Mobile connectivity is helping the Internet break free from the home office and workplace and be a constant, 'always on' resource in people’s lives. With the rise of smartphones that put PC-like capabilities and connectivity in the palms of our hands — people can stay on top of work and home, access information and resources and, yes, play games, listen to music and watch entertaining videos — from anywhere. More and more today, diverse Americans have enhanced access to the vast opportunities thanks to mobile broadband.

Why we care

• Meeting consumer demand. Mobile Internet usage is the fastest growing segment of broadband adoption today. In fact, 1 in 5 Americans now use a handheld device to access the Internet on a daily basis. And, these ranks are growing fast. Over the next 10 years, wireless Internet usage is projected to grow at 100 times the rate of wireless voice traffic.
• Broadband means more innovation and more jobs. In the next decade, it won’t just be people who are connected. Mobile connectivity will link 10 billion people and machines — from the connected medical tablet a doctor uses at a patient’s bedside to the wired tools first responders rely on to keep our communities safe. This innovation will greatly improve our lives and our economy. It will also drive significant demand for more spectrum to keep pace with surging consumer demand and the needs of our innovation economy.
• Wireless can help connect rural America. Broadband can open doors for people living in remote areas, whether bringing AP teachers into rural schools or medical specialists into community hospitals. Only 4% of Americans say broadband is unavailable to them, but virtually all of the disconnected live in remote parts of our country. Wireless is a cost-effective means of helping to connect Americans and enhance the many opportunities broadband makes possible.
• Minority adoption increases with wireless. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, one in three African Americans and Hispanic Americans use mobile devices to access the Internet daily. Wireless is key to closing the digital divide and can help our country become a truly connected nation.

Our point of view

• Network management matters. Unlike wired broadband networks, mobile broadband networks have much more significant capacity constraints. This requires network engineers to continually innovate and manage traffic in as seamless a manner as possible for the majority of consumers. Keeping these decisions in the hands of engineers, rather than policymakers, is essential to mobile innovation and the consumer experience.
• Policies should support investment. U.S. wireless companies have invested more than $120 billion in infrastructure, and are racing to deploy next-generation networks with Internet speeds that rival today’s wired broadband. As the government revisits U.S. innovation policies, it is essential that we continue to encourage substantial and diverse private sector investment to support ongoing innovation throughout the wireless ecosystem and deliver next-generation mobile broadband to consumers nationwide.

Our Bottom Line

The exponential growth of mobile broadband will play a pivotal role in bringing the high-speed Internet to all Americans. The next wave of mobile innovation and economic opportunities are near, and policies aimed at keeping pace with consumers’ and innovators’ need for speed and mobility will help propel our connected economy forward.

As the wireless sector continues to evolve, innovations in green technology have allowed consumers to easily address environmental sustainability, decrease their carbon footprint and use alternative energy sources. Through advances in Smart Grid technology and new applications, maintaining a healthy awareness of an environmentally aware lifestyle has never been easier. In an ever-changing mobile landscape and with rapid developments in mobile handsets, proper disposal of older devices should continue to serve as a cornerstone of responsible wireless usage.

Why we care

• Clean energy solutions. The deployment of Smart Grid technology will not only reduce carbon emission and improve power reliability, but it will mitigate burdensome energy costs. Two-way sharing of electricity between utilities and consumers will facilitate overarching improvements in energy conservation.
• Growing green jobs. In the ongoing effort to spur economic growth, investing in green technology opportunities should be a top priority for the American economy.
• Sustainability has never been easier. New mobile applications are connecting consumers to valuable energy conservation information in the palm of their hands. Embracing an eco-friendly lifestyle and reducing energy consumption is simplified with new advancements in the wireless space.
• Assisting underserved populations. The best way to reduce e-waste is to find new owners for unwanted cell phones and PDA's. The major wireless carriers typically have programs where you can drop-off your phones for reuse and recycling for members of the Armed Forces, assault victims and other worthy individuals who may not be able to afford a new phone.
• Promoting device recycling. The U.S. Postal Service launched a program to help consumers recycle their small electronics. Free, postage-paid envelopes are available in Post Office lobbies, and some drop-off sites accept phones. The EPA also maintains a webpage to help you locate recycling centers.
• Achieving "zero landfill". New technology is creating innovative recycling programs with "zero landfill" results. New machines "crunch" discarded cell phones and other electronics products into core materials, which are then sold on the open market. Many wireless products contain valuable metals which can be used in new, more sustainable products or melted down and used in other industries.

