Story Archives of 'Telephones'

Let me go out on a limb here and assume you’ve been the victim of bad cell phone coverage from time to time. Dropped calls, dead spots -- these are the small annoyances of modern day communication. And depending where you live, you might even get bad cell coverage in your own home -- a truly frustrating scenario. Well, the wireless companies are working on a solution to this issue. They’d like to put cell phone towers in all our homes. Well, not really full-sized towers. They’re devices about the size of a breadbox that provide coverage throughout the house.

Roger Crockett wrote about the contraptions for Businessweek, and he joins us Word of Mouth to fill us in. Roger is the Chicago deputy bureau manager for Businessweek. He covers telecommunications, technology, and e-commerce.

Click here to read Roger Crockett’s article on home cell phone towers.

(Photo by Jeff Kubina)

In May, when Senator Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with brain cancer, rumors circulated that his malignant brain tumor was linked to habitual cellphone use. The rumors prompted CNN's Larry King Live to devote an entire show to the subject.

Millions of people worldwide spend a lot of time with cell phones held up to their ears, and concern over whether cellphones cause or contribute to brain tumours is an issue that keeps surfacing. Maybe you saw the viral video of kids popping corn with their cell phones. Millions of people did, before it was discovered to be a hoax created by the makers of Bluetooth headsets.

We wanted to find out what the latest research can tell us about the potential health risks of radio frequency radiation. Melinda Wenner is a science writer based in New York. She wrote about cell phones and the possible link to cancer in the Canadian magazine The Walrus.

(Photo by Billie)

Fairpoint, a North Carolina based telecom company, will soon take over Verizon’s land-based telephone and internet network in northern New England. Vermont and Maine agreed to the deal earlier in the year but New Hampshire’s Public Utility Commission didn’t agree until Monday. Opponents worry the acquisition is too financially risky for the state, but those who supported the deal think it will do a lot for New Hampshire, especially in the struggling North Country. We’ll break down the deal and how it may affect the state.

Guests

• Jeff Feingold, editor of the New Hampshire Business Review
• Jim Roche, president of the New Hampshire Business and Industry Association
• TBA

Fairpoint Communications has stepped closer to taking over Verizon’s traditional phone service in Northern New England.

The staff of New Hampshire’s Public Utilities Commission has given the green light to a deal that would lower the price Fairpoint would pay for the land line network.

New Hampshire Public Radio’s David Darman has more.