's Beamer Cool Orange Grand Marshal Virginia Tech’s Military Marching Bandwill Perform National Anthem for Goody’s Cool Orange 500 Fans In South Terrace Seats Will Get Martinsville Hotdogs Delivered Track Schedule for the Goody's Cool Orange 500/Kroger 250 Goody's Cool Orange 500 Entry List Qualifying: Friday 3/28 3:40 pm Sprint Cup Qualifying ~ SPEEDRace: Sunday 3/30 1:30 pm SPRINT Cup Race ~ FOX Speed's NASCAR Raceday...

You might call it a friends, family and ID thieves plan. Last year, identity thieves wormed their way into Michael Carner’s Sprint account, tacked on 14 new cell phones and began ringing up phone charges. Even though he reported the intrusion, things only got worse. For nearly a year, the real estate agent was hit with late fees, frequent automated collections calls, service interruptions, and a $5,000 bill. When Carner finally gave up and tried to cancel his account, Sprint had one more piece of bad news: The imposters had extended his service contract for two years, meaning he'd have...

Sprint Nextel yesterday reported a $29.45 billion fourth-quarter loss and said legions of subscribers continue to abandon its service, many because they can't pay their bills. The nation's third-largest wireless carrier last year courted people with poor credit to boost its number of subscribers. Now the company is feeling the pain disproportionately as the economy weakens and consumers default on their debts. Sprint said it expects 1.2 million wireless subscribers to drop their service in the current quarter, roughly the same number that left in all of 2007. The company offset losses by signing up new customers, but it has...

Daytona 500 - Sunday, February 17, 2008 FOX 2:00pm/et *** Truck Race: 2008 Chevy Silverado 250 - Friday, February 15, 2008 TV: SPEED NCTS Setup begins at 7:30pm; race set to start at 8:00pm/et *** Nationwide Camping World 300 - Saturday Feb 16th ESPN2 12pm ET DRIVEN TO WIN! JUST DRIVEN! Dedicated to the men and women of our armed services.

Firestone. American Motors. Texaco. Pan Am. Worldcom. At one point or another these large American companies were at the top of their industries. Pan Am was the leading global airline for decades. All are gone. Some were sold off. Others went bankrupt. Who could have predicted it? There are several iconic US companies that may well not exist at the end of 2008. Some may not even make it halfway through the year. Not all will go out of business. Some may simply be auctioned off in pieces. Others may be bought. These companies will not exist in their current...

BOSTON -- A Framingham family said that it's being forced to pay for the cell phone of a deceased loved one. "I wondered how many other people had just agreed. You're tired and exhausted, and the last thing you want to do is fight with the cell phone company," said Tracey Stewart, of Framingham. It was a tough holiday season for Stewart. Her 66-year-old father died on Dec. 21 after a brief illness. This week, her husband, Bill, called Sprint to cancel his father-in-law from the cell phone family plan. "They said his contract wasn't up and to pay the...

Two "smart" telephones are Sprint and T-Mobile systems' potential competitors for Apple's iPhone. One tries to do too much; the simpler one is more successful.If you reach too far, you can lose your balance and fall on your face. That's what happened with the design process for the "Touch by HTC," one of the smart phones fighting for our attention this holiday season in a field that has been both energized and shaken up by Apple's iPhone. The $249 Touch, carried by Sprint Nextel Corp., overreaches badly in trying to be a touch-screen phone -- controlled by the user's fingers...

I am in a discussion with Sprint and the Illinois Commerce Commission on the taxes that appear on my bill for my Sprint Pentech PX-500 broadband card for my laptop. I am paying $0.57 for Federal 9-1-1 taxes and $0.75 for local 9-1-1 tax. This isn't a bank-breaker, but it's the principle. The card cannot "dial" 9-1-1 and it lacks GPS chipset for Phase 2 wireless E9-1-1 location requirements. Because of this, I contend that I should not be paying taxes for a device that CANNOT use the services for which I'm being taxed. It would be the rough analog...

Interesting: Hundreds of cell phone customers are being given the boot, accused of being too high maintenance. Sprint-Nextel is disconnecting more than 1,000 subscribers on grounds the clients call customer service too often and make "unreasonable requests." The 1,200 people getting dropped will have to find a new carrier by the end of the month. A Sprint representative said the average customer calls customer service less than once a month, but the 1,200 clients getting the boot call 40-50 times as often. Sprint said whatever the complaint, it has worked to resolve it but due to the volume of calls...

