CTIA - The Wireless Association(R) Applauds FDA on Wireless Health Research Next Steps.

WASHINGTON -- CTIA - The Wireless Association[R] President and CEO Steve Largent offered the following comments today in response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's announcement that it is moving forward to complete the 1999 Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) regarding wireless phone use and health:

"We applaud the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for selecting the National Academy of Sciences to conduct the final phase of the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA).

"The CRADA, which is an agreement between the FDA and CTIA - The Wireless Association[R], began in 1999. Pursuant to the terms of this agreement, the FDA was solely responsible for the oversight and direction of scientific research regarding wireless devices and the public health.

"The CRADA was designed to; 1) review existing science as it relates to wireless phone use, 2) identify any research gaps that may be present, 3) design and conduct sound scientific studies to fill-in those gaps, 4) review the completed scientific studies plus any additional studies that were conducted since the CRADA was created, and 5) identify what, if any, additional scientific research may be necessary to fill-in any remaining gaps in scientific knowledge.

The wireless industry supports sound science. CTIA agreed to fund the CRADA program when public funds were not available for this research. Now that the research program has been completed under the FDA's direction, CTIA - The Wireless Association is pleased that the National Academy of Sciences has been selected to convene a meeting in the near future to evaluate all completed, ongoing and planned research looking at health effects associated with the use of wireless communications devices and identify knowledge gaps that may warrant additional research."

CTIA is the international association for the wireless telecommunications industry, representing carriers, manufacturers and wireless Internet providers.

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