Cellular South isn’t the only CTIA member frustrated with what th...
Cellular South isn’t the only CTIA member frustrated with what the carrier claimed is the group’s favoritism towards its biggest members, said Eric Graham, the company’s vice president of strategic and government relations. “We won’t be the last to…
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leave CTIA,” he told us. There have been conversations from carriers of all sizes about the lack of input that carriers other than AT&T and Verizon Wireless have in CTIA’s policy directions, he said. Companies make membership decisions based on numerous factors and then act in what they believe is their best interest, said John Walls, CTIA vice president of public affairs. “Our membership roster includes carriers of all sizes, and our primary goal is to represent all of them as best we can.” CTIA appeared to favor its largest members on issues like the Universal Service Fund, handset exclusivity, special access and spectrum allocation, Graham said. On issues like tower siting or tax matters, CTIA does represent the broader industry, Graham acknowledged: “But those aren’t the type of issues that keep our doors open.” Cellular South had been on CTIA’s board of directors since 1993, he said. CEO Hu Meena had been on the CTIA executive committee but gave up his seat last year out of frustration, Graham said. The carrier remains a member of the Rural Cellular Association. RCA does a much better job of representing a broader interest of carriers that aren’t the biggest two U.S. carriers, Graham said.