A number of readers have e-mailed me about Sprint Nextel canceling troops’ cell phone accounts because of “excessive roaming.” A commenter at the Sprint Users forum first blew the whistle: I have been a Sprint customer for over 5 years now. Just shortly after my unit returned from Iraq, we rec[ei]ved notification that we would be redeployed to West Point to train cadets over the summer. With almost 1/3 of the unit being Sprint customers, almost 200 soldiers, one of the first things we did was get online and consult Sprints coverage map to ensure that we would have service...

Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) is breaking up with about 1,000 subscribers the company finds to be too high-maintenance, according to news reports. The third-largest wireless carrier sent letters dated June 29 to the dumped clients stating: "The number of inquiries you have made has led us to determine that we are unable to meet your current wireless needs," according to reports.

OK - this is clearly a vanity, but I'm looking for some advice here. My wife and I have had Sprint PCS for some time. We got new phones Dec 2004 with a 2 year contract that should have ended Dec 2006. We are on a family plan. In October 2005, we added two phones for my parents to our plan, using the $10 per phone add-a-phone option. We were told that their two lines would have a two year contract, but our contract on the original two line would be unaffected. They explained that the lines would have different...

Sprint will replace Nextel as title sponsor of NASCAR's premier racing series starting in 2008, according to an ESPN.com report citing sources. The series will be known as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the report said. NASCAR declined to comment. The move would mark the third time in four seasons that NASCAR's Cup Series changed names. From 1972-2003, the Cup Series was sponsored by R.J. Reynolds tobacco through its Winston cigarette brand. Nextel assumed the naming rights in 2004.

Excerpt - A federal agency on Thursday barred the import of new models of cell phones that contain semiconductors made by Qualcomm Inc., because the chips violate a patent held by a rival, Broadcom Corp. The U.S. International Trade Commission's decision represents a compromise between a ban on all phones with Qualcomm chips, as Broadcom requested, and a ban only on the chips themselves, as recommended by an ITC administrative law judge late last year. ~ snip ~

(CBS4) BOSTON -- Picking a cell phone service can be pretty confusing. They all offer deep discounts and big promises but which one will really work when you need it? Consumer Reports just tested the biggest cell phone service. It's an ongoing battle. Cell companies are going head to head claiming to be the best. Rosalind Tordesillas says a recent survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center shows one in four people are looking to change their cell service providers. The survey asked almost 43,000 subscribers in 20 major cities about the five major carriers. "Poor phone service, like...

Up until now, parents had to deal with a separate company or buy special equipment to track their children through their cell phones. Sprint Nextel Corp. becomes the first U.S. wireless provider to sell its own product when the Family Locator Service rolls out Thursday. Using the Global Positioning System, the service allows parents to track up to four cell phones over the Internet or on their own wireless device. Parents can periodically ask the service to find the child's phone, displaying the location on a road map. Parents can also set alerts, automatically warning the parent if the child...

I've been carrying the same cell phone from the same service provider (Sprint) for over 6 years. People are starting to give me funny looks because my phone looks like a small black brick. I've had the money to replace it ... it just hasn't been that important. Now I'm ready to get a new phone and contacted Sprint. The best they can do is give me a lousy $150 rebate on a new phone! I've been with them for 6 years and the best they can offer is $150?! Since I can own my number now I'm planning on...

Excerpt - WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Three major U.S. telephone companies cooperated with the National Security Agency's wiretapping program without court warrants, USA Today reports. Executives who asked not to be named told the newspaper AT&T, MCI and Sprint granted access to their systems without warrants or court orders, and acted on the basis of oral requests from senior government officials. [snip]

I would appreciate any input--Thanks in advance!

AL QAIM, Iraq (Nov. 22, 2005) -- When faced with challenges, Marines are renowned for their ability to adapt and overcome. Staff Sgt. David A. Beaty, Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369’s day crew maintenance controller in Al Qaim, has overcome countless maintenance and logistical challenges for more than two months. While tackling these challenges, he has kept the Marines’ morale high and continuously ensured the squadron’s AH-1 Cobras and UH-1 Hueys are in the air supporting the Marines on the ground. “I love being out here,” said Beaty, a Picket County, Tenn., native. “It’s a smaller detachment, our unit...