Many Mobile Future members have eco-friendly policies or initiatives to ensure we can all “go green,” including Alcatel Lucent, AT&T, Cisco, Ericsson, National Association of Neighborhoods, Qualcomm, and T-Mobile.

While there are many definitions of network neutrality, in its purest form, network neutrality is the idea that all bits traveling over networks should be treated alike and that consumers should control their online experience and remain free to access the legal content of their choice.

Controversy now surrounds this phrase as it has become synonymous with calls for regulation of the Internet. Proponents of regulation claim government intervention is needed to preserve "an open Internet.” Opponents point out that not all bits are equal, e.g., a voice conversation is less tolerant of delays than an email and that consumers already enjoy these freedoms.

Greater government intervention would likely harm innovation and consumers' online experience, particularly in mobile.

Why we care

• Wireless is different. Technologically and operationally, wireless networks are quite different from their wired broadband counterparts. Most notably, wireless networks have more significant capacity limitations, users are constantly moving, and radio spectrum is a limited resource. Network engineers need flexibility to manage traffic to keep networks running smoothly. (To learn more about this issue, check out this technical paper from Rysavy Research here.)
• Our nation faces a 'looming spectrum crisis.' These are FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski's words, and he's right. Wireless Internet use is expected to grow at 100 times the rate of wireless voice calls over the next 10 years. As more Americans routinely turn to their wireless devices for Internet access, it is crucial that all U.S. policies help address the issue of keeping pace with consumer demand--and that includes safeguarding network engineers' flexibility to manage traffic in efficient and innovative ways.
• Mobile innovation thrives in an open environment. Wireless has flourished — to the benefit of consumers, our economy and American innovation — in an open environment that has thrived in the absence of significant government rules, offering consumers a plethora of options to choose a wireless experience that meets their needs. Maintaining this environment of constant innovation is essential to the future success of wireless and its many contributions to our economy and our lives.

Our point of view

• We support an open Internet. We are strong supporters of an open Internet. We also believe that consumer decisions in a competitive marketplace should continue to guide the mobile future. For that reason, we are deeply concerned about the prospect of new regulations and the associated risk of pre-empting or delaying innovation. Consumers enjoy an open Internet today. Given that fact, we believe that network management decisions are best left to engineers, rather than policymakers.
• We support transparency. We agree with the FCC that greater transparency can empower consumers with more information about the business practices of all major players in the online/mobile ecosystem. Unlike static regulations, which often quickly become dated in the tech sector, a steady flow of information would continually keep pace with changing technologies and consumer preferences. It also allows consumers to reward competitors that are most responsive to their wants and needs.
• Consumers are the best "regulators" of innovation. Generally, policymakers reserve regulation for instances of market failure or times when rules are necessary to protect consumers. Clearly, that is not the case in today's flourishing and competitive mobile innovation climate. We are concerned that new regulations would deny consumers innovative new choices and restrict mobile's vast potential.

What happens if we get it wrong?

Bottom line: We don't want to find out. Often the most compelling breakthroughs come from unexpected places. For this reason, it is essential that regulations not stall investment and invite uncertainty into a sector that is creating jobs and powering innovation. The wireless industry is responsible for 2.7 million American jobs and $100 billion of our nation's GDP. Now, with the rise of the mobile web, it has the potential to improve our economy and transform education, health care and other key areas of our society. The industry's potential is both great and unknown, and we hope our nation's policies will continue to unleash its robust innovation and growth.

The mobile device has evolved from a phone into a robust innovation tool, a way to access the Internet on-the-go, and a conduit for the ever-expanding universe of mobile applications. One clear area of success is in the disability community where evolving wireless services and applications help connect those with disabilities.

Why We Care

• The number of Americans living with disabilities is significant and growing. For the 54 million Americans living with disabilities and the 35 million Americans who have a severe disability, access to mobile technologies is no small matter. Like most Americans, many people with disabilities consider their mobile device to be an indispensible tool in their everyday lives.
• Emerging mobile-enabled technologies are improving the quality of life for millions of disabled Americans. A growing array of easy-to-use tools are available on smartphones that can enable people with language- or auditory-based disabilities communicate easier, and people with vision-based disabilities more easily access visual materials.

