I attended the the CTIA wireless industry’s global show in New Orleans last week. It was a great opportunity to hear from all the leaders in the industry, and to walk the exhibit floor to see the great innovations in the mobile space. Wireless industry leaders from AT&T,... Read The Story...

There was a very interesting Reuters article late last week on the future of the regulatory landscape and the wireless industry. (See the piece here).

The article reviews the past year’s attempts for large mergers and acquisitions to help build networks and secure more spectrum. While AT&T’s efforts to merge with T-Mobile did not meet regulatory approval, the industry is now focused on the importance of securing more spectrum in order to meet the growing demands of their wireless customers. It’s clear, however, as the article points out, that regulatory uncertainty still has an impact on the industry this year.

Reuters anticipates that large mergers will continue to be on hold for the balance of the year. However, the emphasis will continue to be on the need for more spectrum. Consumer demand for wireless devices and services continues to stretch the networks to their limits. Government needs to make more spectrum available to help alleviate the growing spectrum crunch.

The article also introduces the scene at this week’s wireless industry association’s annual convention, CTIA International, in New Orleans. The CTIA wireless show will highlight wireless technology from around the world. I’m about to head there myself and I’m looking forward to seeing the latest wireless innovation for consumers.

I recently attended a panel discussion hosted by the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) which featured speaker Roger Entner, of Recon Analytics. Entner presented the findings of his new study, “The Wireless Industry: The Essential Engine of U.S. Economic Growth,” posted here: http://reconanalytics.com/2012/04/essential-engine-of-us-economic-growth/

Entner spoke about the tremendous impact the wireless industry has had on the economy. Some of the facts include: the wireless industry has added over 195 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product in 2011 — more than 4 million jobs are directly or indirectly created by wireless technology. He also spoke about how wireless is expansive and touches almost every aspect of our life. I agree — wireless technology is an important part of all our lives and, as Entner’s study shows, an important part of our nation’s economy.

Panelist Thomas Hazlett,Professor of Law & Economics, George Mason University, offered an interesting fact that shows just how widespread and important wireless technology is to our economy — and consumers — today. His data point: there are more people today who are mobile subscribers than have electricity; 30 years ago the figure for wireless subscribers was at zero. Fascinating!

Roger Entner also spoke about the critical need for more spectrum. Wireless technology is rapidly evolving and growing and we need more spectrum to support this growth. This point was emphasized in the remarks by some of the panelists that followed Entner’s remarks.

Panelist Jim Cicconi, AT&T’s Senior Executive Vice President of External and Legislative Affairs, spoke about how our nation’s wireless broadband infrastructure can be world class and how this should be a national objective. To achieve this we need more spectrum — and most importantly, investment in the networks. We also need policies that advance both goals: to get more spectrum and incent investment. We also need to have our policy makers take a look at what our current policies are and check to see if they are helping or hurting investment. Cicconi raised some excellent points that are important as we look forward to our wireless future.

Last week the Federal Trade Commission held a workshop on the issue of mobile payments, “Paper, Plastic… or Mobile?” The workshop explored all the issues related to the use of our smart mobile devices as our new “wallets.” Issues such as financial safety and security, privacy, and legal concerns were discussed. The question as to how these issues impact consumers was the primary focus.

The option for consumers to use their smartphones for purchases offers a great convenience, as well as the opportunity for technology to enhance the shopping experience. However, it is also important for consumers to be provided with a safe and secure experience.

The workshop provided an opportunity to raise many of the issues to study further, as well as to highlight the significant benefits the mobile payment process offers for consumers. It will be important for consumer advocates to work together with the industry and policy makers to help deliver the best possible high tech products to consumers that also offer safe and reliable services.

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Consumer Resources

Below are additional resources to more information about online privacy.

Consumer Guide to Online Privacy (PDF)
What is 4G Wireless Service? (PDF)
Consumer Online Privacy Survey
2008 Online Safety Survey
bNetS@vvy
www.onguardonline.gov
www.ikeepsafe.org/
www.getnetwise.org
www.fosi.org
www.enough.org

Other Organizations

National Caucus and Center on Black Aged:
http://www.ncba-aged.org/

National Consumers League:
http://www.nclnet.org/