NEWS BRIEFS
Bluesocket closes financing deal
Bluesocket Inc. officials have announced that the company has “closed its third institutional round of equity financing in an oversubscribed $10 million round led by Menlo Ventures with current investors participating.”
Bluesocket’s total funding to date is more than $32 million.
Bluesocket investors include Ascent Venture Partners, Boulder Ventures, Intel Capital, Ironside Ventures, Osborn Capital, Ridgewood Capital, St. Paul Venture Capital.
With the third round of funding, Hal Calhoun — managing director of Menlo Ventures — joins Bluesocket’s board of directors.
“Menlo evaluated more than 60 companies in the WLAN market over the past two years before choosing to invest in Bluesocket,” said Hal Calhoun. “Bluesocket’s large and established customer base, well-developed reseller channel, unique technology, mature product line, and concise business and technology roadmap promises continued leadership in the market for security and management of WLANs in educational, government, healthcare and enterprise installations.”
Barnhill nabs MAXRAD Hanus award
During its 25-year anniversary celebration, antenna manufacturer MAXRAD Inc. presented the 2003 George M. Hanus Award to Robert B. Barnhill Jr. in recognition for his leadership and contributions in the wireless communications industry.
During the presentation, which took place among a well-represented crowd of peers and industry professionals, Steve L. Deppe, MAXRAD’s CEO, said, “In this special year, it is appropriate that we recognize one of the leading figures of our industry. Bob Barnhill’s leadership at TESSCO and in the wireless industry has been exemplary…we are proud to be a leading supplier and partner with TESSCO.”
The annual George M. Hanus award was established in 1998 in memory of MAXRAD’s founder, and has since been presented to distinguished members of the wireless communications industry. The award includes a $1,000 scholarship presented to a technical school selected by the honoree.
This year’s winner is founder, chairman and chief executive officer of TESSCO Technologies, a provider of products and supply chain solutions for building, operating, maintaining and using wireless telecommunications systems. The school Barnhill selected to receive the Hanus scholarship will be announced at a later date.
APCO president Bradshaw resigns
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials — APCO — International, announced that Thera Bradshaw, assistant general manager of the Information Technology Agency of the City of Los Angeles, has resigned as President of the Association.
Bradshaw served as president of the Oregon Chapter of APCO for two terms and chairwoman of several of its committees. Bradshaw also served as facilitator for APCO’s Project LOCATE Team, dedicated to assisting the nation’s Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) in preparing for and receiving wireless Enhanced 911 (E911) location information service from wireless carriers. Bradshaw also served as president of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) in 1995 before being elected APCO’s second vice president in 1999.
Before her work in Los Angeles, in April 2001, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown appointed her to direct emergency communications for the city and county. Bradshaw was handed the challenging task of leading a $167 million public safety consolidation project and moving a staff of 240 into a new building. She then directed the new state-of-the-art facility that houses police, fire and EMS services under one 34,000-square-foot roof.
‘In her tenure at APCO, President Bradshaw demonstrated remarkable leadership,” APCO International Executive Director John K. Ramsey said. “She was monumental in helping this Association and the public safety communications community achieve many successes over the years.”
Bradshaw is stepping down from the presidency after more than three years of service to the APCO International Board of Officers due to personal reasons and job responsibilities. APCO International President-Elect Vincent Stile, Director of the Suffolk County (NY) Police Communications Bureau, succeeds Bradshaw as president.
Earthlink dials up phone business
EarthLink is getting into the phone business. The ISP announced plans to launch an IP-based phone service over its national broadband footprint. The company will peddle a flat-rate local and long distance service to cable modem and DSL customers, offering all the bells and whistles along with cheap international calling plans for $39.95.
However, lacking backup power and reliability assurances, the service does not fall under the life-line category. While that frees EarthLink of certain regulatory burdens, it should put the service at a disadvantage when going head-to-head with the incumbent providers.
It marks the first big-name, national ISP to venture into the local dial tone fray. EarthLink has 779K high-speed data customers between its DSL and cable modem services.
Not only will the development add a bit more pressure on the already besieged local phone companies, but it also promises to turn up the heat slightly on the cable industry, which has been reluctant to jump into the IP phone business.