SBC and Verizon both win merger clearance By Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington Published: October 31 2005 23:16 | Last updated: October 31 2005 23:16 SBC and Verizon on Monday successfully concluded their campaigns to win regulatory clearance for their two multi-billion dollar telecommunications deals. The Federal Communications Commission approved both companies’ merger plans without onerous conditions. The FCC, which has for months been evenly split between two Democratic and two Republican commissioners because of a Republican vacancy at the agency, voted unanimously to approve SBC’s $16bn takeover or AT&T and Verizon’s $8.5bn takeover of MCI following a weekend of internal...

LOUDON, N.H. – As brightly painted race cars charged around the track here on a July Sunday afternoon before a crowd of several hundred thousand fans, Nextel's trademark yellow and black colors were everywhere. And why not? The telecommunications provider paid a reported $700 million two years ago to secure a 10-year sponsorship of the season-long series that includes the Granite State race. But to gauge the true significance of stock car racing to Nextel and its new corporate spouse, Sprint, you had to leave the New Hampshire woods and head last week to the concrete canyons of Lower Manhattan....

The Walt Disney Company's Internet Group, in partnership with Sprint, plans to establish a nationwide wireless phone service, dubbed Disney Mobile, in the United States, the company announced Wednesday. Using Sprint's PCS network, the service--which specifically targets families--is due to begin operations next year. Simultaneously, Disney is planning to develop exclusive handsets and entertainment content aimed at families, the company said in a press release. "We'll be in investment mode for the next several years, but expect that over the long run this initiative will generate solid financial returns for the company," Steve Wadsworth, president of Walt Disney Internet Group...

Sprint presents live TV on phone One channel now, more later By DAVID HAYES The Kansas City Star Sprint Corp. is bringing live TV to the smallest of screens. In a first for the wireless telephone industry, Sprint is broadcasting Bill O'Reilly, Neil Cavuto and the rest of the Fox News Channel live on Sprint phones. The service, which is being rolled out this morning, allows Sprint PCS customers to view the same Fox News broadcasts on their wireless phones that they would at home on cable television — commercials and all. It's the first time a live television broadcast...

My wife spent 40 minutes on the phone with a Sprint service rep the other day clearing up $70 worth of charges for calls we didn't make. We were charged for roaming and it took a lot of convincing that nothing was wrong with our phones, that we don't use the roaming feature, etc, before the representative finally removed the charges. Turns out that our local paper has a story that others had the same happen to them. And they had to go through the same ordeal to have the charges removed. Too bad that Sprint thinks so little of...

THE DEAL: Sprint Corp. is buying Nextel Communications Inc. for $35 billion in stock and cash. THE COMPANIES: Sprint had $27 billion in revenue for the 12 months ending in September, Nextel had $13 billion. Nextel was an attractive acquisition target because its subscribers are more likely to be big-spending business customers. SUBSCRIBERS: The combined company will have 35.4 million subscribers; 20.1 million from Sprint and 15.3 million from Nextel. THE COMPETITION: No. 1 Cingular Wireless has 46 million subscribers while No. 2 Verizon Wireless has 42.1 million.

Wall Street was abuzz Friday over a potential merger between Sprint and Nextel, though the companies declined to comment on a slew of news reports that they are negotiating to combine to create a celluar provider that would almost rival Cingular Wireless and Verizon Wireless in size. Numerous research analysts issued positive assessments of the potential combination of the nation's third and fifth largest cellular carriers, reports of which first sprang up on Thursday. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday afternoon that Sprint Corp. (FON) and Nextel Communications Inc. (NXTL) have tentatively agreed to a deal in which Nextel shareholders...

A Wall Street Journal report Friday afternoon citing sources on both sides indicated No. 3 Sprint Corp. and No. 5 Nextel Communications Inc. had reached a tentative agreement on an all-stock $36 billion deal. According to the report, Sprint would pay around 1.3 shares for each Nextel share plus a small cash consideration that would value the deal at more than $36 billion. Sprint Chief Executive Officer Gary Forsee would become CEO of the new operation with current Nextel CEO Tim Donahue assuming the chairman position. Both companies would also share board positions. Analysts noted that Nextel, which is the...

