Blog | News & Information on Wireless Services & Telecommunications

Modern technology keeps families connected

Posted: 10/23/08 by Diane Smith

Whether it's a back-to-school shopping trip or just an afternoon ski run, as I've mentioned in previous blog posts, even when we're apart, cell phones have enabled my family to stay close and connected with each other.  And it appears that our family is not alone.

On Sunday, the Pew Internet and American Life Project released poll results that found that 25 percent of respondents said cell phones and online communications made their families closer, 60 percent of adults said the new technologies did not affect the closeness of their families and only 11 percent said the technology had a negative effect

The year 2000 marked the first decade in which a majority of Americans used Internet and cell phone technology.  The advances in these technologies have certainly corresponded to increases in multi-tasking and general activity, but it has also allowed me the freedom to live my life as I choose.  Whether that means texting my daughter to see what she's up to without being too much of a "helicopter mom," or starting a business in the mountains of Montana - technology and cell phones have kept me close to my loved ones.

For more interesting data from the poll, check out the Washington Post Story, "Internet, Cell phones May Strengthen Family Unit, Study Finds."

500 miles, 11 calls,  3 shopping malls, 2 teenagers and cell phones

Posted: 08/11/08 by Diane Smith

500 miles, 11 calls, 8 texts, 6 hours of Jonas Brothers tunes, 3 shopping malls, 2 teenagers, 1 photo of me in "lame" jeans. 

These are the statistics of our recent school shopping trip to Spokane, WA.  We have made an annual trek to Spokane for school shopping since our move to Montana from the "city".  We stay at the Davenport Hotel (fabulous place) and eat at chain restaurants that we miss from our urban days.  It's become a fun, family tradition that we all look forward to.   

This year our daughter brought along a friend and requested that we let them shop alone, rather than trail her in and out of the stores as we have previously done.  The girls are 14, better shoppers than we will ever be, so monitoring their purchases is not important.  Monitoring their safety, however, in a distant city, is an absolute requirement.   Wanting to support their desire for autonomy, we compromised.   

And that's where the 11 calls and 8 texts come in.  We agreed to hourly calls via cell phone and face to face meetings every two hours.   The girls both had cell phones, and both agreed to answer our calls or texts - every time.    Our schedules wound up frequently modified courtesy of texts and quick calls.  In fact we mostly met early for shopping bag drop-off, lack of loot, or hunger.     Not once, during two days of shopping, did we feel like the girls were out of touch or out of our reach.  Even though a typical exchange was simply "R u ok?",  "Yup", it was enough.  Being able to communicate constantly, we were able to give the kids some space.   At 14, space is a precious commodity (for kids and their parents) so we were grateful for the compromise we were able to strike.  And, fortunately for me, I was still able to rely on the advice of my young fashion experts when I sent a photo of me in a pair of jeans that my daughter considmoered "lame" -  didn't need them anyway.    

So, we all had a great time.  Thanks to our cell phones, the Jonas Brothers, two great teenage girls, and the lovely city of Spokane.  

No penalty for paradise

Posted: 07/03/08 by Diane Smith

I recently had the honor of being profiled in a new Montana magazine called 406 Woman. The title of the article was "No Penalty for Paradise", reflecting an ongoing discussion between me and my fellow entrepreneurs in rural America about whether living in a desirable location was inconsistent with the idea of successful business formation.  For many of us, transplants from urban life, when we first arrived in our new communities, we questioned whether building a business beyond a small sole proprietorship was realistic.  We had the same concerns as any new business owner - staffing, funding, lines of credit, healthcare, and so forth.  But added to those concerns were other worries specific to our locations - Can we hire qualified staff?  Will they work hard?   Do we have the necessary communications infrastructure?  Can we get flights to required destinations?   Will our infrastructure costs and capabilities allow us to remain competitive with businesses located in more accessible locations?     

Question by question we figured it out.  Staffing was the most pleasant surprise.  Our employees want to live here, resulting in a highly qualified, truly dedicated team.  Funding and lines of credit were a challenge because investors simply weren't familiar with investments in remote locations.  But, even though money players would rather you were right next door, if the business plan works, the money will come.  It's amazing the number of angel investor networks and strategic investors available to businesses in rural areas - never easy, but manageable.  Healthcare costs were staggering no matter where we were located but not particularly higher here than elsewhere.   Flights were and still are a problem.  But, because flights were challenging, we relied even more heavily on our communications infrastructure.  And the communications infrastructure is what truly allowed us to finally conclude that there is "No Penalty for Paradise". 

For rural communities, distance has too often been a significant business challenge.   But, as a result of advances in technology and infrastructure over the past decade, those of us living the rural life can now "reach out and touch" our colleagues nationwide and even internationally in a cost-effective and service-effective fashion.  In my hometown in MT, we have great cell phone service with national calling plans.  We have wireline DSL and cable broadband.  We have more Wi-Fi'd coffee shops (all with free Wi-Fi)  than I can find when I'm back in the city.    We also have video conferencing facilities for hire if we need them.  As a result, we can stay on-line, talk live, and stay in touch with our customers, employees, vendors, and the myriad of others with whom it takes to launch a successful business.    It's truly remarkable the difference that our communications advances over the past decade have made for businesses - so much so that we are now planning for our next title - "Rural America, Open for Business".      

Mobile Medicine Continued

Posted: 06/05/08 by Diane Smith

Building on Jonathan Spalter's blog from a few weeks ago, I would also like to discuss the application of cell phones to the dilemmas faced in rural medicine.  When my family moved from Washington, D.C. to Montana, I realized that there was a lot more than just real estate to consider when moving from a busy metropolis to quieter community.  When you live in large city, your healthcare options are numerous from different hospitals to alternative medicine and cutting edge technology.   In many rural areas, it's not that easy. 

