Kirk Kirkpatrick
Encyclopedia
Harold W. "Kirk" Kirkpatrick (born December 30, 1960) is the founder and CEO of MDS America
Inc. Corporation, a telecommunications services company that designs, manufactures, installs, and maintains proprietary Digital Wireless Broadcasting systems for telecommunications operators worldwide.
spanning Europe and countries of Central Asia and the Ex-Soviet Union
, connecting them into the newly expanding Internet. At this time he also programmed one of the first AppleEvent aware programs, MacConference, in 1994.
Mr. Kirkpatrick's first iPhone App, iCalcLC, was approved for the Apple App Store on April 28th, 2011.
, bringing the Internet to Kuwait
and gaining a reputation as an Internet
expert in the Persian Gulf countries. Mr. Kirkpatrick has spoken on Internet related topics in the United States
, Kuwait
, Bahrain
, Saudi Arabia
, Oman
, Egypt
, Lebanon
, Israel
, and the United Arab Emirates
.
with Peter Blond with backing from His Excellency Shiekh Ali Al-Khalifa Al-Sabah (Former Minister of Finance and Former Minister of Petroleum for the State of Kuwait), targeting rural customers for high speed broadband.
As the head of MDSA, he successfully lobbied the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) (Docket 98-206) and the United States Congress
to allow the auction of the MVDDS
band of Radio Frequency spectrum. He led MDS Operations through two FCC Spectrum auctions purchasing the licenses for MVDDS at a lower cost per household than any other major bidder in the auction.
Kirkpatrick is originally from Blue Ridge, Georgia
but has lived in Belgium
, Germany
, Kuwait
, Egypt
, Israel
, and the United States
. He speaks English
and German
fluently, and French
, Dutch
, Arabic, and Chinese (Putonghua) at varying levels. He is married to the former Feng Zhe (Amy) of Shanghai
, China
.
Mr. Kirkpatrick is a current member of both Mensa International
and the Triple Nine Society
. ; he is included in Marquis Publications' Who's Who in America (2008–11), Who's Who in Finance & Business (2009–11), Who's Who in Science & Engineering (2010-11), & Who's Who in the World (2010-11).
MDS America
MDS America, Inc is a wireless Internet and wireless cable TV technology provider based in Stuart, Florida. MDS America was the primary party responsible for the invalidation of Northpoint Technology Inc's patents having to do with terrestrial rebroadcast of satellite signals.MDS Operations, an...
Inc. Corporation, a telecommunications services company that designs, manufactures, installs, and maintains proprietary Digital Wireless Broadcasting systems for telecommunications operators worldwide.
Information systems
Kirkpatrick started in the Information Systems Division of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty where he programmed client–server systems and built networksComputer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
spanning Europe and countries of Central Asia and the Ex-Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, connecting them into the newly expanding Internet. At this time he also programmed one of the first AppleEvent aware programs, MacConference, in 1994.
Mr. Kirkpatrick's first iPhone App, iCalcLC, was approved for the Apple App Store on April 28th, 2011.
Internet
In 1994 he took the first position of Manager of Information Systems for the Public Data Network (PDN) of KuwaitKuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, bringing the Internet to Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
and gaining a reputation as an Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
expert in the Persian Gulf countries. Mr. Kirkpatrick has spoken on Internet related topics in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
.
United States and MDS America
In 2000, he founded MDS AmericaMDS America
MDS America, Inc is a wireless Internet and wireless cable TV technology provider based in Stuart, Florida. MDS America was the primary party responsible for the invalidation of Northpoint Technology Inc's patents having to do with terrestrial rebroadcast of satellite signals.MDS Operations, an...
with Peter Blond with backing from His Excellency Shiekh Ali Al-Khalifa Al-Sabah (Former Minister of Finance and Former Minister of Petroleum for the State of Kuwait), targeting rural customers for high speed broadband.
As the head of MDSA, he successfully lobbied the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) (Docket 98-206) and the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to allow the auction of the MVDDS
MVDDS
MVDDS ' is a type of television and Internet delivery technology licensed for use in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission . This was subsequently tested by The MITRE Corporation for the FCC...
band of Radio Frequency spectrum. He led MDS Operations through two FCC Spectrum auctions purchasing the licenses for MVDDS at a lower cost per household than any other major bidder in the auction.
Kirkpatrick is originally from Blue Ridge, Georgia
Blue Ridge, Georgia
Blue Ridge is a city in Fannin County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,210 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Fannin County.-Geography:Blue Ridge, GA is located at ....
but has lived in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He speaks English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
fluently, and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, Arabic, and Chinese (Putonghua) at varying levels. He is married to the former Feng Zhe (Amy) of Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Mr. Kirkpatrick is a current member of both Mensa International
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
and the Triple Nine Society
Triple Nine Society
The Triple Nine Society , founded in 1978, is a voluntary association of individuals who have scored at or above the 99.9th percentile on specific IQ tests under supervised conditions, which generally correlates to an IQ of 149 or greater...
. ; he is included in Marquis Publications' Who's Who in America (2008–11), Who's Who in Finance & Business (2009–11), Who's Who in Science & Engineering (2010-11), & Who's Who in the World (2010-11).