Just because we’re in San Francisco this week doesn’t mean the work in Washington stops.  Today CTIA filed an FCC ex parte on behalf of hundreds of  companies expressing united opposition to the adoption of any "free" broadband mandates in the AWS 3 proceeding.

Our position: while any company should be free to voluntarily provide a "free" advertising-based service to consumers, a regulatory mandate for such a service will harm consumers and potentially delay access to next generation broadband services, especially in rural areas. 

A free service will harm consumers?  How?

Think about it:  At best, given a “free” service’s limited revenue opportunity in any market – a case exacerbated in rural areas – the licensee would have little incentive to invest and build-out the service, thereby defeating its original purpose.  At worst, having to compete with a “free” service could potentially drive most competitors out of any market, which means a reduction in broadband choice and availability.  The FCC will have essentially provided a disincentive for other companies to deploy broadband networks at a time when it should be promoting broadband build-out. 

We know that tailoring auction rules to a specific company's business plan won’t increase broadband adoption in the United States – recall the recent D Block debacle.  The US broadband market is already intensely competitive and is characterized by intra and intermodal competition, multiple business plans and innovative service packages.  

If the Commission wants to see further US broadband adoption, it should seriously consider the multiple currently pending proceedings aimed at doing just that. 

Today CTIA and Neustar celebrated the five-year Anniversary of the Common Short Code program with the presentation of the third annual “CSC Pioneer” Awards.  The event, hosted by CTIA Assistant Vice President Joe Farren, was as successful as the burgeoning short code space. The Common Short code program now has more than 3,100 numbers under management and is enabling new services almost daily.

This year’s honorees included HipCricket Inc, OpenMarket Inc. and M3 Mobile Marketing.  HipCricket is a repeat winner that specializes in increasing customer loyalty for broadcast stations and consumer brands.  OpenMarket is a premier provider of mobile messaging and mobile commerce payment processing systems.  M3 Mobile Marketing is a leader in increasing brand awareness and increasing advertising returns. 

Congratulations to this year's winners!

Act One: Steve Largent sat down with CEOs from T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and Sprint.  Their discussion revolved around a key word in today’s wireless industry: openness.  They were clear: openness is here today.  Each said that their company is promoting and committed to open devices and applications while at the same ensuring a positive user experience. 
With regards to network interoperability:  the laws of physics can be bent but not broken.  A GSM network cannot interface with a CDMA device. But that’s today.

As companies move towards their 4th generation networks, and deploy common standards, network interoperability becomes possible. 

Act Two: Marco Boerries, Exectutive VP of Yahoo’s Connected Life Division then came on and debuted Yahoo’s oneConnect application on the Apple iphone.  This app allows users to centralize their contacts and communications from multiple mediums and social  networks, and makes it mobile.  Next, Boerries debuted Yahoo’s “Blueprint” mobile platform. This is a single, open, cross-platform framework for mobile content and websites. It’s designed to streamline the mobile content and website development cycle, while at the same time enabling robust and diverse features. 

Act Three: Steve returned to the stage to discuss the wireless industry’s evolution and history with mobile luminaries John Stanton and Crag McCaw.  Their discussion was a reflection on and comparison of wireless’s early days and today.  They discussed the characteristics of early cellular users, and how those subscribers compare with today’s mobile broadband users.  They also looked forward, each offering their view of an untethered, wholly connected mobile future.  It was an excellent talk from two industry titans. 

Today from the keynote stage Steve Largent announced the latest CTIA survey findings – watch two video clips of him sharing his thoughts on the growth in wireless data and use:

Texting is Still Terrific!

Wireless Data is a Key Driver

Just got into the Moscone Center and grabbed some breakfast.  Keynotes are at 9:30 – looking forward to them.  We hear that the session will include a retrospective on the industry’s  incredible 25 years, and those individuals that have been instrumental in its evolution.  
We’re also scheduled to hear from some of the industry’s current leadership. I understand that keynote segment will take the shape of a discussion – I’m excited to watch the give and take.

The show floor is scheduled to open at 11  -- we’ll be down there capturing video and interviewing attendees. 

Hope to see you out there!

This show we’re debuting the CTIA Buzz Zone. This area, located on the second floor of Moscone West (adjacent to the Media Center) will be our set for interviews and conversations with some of the industry’s leading minds.  We’ve already sat down with a number of folks, and we’ll be continuing to over the next few days. Topics will range from show announcements to current policy discussions.  We’re really excited about it – stop by and check it out. 

Just left the show floor – thought I’d provide some pics of how things are coming together.  With the way things look now, it’s hard to believe that the show floor opens in less than 24 hours!

Wow—lots of goings around Moscone West today.  The smell of sawdust and beeps of large trucks in reverse permeate the hall.

It’s going to be a great show.  We’ve got a great show in store – some of the industry’s key players are going to be appearing on the keynote stage.  On Day One we’ve got a stellar lineup including Yahoo’s Marco Boerries, T-Mobile’s Robert Dotson, Sprint’s Dan Hesse, Verizon’s Lowell McAdam, Clearwire’s Craig McCaw, and Trilogy Partnership’s John Stanton.

On Day Two, Jim Balsillie of Research in Motion and Adobe’s Shantanu Narayen will be discussing their respective companies latest and greatest mobile endeavors – it should be great. 

Finally, on Day Three, we’ve got particularly exciting plans.  Trip Hawkins of Digital Chocolate will be presenting a recent in-depth Harris Interactive Survey of teen wireless users.  This first-of-its kind teen marketplace study should prove very interesting, and will illuminate the wireless attitudes, perceptions and expectations of today’s teens.

We’ve obviously got some great keynotes lined up. I’m off to check out the show floor construction. 

Check back often for more updates!