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Sprint Corp., the telecommunications giant, said Friday it will cut 700 jobs in its business solutions division as it stops selling business long distance services outside of package deals. The cuts represent 7.8 percent of the division's work force. The Overland Park-based company also said it will record a pre-tax charge against earnings in its third quarter to reflect a decline in value of its long-distance assets. The company said a majority of the job cuts will come from sales and support. The business solutions division was reduced by 1,100 jobs this summer; Sprint has cut...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Sprint Corp. will extend health insurance and other employee benefits to domestic partners beginning in 2005. The Overland Park, Kan.-based telecommunications company, with 61,000 employees nationwide, disclosed the program to employees this week as part of a regular review of changes to benefits for next year. The expanded coverage would take effect Jan. 1. Sprint spokeswoman Jennifer Bosshardt said the move was not connected to criticism the company received earlier this month from the Human Rights Campaign. The gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group ridiculed Sprint for providing insurance to employees' pets but not domestic partners....

I am calling up Spint to inform them of my intentions to cancel my cell phone with them. I refuse to give my money to a company who then gives their money to CBS...and ESPECIALLY on 60 Minutes II. Call Sprint and voice your displeasure with their sponsorship of 60 Minutes II. If you have an account with Sprint, think very carefully about who you are giving your money to.

Pets, not partners, favored, group says By SUZANNE KING The Kansas City Star Sprint Corp. was one of four Fortune 500 companies under fire Wednesday for offering health insurance for employees' pets but not domestic partners. Human Rights Campaign, a gay-rights group in Washington, issued a news release condemning Sprint, Home Depot, Waste Management and Ecolab for their policies. “It was immediately evident to us that it was out of kilter that a company would do this,” said Kim Mills, the group's education director. Sprint has a relationship with a pet insurance company that allows employees to buy that insurance...

Clerics join rally for GAY civil unions   Wednesday, October 15, 2003 By RUTH PADAWER and YUNG KIMSTAFF WRITERS MONTCLAIR - Clerics joined gay and lesbian rights activists from around the state Tuesday to support civil unions.About 200 people squeezed into a hall at Montclair State University and offered enthusiastic applause and amens for the right of same-sex couples to marry.A line of clergy members waiting to speak in support of the movement extended around the room and included priests, pastors, rabbis, and ministers.Among those in the line was the Right Rev. John P. Croneberger, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese...

New Jersey Right to Life Renewed push for NJ Clone & Kill Bill, A2840/S1909. Immediate Action Needed!!! Renewed Push for A2840/S1909 NJ Clone & Kill Bill Take Action! Immediate Action Needed!!   The article below confirms there is a renewed push to get A2840/S1909 through the Assembly when the legislature returns after the November 4 election. Trenton Times article Please contact your 2 Assembly members immediately before the election to find out where they stand on this issue. Urge them to vote No on this legislation and "No" on any amendments. You can email your legislators from this page by...

In 1970, Kathy Boudin belonged to a revolutionary cell that failed in an attempt to commit mass murder at an army dance at Fort Dix. A decade later, she participated in a robbery that killed 3 people and left 9 children fatherless. Last week, two brain dead black parole board members released her from prison because she said she did it for them. On August 20, 2003, two New York parole board commissioners Vernon C. Manley and Daizzee D. Booey -- both African American -- paroled convicted terrorist Kathy Boudin, who was serving twenty years to life for felony murder...

A minor earthquake occurred at 18:24:17 (UTC) - Coordinated Universal Time on Tuesday, August 26, 2003. The magnitude 3.8 event occurred 1 km (1 miles) S of Milford, NJ. The hypocentral depth was 5 km ( 3 miles). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Magnitude 3.8 Time Tuesday, August 26, 2003 at 18:24:17 (UTC) - Coordinated Universal Time Tuesday, August 26, 2003 at 3:24:17 PM (ADT) - Atlantic Tuesday, August 26, 2003 at 2:24:17 PM (EDT) - Eastern Tuesday, August 26, 2003 at 1:24:17 PM (CDT) - Central Tuesday, August 26, 2003 at 12:24:17 PM (MDT) - Mountain Tuesday, August 26, 2003 at 11:24:17 AM...