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The telecommunications industry is working hard to kill a cell phone reform bill at the Minnesota legislature that would guarantee customers accurate information about billing and service area coverage. And it’s using an industry front organization masquerading as a grassroots citizens’ group to do the deed.
Cell phone billing practices and service area coverage limits are among the top consumer complaints both in Minnesota and nationwide. The Minnesota Wireless Telephone Consumer Protection Act (S.F. 833) would require wireless phone salespeople to provide a coverage map to customers at the time of sale, to clearly state both price and fees at the time of sale and to indicate whether that price will remain the same throughout the contract. In addition, providers would have to lay out any early termination fees, and separately list government taxes and fees on billing statements.
The telecom industry has responded by using a nonprofit faux-grassroots organization to spread disinformation about the bill and to encourage unsuspecting consumers to send e-mails opposing its passage to legislators. Mywireless.org presents itself as “a non-profit consumer advocacy organization” that gives wireless consumers “a powerful and unified voice to protect the freedom, value, security and mobility they enjoy with wireless services.”
But in fact, Mywireless.org is staffed almost entirely by telecommunications industry executives, drawn mainly from the ranks of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (also known as CTIA-The Wireless Association), a lobbying group for the mobile phone and telecommunications industry headed by Steve Largent, the former football star and Oklahoma Republican congressman (1994-2002). (There’s more information about Mywireless’ officers below the jump.)
In Minnesota, Mywireless has employed a three-pronged strategy to fight the cell phone reform bill:
* placing ads in outlets such as Startribune.com urging consumers to oppose the bill.* encouraging the public to send a canned and misleading e-mail message condemning the bill to their legislators. The e-mail’s text suggests that the bill would mean higher costs: “Minnesotans already pay over 12% in combined federal, state and local wireless taxes, surcharges and government fees on our cell phone bills each month. Placing additional regulation on wireless service will only drive up our monthly bills even more.”* lobbying at the Capitol.

tcdailyplanet.net