What’s become of doing well by doing good?

What’s more important, preventing brain cancer or selling more cell phones? You’d think the answer is obvious, but not so for the telecommunications industry. Allow me to explain.

A recent Swedish study that followed young people who began using cell phones as teenagers reported a whopping 400 percent increase in brain tumors! That disturbing report, along with similar ones, has prompted San Francisco to become the first city in America to pass legislation making cell phone retailers display radiation levels. That’s a biggie. Now, every Bay-area consumer will be able to see how much radiation his or her cell phone emits before making the purchase. And, that does not sit well with telecommunications types.

According to a Maureen Dowd column, different cell phone models emit anywhere from 0.2 watts per kilogram of body tissue to 1.6, which is the legal limit. That may not seem like much, but consider this. Have you noticed how our nation’s kids have their cell phones positively glued to their ears all day long? As a result, they’re constantly bombarding their brains with radiation. In fact, when one considers how many hours our nation’s kids collectively use their cell phones each day, one can appreciate why the S.F. board acted the way it did.

Unless, of course, one works for the telecommunications trade group, the CTIA.

Not wanting to be painted as yet another big, uncaring industry a la Wall Street, oil or tobacco, the CTIA warned San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom they’d invoke ‘the nuclear option’ and come down on him and his city ‘like a ton of bricks’ if the legislation were passed.  How? Months before the bill passed, Newsom says he received a disturbing letter forwarded by the local Marriott hotel that had been selected to host the CTIA convention in October. In the note, the CTIA warned Marriott they would cancel the event if the legislation was passed. Nice. They also told Marriott that they’d been in contact with Apple, Cisco, Oracle and other big, SF-area companies who are involved with the trade group, and urged them to yank their events from San Francisco as well. Yikes! Since when did telecommunications companies start acting like the Mafia?

Sure enough, once the legislation was passed, the CTIA said it would relocate all future exhibitions to another venue. In one fell swoop, the City by the Bay lost an event that annually attracted 68,000 exhibitors and attendees and generated $80 million in business. Talk about not doing good in order to do well.

The big loser isn’t San Francisco, it’s America’s youth. The telecommunications industry doesn’t want Americans to know about the radiation levels in its cell phones, so it’s punishing anyone who tries to raise a caution flag.

I’m amazed the CTIA’s heavy-handed scare tactics haven’t generated more adverse publicity. To say their Tony Soprano-like strong-arming reflects poorly on the trade group (and its member companies) is like saying the pedophilia scandals have negatively impacted the Church’s reputation. It’s a no-brainer (sorry). So, how come no one is speaking up and condemning the action?

Is it just me or is big business becoming ever more ruthless in putting profits before ethics. I just hope our kids’ addiction to cell phones doesn’t produce a simultaneous rise in brain cancer. If it does, though, watch for the CTIA to turn to the Big Tobacco play book for best practices in delaying, denying and obfuscating. The industry has deep pockets and will spend what it must to protect its profit margins. And, as the San Francisco fracas shows, the industry is willing to hurt anyone who dares get in the way of profits.

What’s become of doing good by doing well?

Comments

[Bob Reed]

"..is big business becoming ever more ruthless in putting profits before ethics?"

The answer: yes. They, along with their D.C. puppets, are slowly killing us in a myriad of ways.

[steven cody]

It's all so sad, Frank. First Big Tobacco. Then Big Oil. now, Big Telco. What's next, Big Farming?

[ghostofprpast]

I think Big Farming already jumped the shark with its gratuitous use of antibiotics, its feeding of meat to cattle and its proliferation of high-fructose corn syrup. None of these are good decisions when considered outside the realm of profits.

This is the modern-day Atlantis. The history books of tomorrow will tell the story of how, even though we knew better, we killed ourselves off in the name of profits.

[steven cody]

You're right about Big Farming, ghostofprpast. I think Archer Daniels Midland was the original Big Farming bad boy with its price fixing machinations of a dedade or so ago. I also neglected to mention Big Pharma, which does its best to ensure we remain addicted to their high-priced pills as opposed to advocating for preventive medicine. It's actually hard to think of a single sector that doesn't place profits before ethics.

[ghostofprpast]

Well, there's public relations...

You've been a wonderful audience. Please try the veal.

[goose]

what about texting? I think more people text than talk on cell phones (at least the youths of america)

[bookandbloggeek]

Watch the HBO special "Gasland" if you want to see the really scary side of natural gas. Unfortunately for us, right now, Tennessee will begin drilling new pipe in New Jersey which will ultimately pollute the surrounding water supply and cause much more than brain tumors in many people. New Jersey has the last unfiltered watershed basin in the United States. All for a buck. (But it employs people is the rhetoric).

[RepMan]

Thanks for the update, bookandbloggeek. And, here I thought New Jersey was one, contiguous toxic waste site. You're telling me there are actually spots in the Garden State that aren't already highly radioactive?

[bookandbloggeek]

Watch the program RepMan, you will be as shocked as I b/c I thought that too. We serve up the best water in the United States (along with NYC and parts of PA, which is where Tennessee Gas is looking to drill).

[RepMan]

Go figure. I knew our people were oily. Now, I guess our drinking water will be as well.

[Trish]

A client, about five years ago, said her uncle who works for the CDC in Atlanta told her that in five years they would finally come out with the fact that cell phones indeed cause brain cancer. I guess she was telling the truth.

[RepMan]

It’s all very sad, Trish. Something tells me this will become a very big issue in the next year or two.