Wireless Wave: Let’s talk for a minute about CTIA’s priorities for 2006 and beyond. But I want to ask that you, to the extent you can, share with the readers not only what your priorities are but also how you plan to go about addressing them. For instance, the state regulation piece piece you just raised. How is CTIA working to stop this type of regulation from getting on the books?
Steve Largent: Let me take your last question first because I want to continue on the state regulation piece. There are several proactive steps we are taking as an industry. First and foremost, we are up on Capitol Hill and over at the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) talking with members of Congress, FCC Commissioners and staff about this specific issue and we are sharing with them exactlywhat I have touched on here. In light of the fact that the FCC is right now engaged in the Truth-in-Billing (TIB) and Early Termination Fee (ETF) proceedings and Congress may rewrite the Telecommunications Act, we think it’s vitally important for policymakers to know what the implications are for consumers if piecemeal, state-by-state regulation of wireless is permitted. The TIB and ETF proceedings are really perfect illustrations of the challenges we are facing in the states. In our view, these are clearly issues pertaining to rates, and the federal law that I have talked about prohibits states from putting forward any regulation that would affect the competitive rates our carriers offer.
So, we feel like we have a tremendous amount of empirical evidence that shows that wireless delivers for consumers when it is lightly regulated at the federal level and we are in a constant dialogue with Congress and the FCC about this important issue.
At the same time, we are very aggressive in the states, and spend a significant amount of time working with state legislators and regulators about the issue. It’s not unusual for me to spend a few days in a state capital meeting with policymakers about this very issue. Our {policymakers and wireless} goals are really not different. We both want consumers to get the best wireless products and ser-vices at the most competitive price. And it’s our job to point out that that happens when you let the competitive marketplace work.
Wireless Wave: OK, you’ve touched on the telecommunications rewrite, the FCC proceedings and what is clearly your top issue, that being how you are regulated and by whom. What else should we expect to see from CTIA in 2006?
Steve Largent: You’ll certainly see us engaged on the issues of Universal Service [Fund] (USF) and Intercarrier Compen-sation (ICC) reform. While these are separate issues, they are most always linked together from a policy stand-point. Regardless of that fact, we feel very strongly that both of these systems need wholesale reform.
