CTIA - The Wireless Association® Blog - Consumer News

CTIA Statement on Testifying Before the FCC's Distracted Driving Staff Workshop

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:25:00 -0500

Today, I issued the following statement after appearing on a panel at the FCC's Distracted Driving Staff Workshop:

"We appreciated the opportunity to discuss this important issue at the FCC.

"Over the last few months, CTIA and our members have participated in several Congressional hearings, developed a teen-focused anti-texting and driving campaign, and spoken with numerous stakeholders to discuss ways our industry can help stop distracted driving.

“I want to reiterate our support of bans on manual texting and emailing while driving. We also believe in mobile device restrictions for teen and novice drivers so they can better focus on learning how to be better drivers.

"We support technological advancements, but caution that they cannot be based on inflexible mandates that could stifle innovation. They must also be affordable and consumer-friendly.

"Finally, we will continue our focus on educating drivers of all ages about safe driving and responsible wireless use. Most recently, CTIA partnered with the National Safety Council this year to release our teen-focused ‘On the Road, Off the Phone’ campaign with a TV public service announcement and Web site.

“CTIA and our members look forward to working with the FCC as well as other policymakers and stakeholders at all levels to address the dangers of distracted driving."

For more information about the CTIA and NSC "On the Road, Off the Phone" campaign, please visit: www.onroadoffphone.org.

International CTIA WIRELESS 2010® Call For Speakers

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:52:00 -0500

Have you ever wondered how CTIA picks its speakers for our tradeshows? Or perhaps you’ve thought, “Gee, I’d make a great speaker/moderator/panelist.”

Today, we issued a Call for Speakers for our spring trade show taking place March 22-25, 2010 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

We’re accepting submissions beginning today until December 11, 2009 from experienced and innovative company executives and members of the media.

CTIA’s educational sessions highlight the important topics, trends and policy issues that are affecting the wireless ecosystem. Thousands of show attendees go to these sessions to learn from the valuable experiences of seasoned industry executives from trendsetting companies as they share their knowledge and understanding of wireless solutions, key applications, implementation approaches and experiences, best practices and case studies.

Some of the proposed educational session topics for International CTIA WIRELESS 2010 include:

Augmented Reality
Intelligent Transportation
Location Aware Applications
mHealth Solutions
Mobile Marketing & Advertising
Mobile Music & Games
Retail and Mobile Payments

You can submit an application or get more information on the application process at: www.ctiaspeakers.com.

Driving Safety

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:28:00 -0500

Texting and driving don't mix, and CTIA supports laws that make texting while driving illegal. Learn more about the industry's safe driving positions and watch our new public service announcement aimed at helping parents to tell their teens, when you're on the road, get off the phone. To learn more watch this segment from our November installment of our Wonder of Wireless webcast, and take a few moments to see what else we have to offer in this month's WOW.

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Lost Skier Saved by Cell Phone!

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:15:00 -0500

On this month's WOW we took a trip down a mountain with Michael McKinney a resident of Lake Tahoe, CA. When a snowstorm dumped an enormous amount of fresh powder on the nearby ski slopes, McKinney & his friends couldn't wait to get out and hit the trails last year, but McKinney wound up lost & in serious trouble, until his cell phone came to the rescue. To learn more watch this segment from our November installment of our Wonder of Wireless webcast, and take a few moments to see what else we have to offer in this month's WOW.

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FACT: The U.S. is the Leader for Innovation and Investment, Means Consumers Win - Continued

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:12:00 -0500

In my blog post yesterday, I mentioned the misleading OECD Mobile Communications Outlook report that claimed U.S. consumers pay some of the highest prices for mobile services in the world. While we clearly explained what the problems were with the study, we were pleased to see others engage and refute its findings.

Another telecommunications expert who debunked the study is the Phoenix Center’s Chief Economist, Dr. George Ford. Dr. Ford commented on the OECD’s mobile price metrics in a recent policy perspective report.

Here are some of Dr. Ford’s recommendations to improve the OECD’s analysis:

At a minimum, the OECD should expand the number of pricing baskets to reflect usage levels across countries. The high-usage basket should be at least 2,000 total voice minutes per month.
To the extent possible, the OECD should incorporate the full distribution of usage (or usages) in Member Countries rather than looking at a few customer types.
The OECD should include a sufficient number of carriers to adequately represent the best prices available in a given country for all usage levels, instead of its current practice of limiting only to a few arbitrarily selected carriers in each Member Country.
The OECD should explicitly recognize the complexities of comparing mobile prices across countries, including economic, cultural, and regulatory differences that affect demand and prices. As Dr. Ford explains, for “the data to be used wisely and effectively, the report should clearly disclose the limitations of reported statistics to enable accurate interpretation.”
Finally, Dr. Ford recommends that the OECD should primarily document the variety of pricing plans offered in each country, “rather than create price indexes of dubious merit.” In so doing, the OECD can “serve as a useful and policy-relevant provider of data, rather than a purveyor of ‘filtered’ data of questionable credibility.”

