CTIA decided to remove San Francisco from its venue list due to a new San Francisco city ordinance, sponsored by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and approved by a 10-1 vote by the Board of Supervisors, which requires retailers to post information on what is called the "specific absorption rate" (SAR) of its products.  The SAR rates measure the amount of radio wave radiation absorbed into the user's body tissue.

News Article: http://www.wirelessweek.com/News/2010/07/Policy-and-Industry-San-Diego-Fall-Shows-CTIA/

As a San Franciscan, a mobile/wireless worker and a consumer, this news has my opinion torn in three ways.

As a San Franciscan, I'm sad to see my city's economy harmed by the revenue loss the three day event brings local restaurants, hotels and taxi businesses.  These are lean times across the nation and every penny (especially the number of pennies brought in by CTIA events) helps.  I hope the Moscone Center will be able to attract a new event as a replacement.

As a mobile/wireless worker, any issue that affects my industry affects my employer and therefore affects me professionally.  I want end users to buy the latest and greatest handsets so that they demand the latest and greatest third party services.  Anything that deters them from doing so is going to harm me, my employer and my industry.  The information that San Francisco requires to be disclosed to consumers could unnecessarily alarm consumers by causing them to believe that cell phones create more radiation than is safe.  However, it's up to the industry to present (read: "market") the situation and inform consumers in a clear and positive manner.

As a consumer, I'm glad to see that companies are now being forced to display product information that relates to my health and the health of consumers as a whole.  Finally there is a policy to ensure transparency of data and information to consumers.  Haven't we, the people, been asking for this type of openness and honesty for many years?  Go Gavin!

But in the end, after much deliberation, I think this is really a non-issue.  Currently all handset radiation levels fall within the federal government's FCC regulations.  Businesses should just display the information required and get on with it.  Just as smokers still buy cigarettes with warnings screaming at them on the packaging and food containers list ingredients and nutritional data, consumers will still buy the "coolest" handset that they feel gives them the fashion and social status symbols they desire.  So why shouldn't cell phones be honest about radiation levels?  This is a spin opportunity for public relations and marketing gurus to shout about how great their handset is; imagine them trumpeting "below FCC radiation levels" as a new selling point.

As for the CTIA decision, while I understand it, I feel CTIA is making a mountain out of a molehill in order to make a point. Has the decision affected your business? Please post a comment and let us know your thoughts...