Chips Jeopardizing Safety?

Both FEMA and NENA are opposing a proposed ban on the importation of electronics chips manufactured abroad by Qualcomm Inc. The ban is being considered by the U.S. International Trade Commission, in response to a judge’s ruling last October that Qualcomm infringed on another company’s patents. In written comments, NENA president wrote in a 2-page letter to the agency, “A key aspect of our member’s work is receiving 9-1-1 calls placed from cellular telephones,” and that blocking importation of chips that go into EV-DO technology handsets might mean cellular customers would be using handsets with less accuracy for 911 calls. Download (pdf) the letter here.