CTIA agrees with Dr. Ford’s conclusion that Americans do not pay higher prices for wireless service.

As avid readers of this blog know, we’ve written numerous posts using information from well-respected third party influentials and organizations on how the U.S. wireless industry is the world’s leader in overall satisfaction, value, competition and innovation. We’re pleased everyone from Former Vice President Al Gore to Consumer Reports magazine has recognized the industry’s numerous benefits. To learn more about what others are saying about us, check out this independent assessment.

CTIA's FCC Reply Filing Summary on Wireless Industry's Innovation and Investment

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:43:00 -0500

Last Thursday (11/5), CTIA filed reply comments to the FCC on the wireless industry’s innovation and investment.

As we have seen in the last 18 months, the U.S. wireless ecosystem has experienced tremendous change. The industry has embraced the evolution of networks to 3G and now 4G technologies, the explosion of innovative devices, the emergence of application stores, and new machine-to-machine communications.

Specifically, we’ve seen:

3G technology has been deployed to more than 92% of the U.S. population;
At least 33 companies manufacture wireless devices for the U.S. market, and consumers can choose from nearly 630 wireless devices.
More than 85% of all devices on carriers’ networks are Web-capable and 20% of new devices are equipped with Wi-Fi capability. According to Nielsen, the percentage of consumers actively using mobile Internet capabilities in the U.S. is higher than any other country.
Well over 100,000 mobile-specific applications have come to the market from six different stores;
Reported minutes of use (“MOUs”) amounted to 1.16 trillion for the six months ending in June 2009, which is the highest minutes-of-use per month and the lowest price-per-minute of service of the 26 OECD countries tracked by Merrill Lynch.
Reported SMS messages for the six-month period totaled more than 740 billion, nearly doubling the 385 billion reported for the same period in 2008;
For the twelve months ending June 2009, providers reported making capital investments totaling $19.5 billion;
Providers added over 25,000 new cell sites, up 11.5% over the prior year.

CTIA’s most recent data confirms that, despite these challenging economic times, wireless carriers continue to invest and innovate in their networks while consumers adopt and demand the latest wireless services, devices, and applications. This aggressive consumer adoption only serves to fuel the continued virtuous cycle of the wireless ecosystem.

Testimony Highlights from House Energy & Commerce Joint Subcommittee Hearing on Distracted Driving

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:29:00 -0500

Today I testified before the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittees on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection and on Communications, Technology and the Internet in a joint hearing called “Driven To Distraction: Technological Devices and Vehicle Safety.”

While you can read my testimony and the statement, here are some of the key points. We believe there are three components to making safer drivers and safer roads. They are:

Legislation: The wireless industry joins Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in supporting a state and local ban on manual texting and emailing while driving. In fact, we are working with the National Conference of State Legislatures, the American Legislative Exchange Council, and other state organizations to craft model legislation that could be adopted across the country that would prohibit this activity. In addition, the industry supports restrictions on provisional or novice drivers from using their wireless devices while driving.
Technology: We support technological advancements, but caution that they cannot be based on inflexible mandates that could stifle innovation. They must also be affordable and consumer-friendly.
Education: Last, but most importantly, CTIA and the wireless industry have a longstanding commitment and support to educating all drivers about the dangers of distracted driving. For almost 10 years, the association and many of our members have independently developed educational campaigns. We’ve launched several TV and radio public service announcement (PSA) campaign on safe driving. Most recently, CTIA and the National Safety Council launched our teen-focused “On the Road, Off the Phone” campaign.

Please tell everyone you know that no one should be texting and emailing while driving. It will lead to safer drivers and safer roads for all of us.

CTIA Statement on Testifying Before House Hearing On "Addressing the Problem of Distracted Driving"

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:09:00 -0500

Today, CTIA’s Executive Vice President Bobby Franklin issued the following statement after his testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit hearing on "Addressing the Problem of Distracted Driving":

"CTIA and the wireless industry appreciated the opportunity to participate at the House hearing on this very important issue. With so many Americans relying on mobile devices as a great safety tool, it's important to remind consumers that there is an appropriate time and inappropriate time to use them.

"Legislation, technology and education are three vital components that we believe are needed to develop safer drivers and safer roads. CTIA believes that manual texting and emailing while driving are incompatible with safe driving and join Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in supporting a state and local ban on this activity. In fact, we are working with the National Conference of State Legislatures, the American Legislative Exchange Council, and other state organizations to craft model legislation that could be adopted across the country that would prohibit manual texting and emailing while driving.

