WASHINGTON—The U.S. Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA) has decided to drop its annual trade show, global m-commerce user initiative and LifePage donor program and cut its skeletal staff by 20 percent as part of a major shakeup that officials said will enable it to focus on representing the tower business, microwave band-clearing and frequency coordination.
“We wanted to direct resources to make a positive statement and to have the most effect on industry,” said Jay Kitchen, president of PCIA.
Kitchen said industry consolidation and harsh economic conditions in the telecom industry contributed to the board’s decision. Kitchen said he agreed to a board request to continue as head of the trade group for at least the next two years.
The changes, the latest in a series of reorganizations attempted by the embattled association in recent years, means the cancellation of the PCIA GlobalXChange 2002 in September in New Orleans. Kitchen said PCIA is negotiating with the Morial Convention Center and New Orleans hotels to get out of its obligations.
PCIA, which has been reducing staff during the past several years, is down to 40 workers. PCIA began by representing U.S. paging carriers, and during the 1990s, added personal communications services (PCS) licensees to its membership. The organization, however, lost the battle for carrier and wireless data membership to the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA).
In the meantime, at least two new associations are being formed to represent small- and medium-sized paging carriers around the country.
