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.

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.

Today, I issued the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to approve a "shot clock" for tower siting applications:

"On behalf of CTIA and the wireless industry, I would like to thank the Commission for moving ahead with this item. The Chairman's leadership and the efforts of the other Commissioners have given us a foundation for our continued deployment of wireless broadband.  

"Tower siting is a vital piece of our industry. It enables mobile services, including voice and broadband, for consumers, public safety, and businesses. Both Congress and the Supreme Court recognized the importance of taking concrete steps to ensure that the zoning process does not become a barrier to the reasonable deployment of, and competition among, diverse wireless networks. 

"In early October at our International CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment Show, the Chairman declared his support for CTIA’s request for a tower siting 'shot clock' that would require state and local zoning authorities to act within a reasonable, fixed timeframe on wireless tower siting requests. Fast forward to today's meeting when the Commission provided much-needed certainty to the process by setting a reasonable review period and clarifying that a zoning authority may not deny an application filed by one provider based on the presence of another wireless provider in the area. We sincerely appreciate the Commission and the Chairman for quickly acting to fulfill this promise. 

"CTIA and the wireless industry look forward to continuing to work with the Commission, state and local zoning authorities and others involved in tower siting to provide more Americans with the most advanced wireless services and technology on the planet."

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.

Today, I issued the following statement after the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet's hearing on the "Universal Service Reform Act of 2009." The bill is sponsored by Chairman Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Representative Lee Terry (R-NE):

"CTIA welcomes the effort by Chairman Boucher and Congressman Terry to reform the way that universal service funds are collected and distributed. As this bill moves forward, we urge Congress to work toward competitively neutral reforms that target support to where it is truly needed."

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.

When Congress tasked the FCC with developing a National Broadband Plan that includes “a plan for the use of broadband infrastructure and services in advancing . . . energy independence and efficiency,” we were pleased that the Commission identified “smart grids” – the integration of information and communication applications with the electric power grid – as a promising way to achieve these objectives. 

Then, late last month, President Obama announced $3.4 billion of stimulus grants that will be allocated to 100 smart grid projects tasked with modernizing America’s energy efficiency and increasing reliability on renewable resources (e.g. wind and solar power). 

Clearly, smart grid technology has captured the nation’s attention for its numerous benefits and promising potential. 

In our comments  to the FCC last month, we highlighted wireless communications as a critical component of smart grid deployments. Commercial wireless networks can satisfy, and are currently satisfying, the communications requirements of smart grid applications. 

The benefits of smart grid technology can be profound, and wireless is an important part of the equation. A joint report by Accenture and Vodafone  found that wireless technology can be used to:

• Reduce carbon emissions in European Union (EU) member countries by 113 metric tons per year in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
• Cut energy cost by £43 billion (approximately $70 billion), with more than 80% of these savings attributable to machine-to-machine communications.

But when thinking about deploying wireless communications for smart grids, we ask policymakers to consider these two points:

• If net neutrality rules were applied to wireless, it is an open question regarding how a non-discrimination regulation would impact devices like smart meters or supervisory control and data acquisition (“SCADA”) system equipment. Further, if a provider or vendor devises an innovative smart grid communications technology or transmission algorithm to limit the impact of network congestion, would such a technology be permissible under new rules? If so, must the details be fully disclosed? It also is entirely plausible that certain communications in a smart grid solution will require prioritization. An overreaching network management policy may jeopardize the innovation for smart grid development and deployment.
• With the increasing demand for more spectrum, it would be inefficient to dedicate spectrum for smart grid-specific networks when commercial networks can and are already satisfying smart grid systems. 
  

The worlds of technology and ingenuity are colliding in mobile health, creating state-of-the-art products for a wide variety of patients. Montage Systems' Samantha McDermott demonstrates at the recent CTIA show in San Diego how the company is tapping into the power of wireless. 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.