Our Point of View

• Collaboration between innovators and disability communities has led to great progress. The intersection of mobile innovation and broadband technologies is unleashing tremendous opportunity for people with disabilities in many areas including employment, health care, education and emergency response.
• More wireless spectrum is urgently needed to accommodate growing demand. The capacity of our wireless networks must be increased dramatically, before we implement the next generation of wireless innovation that will improve the lives for all Americans. The future of mobile applications for disabled Americans will include live-streaming video and other high-bandwidth activities. In order to deliver these innovations in a robust and reliable way, the United States Congress and the FCC must re-examine our spectrum policy.
• The FCC should consider the economic needs of disabled Americans. People with disabilities are more likely to be unemployed or underemployed than the U.S population as a whole. The FCC should consider actions that would remove unnecessary cost barriers – particularly the incredibly regressive fees that are coupled with wireless phones – that put mobile broadband out of reach for those living at or near the poverty level. The impact of these taxes on adoption of increasingly essential services should be more carefully considered.

Our Bottom Line

Mobile broadband has the ability to enhance economic opportunities, expand access to education, and improve the quality of our healthcare – but perhaps more than any other of its benefits, it has an unparalleled ability to change the lives of people with disabilities.

For continued success, we need to maintain pro-investment policies, make additional wireless spectrum available, and encourage innovative collaboration to realize wireless’ tremendous potential to meet the unique accessibility needs of Americans with disabilities.

Innovations in wireless technology have the potential to significantly improve the quality of healthcare, lower medical costs and expand the geographic reach of our nation’s medical professionals. From bringing cutting-edge expertise to rural towns to improving the availability of timely, accurate data bedside to promoting prevention and self-care, wireless innovation will lead the next great revolution in American health care.

Why We Care

• Improving America’s health is one of our nation’s most pressing challenges. Millions of Americans suffer from chronic diseases and the numbers continue to grow.
• The U.S. is experiencing a growing healthcare supply problem. A shortage of healthcare professionals makes it more difficult to care for a growing U.S. population.
• mHealth tools are a critical part of the solution. mHealth services and applications can help connect healthcare providers with patients either down the street or in harder to reach parts of the country. Evolving mobile healthcare technologies can also provide consumers with real-time, on-the-go care.

Our Point of View

• Wireless is a new frontier in healthcare innovation. Doctors can now access lab results, X-rays and drug information from their smart phones and patients can use their mobile devices to better track their own health – from heart monitoring to pre-natal tools. And this is just the beginning.
• Wireless policies must continue to encourage investment and innovation. Significant investment is still needed to deploy mobile-broadband enabled services and pro-growth and innovation policies must be in place to chart a clear path forward.
• Robust innovation requires more spectrum. New innovations and opportunities in mHealth will require significantly more wireless capacity. The FCC has committed in its National Broadband Plan to make more spectrum available and we encourage the Commission to move quickly to achieve this important objective.

Our Bottom Line

Policies that encourage continued investment and innovation, as well as initiatives to make more spectrum available, will spur new mHealth services and applications to meet growing consumer needs.

“Within the next five years, we’ll make it possible for businesses to deploy the next generation of high-speed wireless coverage to 98 percent of all Americans. This isn’t just about -- this isn’t about faster Internet or fewer dropped calls. It’s about connecting every part of America to the digital age.“

– President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address, January 25, 2011

Mobility is changing virtually every aspect of modern society. Americans turn to wireless for far more than phone calls and texts, particularly as next-generation devices essentially put the Internet in the palms of our hands. Whether watching video, connecting with friends, staying on top of work or accessing information, mobile connectivity is central to our lives — and the innovation it promises our nation has only just begun.

If Americans live and breathe mobility, then spectrum is the wireless equivalent of oxygen. It is the finite amount of radio waves that connect people and devices without that pesky cord. Everything from digital textbooks to connected laptops to cell phones to baby monitors use spectrum. Simply put, spectrum makes all wireless connectivity possible.

So what’s the issue? As we increasingly rely on mobile connectivity throughout our society, demand for spectrum is increasing exponentially. This means the government, which controls how this precious and finite resource is utilized, must move quickly and responsibly to make more spectrum available to keep pace with consumer demand and to enable the next wave of mobile innovation and economic opportunities.

