Today, I issued the following statement in response to the closing remarks by the White House and Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on distracted driving:

"The wireless industry remains committed to educating all drivers about the dangers of distracted driving.  We support state and local legislation that would ban texting for all drivers and place wireless use restrictions on teens and novice drivers.  We agree with Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's recommendation that distracted driving legislation should be developed and enforced by state and local governments.  While state and local legislation is a part of the solution, education is key to trying to end distracted driving.  We also agree with Secretary LaHood that personal responsibility is important and every single person needs to be aware about the serious dangers and possible consequences of texting and driving. 

"Since we unveiled our public service announcement (PSA) on Tuesday, September 29th with the National Safety Council, we have received several inquiries from TV stations that have requested to run our PSA and we hope to receive many more. Focused on teens, the PSA tells them to simply remember, ‘On the Road, Off the Phone.'

"We also strongly encourage parents to talk to their kids about these dangers and invite them to visit our Web site at onroadoffphone.org for more information. 

"We look forward to continuing to work with the National Safety Council as well as other participants from the Summit to combat distracted driving."

This morning I issued the following statement in advance of my afternoon panel discussion called “Technology and Distracted Driving” at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Distracted Driving Summit:

“On behalf of the wireless industry, I am pleased to be a part of this inaugural discussion with experts and leaders from various industries, academia, policymakers and other influentials who gathered to learn and discuss the dangers of distracted driving. 

“I am confident that the one thing all of us agree on is that education is essential to trying to end distracted driving. 

“That’s why we were proud to announce our partnership with the National Safety Council and our teen-focused campaign, ‘On the Road, Off the Phone’ on Tuesday, September 29th. We encourage parents and teens to visit our Web site for more information and to view our television public service announcement (PSA).

“CTIA and our members look forward to continued discussions based on the Summit. In addition, the industry remains committed to educating adults and novice drivers about the dangers of distracted driving.”

For more information on Safe Driving, click here.

I issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Hearing on “The Health Effects of Cell Phone Use:”

“CTIA and the wireless industry are deeply committed to safety and to providing timely, accurate information to consumers about wireless phones. When it comes to the facts about cell phones and health-related effects, the industry relies on the conclusions of impartial groups such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Cancer Society, and the National Institute of Health, which have all concluded that the scientific evidence to date does not demonstrate any adverse health effects associated with the use of wireless phones. 

“In July 2009, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) released a statement  addressing the current scientific evidence concerning exposure to high frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF), including frequencies used for modern wireless communications. It said the scientific literature ‘provided no evidence of any adverse effects below the basic restrictions and does not necessitate an immediate revision of its guidance on limiting exposure to high frequency electromagnetic fields.’

“There has been significant research conducted on the issue of whether there is a link between wireless phone use and health effects.  Much has been completed and more continues today. CTIA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently examined scientific questions about radiofrequency (RF) energy pursuant to a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). The FDA, not industry, was responsible for the research performed under the CRADA.

“All wireless devices must adhere to strict emissions guidelines in the United States, which have been developed under a thorough and rigorous review process. All wireless base station antennas and phones must meet the science-based, RF emission guidelines of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which has established very conservative limits to ensure that the health of all citizens is protected. The FCC maintains a database that provides the SAR value for cellular phones sold in the United States.”

For more information on mobile phone health, please visit:

• American Cancer Society:  cellular phones and cellular phone towers
• EMF Explained
• GSMA 
• International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation 
• National Council on Radiation Protection & Measurements 
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• U.S. Federal Communications Commission
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration 
• U.S. National Institute of Health, National Cancer Institute
• World Health Organization (WHO)

Today we issued a release commending National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for designating September 14-20th as "National Telephone Discount Lifeline Awareness Week."  
 
These organizations, along with our members, are focused on increasing attention and participation in Lifeline and Linkup programs which provide low-income consumers with financial assistance for telecom services. 
 
