WASHINGTON-Nearly six months after launching mywireless.org to educate and energize wireless consumers about taxes and regulations at the state and local level, the group is claiming victories even as opponents try to paint the organization as anything but grass-roots.
Around the country in locations where mywireless.org has campaigned, press stories have appeared to tell consumers that the effort is bought and paid for by the wireless industry.
“Much of the public outcry was funneled through Washington, D.C., and a Web site paid for by the wireless industry’s most influential trade group, CTIA,” wrote Ryan Frank in the Oregonian.
No worries, say industry representatives and even mywireless.org, which said the stories are a misunderstanding.
“In every case we join arms with the local folks,” said Kimberly Kuo, CTIA vice president of advocacy. “Where you are based does not mean you don’t have an interest in the other 50 states. It is their constituents who are weighing in, and that can be uncomfortable for policy-makers.”
The wireless industry seems pleased with the efforts of mywireless.org. “Satisfied customers are basically our best advocates. To some degree, this is an untapped silent majority that absolutely the carriers should reach out to,” said Kathleen O’Brien Ham, managing director of federal affairs for T-Mobile USA Inc. “We are particularly proud of our consumer record and feel our customers are our best advocates.”
Mywireless.org has successfully challenged and defeated proposed taxes in Louisiana and Texas, and it helped pass a wireless-friendly bill in Missouri, said Kuo.
Kuo refused to admit defeat in Pennsylvania, where the state legislative budget session recently ended without a hoped-for repeal of a 5-percent gross-receipts tax on cell phones. “We will fight another day,” she said.
Mywireless.org put a lot of muscle into Pennsylvania, running both TV and print ads.
“Did you know that the state of Pennsylvania hits cell-phone service twice with taxes?” reads a portion of the print ad. “A bill now in the state legislature could roll back this unfair and excessive tax. Help STOP double taxes on cell-phone service by urging your state legislators and governor to repeal the gross-receipts tax on wireless service today!”
As with any grass-roots efforts, it is not just paid advertising that gets the word out but also “free media” or news stories. For example, although the TV ads in Philadelphia have ended, NBC10 ran a story about the ads on Aug. 22.
Industry representatives said that when consumers are educated about the taxes on their phone bills they are willing to jump in, and one speculated that is why some people want to say mywireless.org is not effective or local.
“I am sure that the folks that want to conceal information from consumers-like taxes-may want to discredit mywireless.org. This is America and everybody is entitled to their opinion,” said the industry representative who declined to be named.
CTIA created mywireless.org after its carrier members said urgent help at the state and local level was needed. The grass-roots campaign was a major departure from the days when former CTIA President Thomas Wheeler ran the organization. Wheeler only grudgingly allowed advocacy on state issues and very little of that. Indeed, Pennsylvania instituted the 5-percent gross-receipts tax in 2003.
Mywireless.org does not target consumers just at the local level. Kuo said the group is watching telecommunications activities at the federal level to see if there are areas where education and advocacy may be helpful.
Cingular Wireless L.L.C. already has identified one federal issue that it plans to use mywireless.org to facilitate education and advocacy.
The nation’s largest wireless carrier will soon be including bill inserts regarding the repeal of the 3-percent federal-excise tax on talking, said Cingular spokeswoman Rochelle Cohen.
“Mywireless.org provides consumers with a way to voice their opinion on public-policy issues that affect wireless subscribers,” said Cohen. “Cingular plans to send our customers a bill insert about the federal-excise tax, which will direct them to mywireless.org for additional information.”