"We also support technological advancements, but caution that they cannot be based on inflexible mandates that could stifle innovation. They must also be affordable and consumer-friendly.

"Finally, we are proud of our long-standing educational activities, including our recent partnership with the National Safety Council to launch a teen-focused campaign, ‘On the Road, Off the Phone.' As part of the campaign, we developed a Web site and a television public service announcement which has been viewed thousands of times since we launched last month.

"CTIA and our members look forward to continuing to work with policymakers and stakeholders at all levels to combat distracted driving."

For more information about the CTIA and NSC "On the Road, Off the Phone" campaign, please visit: www.onroadoffphone.org.

CTIA Statement on Sen. Commerce Committee Chairman Rockefeller's "Distracted Driving Act of 2009"

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:52:00 -0500

Today, I issued the following statement in response to Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller's (D-WV) introduction of “Distracted Driving Prevention Act of 2009” (S. 1938):

"CTIA welcomes introduction of Chairman Rockefeller’s legislation, and we look forward to working with the Chairman and his colleagues to enact a solution to the problem of distracted driving.

“We are particularly pleased that the legislation includes a significant educational component since, as Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood has noted, legislative prohibitions alone are unlikely to solve this problem. We have partnered with the National Safety Council to co-brand a public service announcement (PSA) and Web site (onroadoffphone.org) focused on educating consumers about the dangers and consequences of distracted driving. Having the DOT echo this message can only help as we continue to seek to inform and educate the driving public.”

Distracted Driving Summary

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:29:00 -0500

There was a lot of attention in the media about distracted driving this week.

CTIA and the National Safety Council released our teen-focused TV PSA that simply tells them, "On the Road, Off the Phone." We also unveiled our joint Web site which provides parents with tips on how to talk to their teens about the dangers of distracted driving.

Steve Largent, our President and CEO, participated in the Department of Transportation's Distracted Driving Summit panel called “Technology and Distracted Driving” on September 30th.

Then yesterday, at the conclusion of the Distracted Driving Summit, the White House issued an Executive Order and Secretary LaHood made several announcements. We concurred with their conclusion that distracted driving legislation should be developed and enforced by state and local governments.

But throughout this week (and for many years), we've stressed that 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.

So if you remember nothing else from this week, remember this: please don't text and drive. Tell your kids, your parents, your family, your friends -- anyone and everyone. It's a simple message and one we hope more people follow.

CTIA Statement on the Distracted Driving Summit Closing Remarks

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:58:00 -0500

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."

CTIA Statement on Panel Participation at the Distracted Driving Summit

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:59:00 -0500

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.

National Safety Council & CTIA Announce Campaign to Educate Teens on Distracted Driving Dangers

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:47:00 -0500

Very early this morning, the National Safety Council (NSC) and CTIA revealed their "On the Road, Off the Phone" campaign that is targeting teens and novice drivers to educate them on the dangers of distracted driving.

As part of the campaign, we've developed a television public service announcement (PSA) and a website that provides parents and teens with information to learn more about distracted driving.

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Teens and novice drivers are the most inexperienced drivers, and statistics show that they are most likely to be involved in vehicle crashes caused by distracted driving. This is also a group that relies on their wireless devices to talk and text. We believe educating them on responsible driving will make them better drivers now – and as they continue into adulthood.

We are proud to continue our relationship with NSC on this very important issue and we hope you find it useful. Tell your teens – "On the Road, Off the Phone."

Submit your Fund Fest Idea: Win Package Worth $25,700!

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:20:00 -0500

As you know, CTIA WIRELESS IT & E 2009 show is October 7-9 in San Diego, CA (register here).

New this year is “CTIA Fund Fest," which will help shine the spotlight on the brightest, most innovative and promising companies in wireless.

If you have a cool wireless idea, submit your nomination by September 23rd. The review team from MobiTechFest (our partner in Fund Fest) will pick six of the "Most Promising Innovations" to appear live at our show stage for a keynote on October 9th in front of 2000+ audience.

While on stage, you will have 5 minutes to present your idea and persuade the audience and an investor panel of judges why your idea is best.

After the presentations, one of the six innovations will win "Best of Show.” Besides winning bragging rights and media exposure, this winner will also win a complimentary marketing and exhibiting package from CTIA and MobiTechFest with a combined value of $25,700. The package includes: 10x20 booth, 5 VIP Smart Pass Registrations, Pre-show mailing list and two email blasts to CTIA lists, Full Page Ad in the Official Show Guide and Listing in the CTIA Wireless Industry Directory.

For more information and rules on CTIA Fund Fest, please click here.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing you at our show!

CTIA Statement on "The Health Effects of Cell Phone Use" Hearing

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:57:00 -0500

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: