Sure sounds like SprintPCS would be avantageous for you there at Vanderbilt.
F*CA does not guarantee service everywhere. It does provide to use other
carriers in many places where SprintPCS has no coverage through "roaming". You
do not get to chose what comnpany you roam with, that is controlled by the PRL
in your phone. PRL=Preferred Roaming List.  You may get a general idea of
coverage by checking the Verizon and the Sprint coverage maps, however neither
is detailed enough to show the "Swiss Cheese" type holes in coverage that all
carriers have. If you know of a specific area you will be visiting/working in
the future, you will need to do some reserach as to who has what coverage
there. Most carriers will deny a lack of coverage, and once you're under
contract most will not accept "I've moved or I'm working here for the summer"
as an excuse to get out of the contract because of lack of coverage, although
many have gone to state regulatory agencies and gotten out under those
conditions.

Moral : caveat Emptor - do your due diligence and research, ask freinds,
neighbors, relatives. Never ask a carrier's sales perosn about coverage, the
have too much incentive to exagerate.

Also wait till next week. With the coming of number portability expect a price
war.

Even without having the F&CA option, SPCS should get service via their
roaming options. What the F&CA option does for $5 a month, is to allow you
use up to 50% of your minutes off of SPCS's system.

As to the PRL, it just tells the phone which cellular provider to use while
off of SPCS's system. It will roam on the same freqs as the ones used by
Verizon, 800 Analog & Digital, and 1900 Digital.

When looking at SPCS's phones, you should look at those that are Dual Band /
Tri-mode capable.

Bob

     As to coverage, first step check out the map for TN on Sprint PCS'
web site, then check with friends to see if their phones work where you
are concerned.
     As to roaming, it does have to do with the prl, the frequency and
the mode.  Single band phones will only roam on other PCS carriers and
all PCS is digital.  Sprint PCS now has a digital only phone that will
roam cellular, but no analog.  So if any of the areas that you will want
to use the phone have only analog, don't get any of those.  However,
analog only areas are few and getting fewer.  In a couple of years if a
carrier has not added digital, they will have to go out of business as
the FCC will pull all analog licenses.

Dude, I live in Nashville and Sprint PCS service has been great to me!! And
so has Verizon too. The only time I have seen Sprint PCS not get any service
in Nashville is if you went way out in the middle of freakin nowere.

How do you mean?  As long as a person has a dual band or tri-mode phone,
they can roam on any analog or CDMA digital carrier in the area (usually
Verizon or any mom and pop rural cellular company).

Partially both.  The PRL is the list of carriers that the phone will
search for first when it is roaming.  The preferred carriers on the PRL
are the ones Sprint has the most favorable roaming agreements with.  So,
assuring you have the latest PRL will probably make it easier for your
phone to find the right roaming carrier for where you area.

Also, the phone usually needs to be dual band or tri-mode to roam.  If
it's single-band, then you can only roam on other PCS CDMA carriers
(some Verizon markets have this).