August 16, 2005

(Updated) Can You Hear Me Now?

Good

Note: This post has been updated. Any and all updates appear at the end of the original post.

On the front page of today's Oregonian is a story about opposition to the City's proposed tax on cellular telephone service, to come into line with landline taxes. It says, in part, the following.

But much of that public outcry was funneled through Washington, D.C., and a Web site paid for by the wireless industry's most influential trade group, CTIA-The Wireless Association.

This is in addition to a sub-headline which reads, "The city has logged hundreds of complaints from residents, though many have come via an industry-funded nonprofit group."

Somehow this sounds vaguely similar to something reported here back in June, but maybe it's just some sort of echo in our cellular reception.

August 16th, 2005 Update

Yes, we're just being cranky. On the larger scale, obviously today's Oregonian piece provides a much wider context to the group's activities than we had here in June. And, actually, we did find one other reference to MyWireless being an industry-funded group, from August 4.

Mainly, it just amused us to point out that the bit about the opposition being organized by the industry itself through a front group didn't, perhaps, qualify as the "new" in "news" since it was at least two months old.

August 16th, 2005 Update

A couple of other things. It's unclear to us from the article how many communications came into City Hall via MyWireless which were actually from local people. There's an implication here:

Since last fall, Potter and Portland's four commissioners have received what looked like a landslide of local opposition to the city's proposed 5 percent tax on wireless phone company revenues -- more than 2,500 faxes, e-mails and phone calls from people in a tizzy about the tax.

But it's only an implication. Were a total of 2,500 communications received, some portion of which were local? Or is 2,500 the number of local communications received? And, is that a number gotten from City Hall offices, or did the industry tell the paper it was 2,500 local communications without providing a way to verify that?

(We ask that last bit because it was the same Oregonian reporter who kept referring to the two-paragraph Bradley Tellam say-nothing memorandum as a "report" just because that's what PDC's board called it, even though it wasn't.)

Also, the reporter does get one thing definitively wrong.

Commissioner Dan Saltzman now heads the department that regulates cell phones, and he gets to decide whether to bring the new tax up for a council vote. Saltzman, who is running for re-election next year, says his decision hinges, in part, on public opinion. He won't back a tax he thinks is destined for repeal at the ballot.

Last year, after then-Commissioner Jim Francesconi tried to introduce a proposal regarding a bureau which didn't belong to him and discovered that City Code didn't permit it, Council adopted a new law which allows Council members to introduce legislation regarding bureaus not within their own portfolios.

So, it is entirely untrue that Saltzman "gets to decide whether to bring the new tax up for a council vote." Any member can introduce the tax proposal whenever they wish, provided they give advance notice (which we think is set at a week's worth).

Posted at 10:33 AM | PermalinkComments (2) | TrackBacks (1)
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Comments (2)

  1. Eric Berg on 17 Aug 2005

    Note: Cascade Policy Institute and Oregon Watchdog (the Taxpayer Association of Oregon "news source" featuring FOX News and Lars Larson) belong to the My Wireless "coalition", a Who's Who of well-funded pro-big business/anti-government/anti-community/anti-union/anti-consumer groups.

    Source: http://www.mywireless.org/coalition

  2. toony lune on 19 Aug 2005

    Eric,
    Why do people like you talk about things you obviously know nothing about?

    Why don't you share with us some of your knowledge about those folks and their anti-ism you site.
    "well-funded pro-big business/anti-government/anti-community/anti-union/anti-consumer groups."

    If you had any real idea of the makeup or people at Cascade PI and Oregon taxpayers Assoc. you would know how rediculous your little jabs was.

Trackbacks (1)

  1. Portland: A Leader In The Tax Industry on 16 Aug 2005

    Most cities are known by residents for their oddities and quirks. Some have problems, discussions and issues you don't find anywhere else. While a cell-phone tax has been floated other places, it is not surprise to me that the self-loathing...