Wireless Wave - Spring 2008 - (Page 16)

Everything in this country is going wireless. It might be a remote control for your car or for your television set or your wireless access to the Internet or your camera, but we’re going wireless and it’s all going to happen on one device over cellular networks. fewer and fewer new phone lines being strung up on poles, and you’re going to see more and more wireless. It just makes sense, and that’s why I think we should help rural wireless carriers provide service. Wireless gives everyone equal opportunity and there’s no doubt it’s an important part of our nation’s future. Wave: What do you like the least about the industry or what do you think the industry could improve upon? SEN PRYOR: I hear complaints about contracts… how long you’re locked in and such, and I know the industry is moving quickly toward some more flexibility there, and that’s good. I know the industry had already come together with a set of voluntary principles on consumer issues, and I think that’s healthy. Again, I believe that’s a result of competition. I think the companies understand it’s a very competitive environment and that they need to provide consumer-friendly options for people. Along with the length of the contract, some other problems have come up with early termination fees and unexpected charges. For example, when a company would come out and say, “Well, it’s $39.99 a month,” but when you finally get your bill that month, you’re paying $55 a month. That makes consumers say, “wait a minute, where’d this all come from?” I know a good bit of it is all of the taxes and fees, but consumers just need and deserve a little more clarity. Wave: Because of the rural nature of Arkansas, how do you see wireless serving your constituents? SEN PRYOR: Let’s take a look at agriculture in Arkansas, which is very important to us. We have 47,000 farms in our state. Now think about all those farmers sitting on their combines or tractors conducting business over their cell phone or with a wireless card on their laptop. If you live out in some rural community, perhaps on a farm, it might take you an hour round trip to go to the bank. But if you have a laptop or a cell phone, you can do all of your banking right there on your farm. If you have broadband access, that’s big. So it’s not just the telephone that helps. It’s about using wireless broadband to connect rural America to the rest of the world. That’s a challenge for states such as ours. And we’re hardly alone in that respect so we just need to make sure rural America is connected to this global economy. You shouldn’t be left out or left behind because you live in a rural part of the country, and wireless gives us the best chance to make sure that doesn’t happen. We need to think about the policy that sets the best stage for the wireless industry and wireless broadband, and I believe that will lead to a great future for this country where everybody can share the benefits of the technology that we have today. Wave: How does universal service play into that? SEN PRYOR: I’m a big believer in universal service. I know that we never would’ve had W ir e l e s s W a v e 16

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Wireless Wave - Spring 2008

Wireless Wave - Spring 2008 Contents A Letter from Our Chairman A Letter from Our President Pryor Approval The Promise of M-commerce Moving Targets Foreign Service Multiple Choice Legs, Regs, and Wireless Wireless News The Supplier’s Voice CTIA Welcomes New Members Index of Advertisers Roaming with….

Wireless Wave - Spring 2008

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