Why we care

• The clock is ticking. Wireless Internet usage is projected to grow at 100 times the rate of wireless voice traffic over the next 10 years. Translation: A serious supply-demand imbalance is headed our way — unless the government moves quickly to make more spectrum available to keep pace with consumer demand.
• Adding wireless capacity is a years-long effort. Adding to the time pressure is the fact that the allocation of spectrum is just the beginning. Rules must be established. Public auctions must be conducted. And, networks across the nation must be upgraded to take full advantage of these new resources. The process typically takes six to ten years. Translation: We need to start n-o-w.
• More spectrum means more innovation and more jobs. Not only are consumers using far more capacity on their mobile devices, but increasingly mobility is being embedded in every kind of product — from the medical records doctor’s reference at a patient’s bedside to the modern tools first responders use to save lives to the mobile commerce options entrepreneurs rely on to grow their businesses and create jobs. Without question this innovation enhances our society, but the laws of physics are immutable. We will reach the limits of existing spectrum and more must be made available for all of this connectivity and innovation to continue.

Our point of view

• Spectrum must be a top 2011 FCC priority. The good news: FCC Chairman Genachowski has made clear that spectrum allocation is an urgent national priority. He fully recognizes the scope and nature of the problem and has called for prompt action to avert a ‘looming spectrum crisis.’ Mobile innovators are eager to work closely with the Commission to help make way for the next wave of wireless innovation and the many benefits it will bring to the American people and our nation’s economy.
• Focus on the greatest good. The Chairman has stated that the FCC will work to reallocate unused and obsolete spectrum. We support these efforts and hope that the FCC will move forward promptly and effectively to make large amounts of spectrum available to meet the fast-growing needs of our nation’s more than 300 million wireless consumers.
• Efficiency matters. While spectrum is finite, demand appears virtually limitless. Substantially more spectrum must be made available quickly for consumers and our economy. Additionally, innovative new technological approaches that use spectrum more efficiently should be supported and encouraged by the private and public sectors alike. Central to these efforts is ensuring network engineers have continued flexibility to explore new ways to manage rapidly rising volumes of traffic.
• Support investment. As the government makes more spectrum available, it is essential to keep in mind the billions of dollars in additional investment that are necessary to put this spectrum to its most high-impact use across our nation. Policies that promote ongoing private sector investment are key to continued wireless innovation and to meeting consumer demand for next-generation mobile services and applications.

Our bottom line

America deserves a mobile future that is defined by perpetual innovation, progress and growth. The FCC’s efforts to allocate more spectrum to wireless networks represent an essential national undertaking to promote the continued growth and expansion of mobile innovation and all that it is delivering to consumers and our economy. Auctioning this spectrum will yield substantial income for the U.S. government, but the far greater dividends will be jobs, economic growth and broad innovation throughout our society.

For a closer look on the staggering consumer demand on spectrum, watch Mobile Future's newest video, Spectrum: Fueling the Mobile Future.

In recent years, wireless users have become a favorite target for new state and local taxes. Today, state and local taxes and fees average more than 15 percent of consumers' cell phone bills. That's double the cost of ordinary sales taxes.

Why we care

• Wireless is unfairly taxed at higher rates. Unfortunately, given ongoing state budget troubles, the rush to tax wireless consumers is becoming even more pronounced. Across the country, cities have been rewriting utility regulations to expand the list of taxable wireless services. And some cities have successfully persuaded courts to impose new "business license taxes" on wireless services at rates as high as 10 percent. (By comparison, other business license taxes are typically about one percent.)
• Mobile broadband helps bridge the digital divide. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, one in three African Americans and Hispanic Americans use mobile devices to access the Internet daily - more than many other U.S. communities. Wireless is key to closing the digital divide and can help our country become a truly connected nation, but consumers must be able to afford the technology.

Our point of view

• Wireless is an economic success story. The development of cell phones and other services is one of the great successes in America's economy, creating jobs and wealth. It also provides a lifeline for Americans without traditional phone service.
• Regressive taxes hurt consumers.
• Excessive taxation could deter innovation. This rush to tax mobile consumers also discourages use of wireless broadband options that can be vital to expanding options for tele-work and reducing greenhouse emissions.

Our bottom line

Wireless users already pay more than their share in taxes. Officials should help ease this unnecessary burden rather than add to it.