Darrell Issa, Representative for the California 49th, made the following statement today:
We have learned that planners at the Department of Defense and USAID are currently envisioning using federal appropriations to deploy a European-based wireless technology, known as GSM, for [the] new Iraqi cellphone system.
The U.S. government will soon hand U.S. taxpayer dollars over to French, German, and other European cellphone equipment companies to build the new Iraqi cellphone system. This is not acceptable.
CDMA and GSM are competing cell phone standards. Both CDMA and GSM are used in the US, while GSM is used throughout most of Europe and some of Asia.
Set aside, for a moment, the lunacy about worrying about the future Iraqi cell phone network while American and Iraqis are killing each other. Instead, ask yourself why Issa even cares? Not surprisingly, Qualcomm, which holds several key CDMA patents, is a quick 30 minute drive from his local office. In fact, Qualcomm was the sixth largest donor to the 2002 Issa campaign. While Qualcomm and other US manufacturers make GSM cell phones and network equpiment, Qualcomm doesn't get a patent royalty check from GSM products.
Issa's donors can rest easy tonight, knowing that their Representative will squeeze every last dime out of this war for them.
Posted by pmk at March 27, 2003 11:19 AM