Wireless Industry Association CTIA Predicts Telecom Policy Breakthroughs

Several important policies that CTIA, the U.S. wireless industry association, has been shepherding for months may finally come to fruition. Executives of the Washington, DC-based group tell Forbes that projects including the scheduling of wireless spectrum auctions and limiting taxes on wireless service and the purchase of digital goods, which have long been in limbo at the House of Representatives and/or Senate, have a good chance of being approved this fall.

CTIA is often associated with the country’s wireless carriers but it also represents mobile device makers, chipset designers and operating system vendors, among other companies. CTIA President and Chief Executive Steve Largent says freeing up spectrum and cutting down “discriminatory” taxes are the group’s top priorities. He believes these issues will be resolved in the current Congress even though legislators are already looking ahead to next year’s presidential election.