San Francisco is actually a hotbed of smartphone activity with multiple mobile startups and everyone and their mom rocking an Apple iPhone, but the city is in a war with the mobile industry over the issue of cell phone radiation.
The industry’s trade association, the CTIA, recently filed a lawsuit against San Francisco’s ordinance which requires vendors to publicly display how much radiation is emitted by the mobile devices. Not surprisingly, the city isn’t happy with this move.
“I am disappointed that the association representing the wireless communication industry has decided to challenge our landmark consumer information law in court,” San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said in a prepared statement. “This law is not an attack on the wireless industry or their products.”
Newsome also suggests that San Francisco is just trying to provide customers with more information so they can make an informed purchase. He said the CTIA could cooperate with the city on showing more transparency instead of wasting money with this legal process.
The CTIA has always opposed the law and previously said it will only lead to customer confusion. All cell phones sold in the United States have to pass through the Federal Communications Commission and that governmental agency doesn’t allow devices on the market that emit a certain amount of radiation. The CTIA argues that is more than enough.
Along with the lawsuit, the CTIA wants to put the hurt on San Francisco’s bottom line and it will be pulling its annual trade show from the city. Along with inconveniencing me, this move could take away a lot of tourist dollars because the event generally brings in about 68,000 mobile phone business folk. I know firsthand how busy downtown San Francisco gets when the CTIA show rolls in to town.
We’ll keep an eye on this one, as it is a tricky issue with valid points on both sides. In the meanwhile, feel free to let us know what you think in the comments.
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