Trinity-Noble Files Petition with FCC

Oct. 10, 2009 - PRLog -- Trinity-Noble, a company that preserves human life through innovative solutions, announced today that it has filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission to initiate federal rulemaking allowing the authorization, certification and use of its device, the Guardian Angel.

The Pennsylvania-based Trinity-Noble (www.trinitynoble.com) submitted the petition for rulemaking to the FCC on Sept. 18, calling on the agency to amend rules drafted long before the unintended deadly consequences of cell phone induced distracted driving were ever dreamt of, let alone realized.  

The Guardian Angel, with patented Celltinel technology, transmits low-power signals that inhibit the use of cellular devices within a focused immediate area. The device features patented jamming technology focused on the driver’s area with no impact to cellular signals outside the vehicle and has the ability to prevent operators of any type of vehicle from using a mobile device if they exceed a certain speed, currently set at 10 miles per hour.

“We are confident that our petition to the FCC demonstrates that our modern technology should not be prohibited by old restrictions against malicious jamming devices,” said Jeremy Chalmers, general counsel for Trinity-Noble. “The Guardian Angel is a device designed for the purpose of allowing parents the right to protect their children from potential deadly communications, much like the FCC-approved v-chip, which allows parents the ability to protect their children from harmful televised content. From a legal perspective, there is simply no disputing the fact that vehicle owners, both the parent and employer, are liable for authorized drivers’ actions and should have the right to eliminate a foreseeable deadly practice like texting.”

Under current law, the FCC does not allow cell phone jamming of any kind. But common sense solutions seem to be chipping away at the antiquated regulation. On Monday, the Senate passed the Safe Prisons Communications Act of 2009 (S.251), which will direct the FCC to initiate rulemaking and ultimately allow states the right to purchase a device authorized by the FCC to jam – or block – the use of illegal cell phone activity in prisons. The bill will now move to the House of Representatives for consideration.

“This is a major development from our point of view,” said Chalmers. “What this demonstrates is that the Senate recognizes that the law must change with changing circumstances and clearly there are certain circumstances throughout our society where there should be exceptions to the old FCC’s jamming statute. It makes sense to block the illegal use of cell phones in prison and it makes sense to allow parents the option of protecting their children from deadly in-vehicle communications.” In concert with its filing of the FCC petition, management of Trinity-Noble attended last week’s Distracted Driving Summit hosted by the Department of Transportation. Chalmers was also featured on a CNBC report leading up to the conference. The CNBC report outlined the hazards of distracted driving and highlighted The Guardian Angel, with the reporter concluding that “a lot of people are looking at this [technology] and it makes sense.”

During the two-day meeting, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called distracted driving a monumental problem in this country.

“To put it plainly, distracted driving is a menace to society," Secretary LaHood told more than 300 participants at the summit, which included Trinity-Noble president, Joseph P. Brennan. “Distracted driving is an epidemic, and it seems to be getting worse every year."

The Transportation Department brought together experts to take a hard look at the road hazards caused by drivers talking on cell phones or texting from behind the wheel. Before the meeting, LaHood said the administration would "work with Congress" to develop ways of curbing distracted driving and said that ultimately, he wanted the meeting to set "the stage for finding ways to eliminate texting while driving."  

“This meeting to address the hazards of cell phone use and texting behind the wheel was long overdue,” said Brennan. “Trying to legislate bans for this problem won’t be enough, and the administration is giving a clear signal that they’re open to ideas that are practical and effective, like the Guardian Angel device.”

The Obama administration reported that nearly 6,000 people were killed and a half-million injured last year in vehicle crashes connected to driver distraction, a striking indication of the dangers of talking on cell phones and texting while driving. The new data underscored the major problem of distractions involving young drivers. The greatest proportion of distracted drivers were those age 20 and under. Sixteen percent of all under-20 drivers involved in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving, the government said.

“The truth is that a great number of these deaths and injuries are entirely preventable if the technology to stop texting and cell phone use were put in place,” said Brennan. “We hope these sobering numbers prompt the government to take action by allowing a safe, effective and technologically-sound solution to this growing problem.”

The summit concluded with the announcement by Secretary LaHood of an Executive Order which places a Federal Government-wide prohibition on the use of text messaging while driving on official business or while using government-supplied equipment.

About Trinity-Noble
Founded in 2007, Trinity-Noble, LLC, (www.trinitynoble.com) is dedicated to the purpose of saving lives, preventing accidents and property loss due to illegal cell phone use by drivers. Our combined 75 years of experience in business and RF Technology, designing novel technologies for military and intelligence purposes has allowed us to secure intellectual property rights that will allow Trinity-Noble, LLC to provide the United States and the world with a solution to a broadening problem on roads and highways: distracted driving due to text messaging, talking, and surfing the Internet while behind the wheel.

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Trinity-Noble, LLC, is dedicated to the purpose of saving lives, preventing accidents and property loss due to illegal cell phone use by drivers.