CTIA - The Wireless Association(R) Urges NY Legislature to Let the Competitive Market Work.

WASHINGTON -- CTIA - The Wireless Association(R) President and CEO Steve Largent today urged members of the New York General Assembly to avoid placing costly and confusing regulations upon the delivery of wireless service.

"We appreciate the opportunity to share the wireless perspective with the committee members," said Largent. "We believe that our innovative products and services are delivering valuable benefits to the 11 million wireless subscribers in the Empire State. Because of intense competition in the marketplace, New York wireless consumers are in the driver's seat. Wireless users across New York have the power to choose the service that best fits their individual needs from a number of respected providers."

Largent pointed to the fact that wireless, unlike most other telecommunications providers, is not only competitive, but also national in scope. In 1993, Congress specifically set wireless apart from other telecommunications services by putting forward a national legal framework to regulate the industry.

"There is a false rumor making its way across the state that wireless is an unregulated industry," said Largent. "Quite the contrary, wireless providers are both licensed and regulated by the FCC. And when you consider what wireless has done since 1993, with prices falling dramatically and the device itself becoming so much more than just a phone, it's hard to argue that the current regulatory system isn't working for consumers. In fact, by all accounts it is working well."

Largent noted that surveys conducted by leading news and polling organizations and the wireless industry itself have found roughly 85% of subscribers satisfied with their service. He also cited a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) report issued last month that showed wireless consumer complaints tumbling by more than 28% from the third to fourth quarter in 2006, and 12% over the past year. In fact, this data indicates that over the last five years, more than 99.9% of all wireless subscribers in America did not lodge a complaint to the FCC.

"There is no evidence that consumers want government to get more involved in the delivery of high-tech services by enacting additional rules and regulations that will inevitably lead to larger monthly bills. I believe an objective review of the data shows that wireless consumers are in fact satisfied with their service. Is this to say that the industry will now rest on these results? Absolutely not. We have every incentive to further increase the level of wireless consumer satisfaction, and that is exactly what we are committed to doing for our customers," continued Largent.

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