However, advancements in cellular and medical technology and the expansion of network coverage have resulted in healthcare breakthroughs in rural areas that are applicable in the U.S. and abroad.  Recent achievements include:

• Cell phones attached to EKG (electrocardiogram) devices that can continuously collect and monitor data on heart rhythms. If a patient's heart rhythm becomes dangerous, the cell phone calls the emergency room. Doctors are alerted by the phone call and can then begin to diagnose and prepare to treat the patient upon arrival at the hospital. This is critical for long ambulance rides to the hospital in which every minute counts and can literally be the difference between life, disability or death.
• The scanner mentioned in Jonathan Spalter's blog can spot simulated breast tumors and is field testing spotting internal bleeding, a frequent cause of post-childbirth deaths in developing countries.
• A speech therapy program, nicknamed Baldi, is a computer program that features an animated language tutor and has helped autistic and hearing-impaired children learn to talk. This program is currently being adapted for the cell phone screen and is hoping to aid Malaysian stroke victims. Forty-thousand Malaysians suffer strokes each year and a third of survivors have speech impairments. Cell phones reach about twice as much of Malaysia as Internet access so if the Baldi program is successful at virtual therapy via cell phone, the government of Malaysia has agreed to "help provide cell phones," according to the leader of the research team, Sri Kurniawan.

To learn more about these research efforts, you can read about them in this article from the San Jose Mercury news.

Additional medical applications of cellular technology are utilizing the text message feature on cell phones.  With over 250 million wireless subscribers in the United States, many of whom take one or more prescription drugs, some companies have created applications that allow you to look up your prescription drug information and sends text reminders for when you are supposed to take your pills.  These applications are particularly useful for avoiding negative drug interactions.  For those of us who are extremely busy and/or forgetful, it's great for keeping track of dosages and following the prescribed schedule set by your doctor.

With all the advancements in medical and cellular technology, there are sure to be many more healthcare breakthroughs in the future, and this can only mean good things for rural healthcare in the U.S. and abroad.

The Most Used Appliance in my House: My Cell Phone

Posted: 03/27/08 by Diane Smith

We are a three person home (two adults, one teenager). We have three laptops, two ipod touches, several wireline phones, DSL, two cable-tvs, multiple cd players, Wii, PS-2, you name it. So what's the most used appliance by all 3 of us? Our cell phones.

Some of you might be thinking that "appliance" is better used to describe the refrigerator, the stove or even the washing machine. When you think about it, all these devices were at one time new technologies that were considered luxuries when first introduced, but they made life so much better they are now indispensable to modern life - you simply can't imagine living without them. No one is going to use a wash board or cook over a campfire in the back yard. Heck, I'm not even allowed near a campfire without protective gear.

What does this have to do with my cell phone? When cell phones were first introduced, no one expected they would be adopted at such a rapid pace. They were considered luxury goods or supplements to what was the indispensable wireline phone. Now, my husband, daughter, and I all travel, work, play, and ski with our cell phones. Our move to Montana six years ago was, in large measure, a reflection of our belief that we could "drop out" of urban America and continue to earn a living and stay in touch with our loved ones - thanks to our cell phones! And, we've been right. From my 82 year old mother-in-law to all our East Coast based colleagues, we stay connected via texts, calls, and e-mails. In many ways, we are better connected today than we were 6 years ago when we all lived nearby.

Now, whether we are working, or skiing, or simply figuring out what time to pick up our daughter at volleyball practice, we simply couldn't do it without our cell phones. Take my microwave or dishwasher, I recently even gave up my laptop for repair for a week - all ok. But, lose my cell phone and my family and my business become hopelessly lost.

So, you see that not only are our wireless phones our most used device, but they are an appliance that we simply could not live without.

Innovative loan program aiding in rural broadband deployment

Posted: 03/04/08 by Diane Smith

The Washington Post recently reported that one of the first things new Agriculture Secretary Edward Schafer did was to make it a priority to ensure the Rural Utility Service improved its loan process so companies can provide broadband to rural America.
 
It is just this type of program that, if properly implemented, is government at its best. Thanks to this partnership between the Agriculture Department and private industry that began in the 1920s, rural America has clean drinking water, electricity and telephone service.
 
For nearly a century, the Agriculture Department and the private sector have worked to ensure rural America has basic infrastructure, and in the 21st century broadband is a basic service. For small communities to thrive, being connected to the rest of the world is a necessity and broadband is their link to economic development, educational opportunities, and even opera.
 
Yet, as much as these communities may want something, the economic incentives must be there to deploy the infrastructure, whether it be fiber, cable or wireless towers. It is expensive to serve these areas and the return on that investment can be a long time in coming in sparsely populated areas. That is a tricky proposition for any company seeking traditional financing, where a return on the investment is often expected within a 12-month period. Because that isn’t always possible, the loan program made available by the Rural Utility Service is very important.
 
Take for example, Montana, where less than a million people live in a state that spans more than 147,000 square miles. Wireless broadband technology can be a cost-effective way to deploy broadband and in some cases it may be the most feasible way given the terrain and physical conditions of the land.
 
No matter which technology is being used, it takes significant investments to build broadband networks and offer service.  I wish Secretary Schafer luck in his efforts to make the RUS loans more readily available to those who want to offer broadband in rural areas.
 
This is the way government should be involved in the wireless industry – making available the needed resources to those who can deliver the much-needed services.