Funded through the Universal Service Fund (USF), the programs offer financial assistance for basic telephone service (Lifeline) and initial telephone installation (Link-Up). Lifeline assistance provides eligible customers with discounts up to $10 per month, depending on their state. Link-up pays half (up to a maximum $30) of the initial installation fee for traditional wireline service or the activation fee for a wireless telephone for a primary residence.
 
For more information about “National Telephone Discount Lifeline Awareness Week,” click here.  To learn more about the Lifeline and Link-up programs, click here.

I issued the following statement today in response to the State of Maryland’s demonstration of cell detection and managed access technology to end contraband cell phone use in prisons:

“CTIA thanks the State of Maryland for hosting yesterday's successful demonstration of both cell detection and managed access technologies that can put a stop to illicit cell phone use by inmates.  The event provided an important opportunity for numerous states’ corrections officials to view the technology in the field. We were pleased that the vendors that tested their companies’ technologies successfully met Maryland's testing criteria. We look forward to continuing to work with corrections officials from Maryland and other states to put an end to the use of contraband phones in prisons while ensuring law-abiding citizens and the public safety community have access to reliable wireless service.”

To learn more about contraband cell phones in prisons, click here.

The FCC is interested in learning more about the wireless industry's competitiveness, innovation, and billing practices. CTIA President & CEO Steve Largent discusses the association's eagerness to share the great wireless story with the Commission, and emphasizes the need for additional spectrum to satisfy the growing consumer demand for wireless data services. To learn more watch this segment from our September installment of our Wonder of Wireless webcast, and take a few moments to see what else we have to offer in our September WOW.

Today, I issued the following statement after CTIA filed comments at the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on the listed property rule for employer-provided cell phones. When cell phones were added to the listed property rule in 1989, mobile phone use was uncommon and cell phones were considered luxury items. Despite the near ubiquity of mobile devices today, employees are still required to maintain logs detailing their business use on a mobile device. Specifically, individuals are expected to record: (1) the amount of such expense or other item, (2) the time and place of the use of the property, (3) the business purpose of the expense, and (4) the business relationship to the taxpayer of the persons using the property. Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and John Ensign (R-NV) and Representatives Sam Johnson (R-TX) and Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) have sponsored the MOBILE Act (S. 144/H.R. 690) to address this matter.

“We agree with Secretary Geithner’s and Commissioner Shulman’s June 16 statement that said it must be ‘clear that there will be no tax consequence to employers or employees for personal use of work-related devices such as cell phones provided by employers.’

“Unfortunately, the alternatives proposed by the IRS are either incomplete or inadequate solutions that would continue to subject employees and employers to onerous call log requirements.

“Instead, CTIA and the wireless industry support the MOBILE Act, which would remove mobile devices from the listed property rule and accomplish Secretary Geithner’s and Commissioner Shulman’s goal of repealing a burdensome and poorly understood tax rule. There is broad, bi-partisan support for this legislation and we urge the Congress to act on it this year.”

To see CTIA's filing to the IRS, please click here.

I issued the statement below in response to today’s FCC Open Commission Meeting:

“CTIA and the wireless industry appreciate the opportunity to respond to the Notices of Inquiry and to provide the Chairman and Commissioners, as well as other policy-makers, with information on the status of the evolving wireless ecosystem.  Whether it be the almost 100,000 applications that are now available to consumers since the opening of the first applications store 14 months ago, or the launch in the United States of the newest smart phones, or the ability of more consumers in the U.S than anywhere else on the planet to access the highest speed wireless networks, or the lowest price per minute of the 26 countries tracked by Merrill Lynch, or the highest minutes of use of those same 26 countries, or the fact that we have the least concentrated wireless market on the planet, or the evolution in the way services are sold – we are excited to tell the industry’s story.  The wireless ecosystem – from carriers, to handset manufacturers, to network providers, to operating system providers, to application developers – is evolving before our eyes and this is not the same market that it was even three years ago.  In this industry, innovation is everywhere.” 

For an independent review of the wireless industry, please click here.