As more wireless issues are hotly contested at the state level, state wireless associations could become more popular.
The wireless industry in Tennessee has coalesced to form the Tennessee Wireless Association, a consortium of wireless industry advocates interested in furthering their knowledge of current issues industry faces in Tennessee and throughout the United States.
The group was born out of a desire to better understand new zoning rules affecting the wireless tower business in eastern Tennessee. Through regular, informal meetings of representatives of businesses affected by the new rules, including wireless carriers and tower companies, and lawyers representing those businesses, it became apparent that wireless businesses throughout Tennessee, not just in Knoxville, were dealing with various and changing issues.
Realizing the impact they could have on the state’s wireless environment, industry reps spread the word to their colleagues, and the informal meetings began attracting 50 or more interested people. That group again recognized its usefulness when legislation was introduced to prohibit driving while using cell phones-well ahead of New York’s infamous ruling-and representatives from the informal group worked with state government to ensure that legislation was not adopted.
Industry wins like that led to the formalization of the Tennessee Wireless Association, a group composed of “individuals who endeavor to promote positive industry awareness,” according to its mission statement, which further reads: “Our purpose is to cultivate the relationships among the members of the wireless arena with local communities to ensure a unified message that supports our industry.”
Other states are venturing to develop similar groups and are contacting the Tennessee Wireless Association for help. Using a customized version of Tennessee’s bylaws, Alabama plans to hold its first statewide meeting in September.
The TWA comprises three chapters located in Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville/Chattanooga, to represent mid-south, middle and eastern Tennessee, respectively. Each chapter has a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer, as well as three committees dedicated to public relations, membership/social and regulatory. The three chapter presidents make up a state board that determines the group’s stance on statewide issues and performs statewide duties. All three groups operate under one set of established bylaws. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in wireless, and thus far no dues are required.
The chapter meetings, held on a rotating quarterly basis on the third Thursday of each month, include a lunch, a guest speaker and a legislative update on current wireless issues. The president of the middle Tennessee chapter, Jon Hastings, for example, frequently signs on someone from his law firm, Boult, Cummings, Conners & Berry P.L.C., to speak on current legislative happenings affecting the state’s wireless industry. Speakers have also included state senators, carrier representatives and the state commissioner of E911 service. Meetings give members a chance to discuss recent industry happenings, like zoning issues and homeland security initiatives, as well as to network with existing and potential clients, explained Pat Tant, senior vice president of sales and marketing at tower company Signal One L.L.C. and vice president of the middle Tennessee chapter of the group. Tant uses the meetings as a chance to network with her company’s carrier customers. In addition, two statewide meetings are held each year.
