In a rare move Congress has made an appeal to lawyers involved in NTP Inc.'s suit against Research in Motion. Congress has spent roughly $6 million on technology relating to the Blackberry wireless email devices, and they are concerned that the patent infringement lawsuit may result in service for the devices being discontinued.
Congress would like to see a solution that allows the Blackberry service to continue operating. They are concerned that a service disruption could create a "serious risk to the House's critical communication."
This concern has increased since the Blackberry devices were purchased primarily in response to the lack of cellular communication that was available following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Lawyers for NTP have said that they will not seek to shut down Blackberry until a suitable alternative has been put in place, but they are concerned because the U.S. Congress is supporting the continued use of a "foreign technology that is determined to be operating unlawfully."