EoW September 2010

EuroWire – September 2010

to post the amount of radiation emitted by each model.

In 11-point type or larger, the specific absorption rate (SAR) of

the instrument must be prominently displayed at the point of

sale. The SAR is a value that corresponds to the relative amount

of radiofrequency (RF) energy absorbed into the head of a user

of a wireless handset. Believed to be the first of its kind in the

nation, the law shows San Francisco outdoing the Federal

Communications Commission. The FCC, which oversees the

$190 billion wireless industry, limits public exposure from cellular

telephones to a SAR level of 1.6 watts per kilogram (1.6 W/kg),

but imposes no public notification requirement. A curious aspect

of both sets of rules is the absence of proof that cellphone use

is hazardous to health. Neither the National Cancer Institute nor

the FCC has found scientific evidence that wireless phones are

dangerous – a fact probably known to San Francisco’s mayor,

Gavin Newsom. Because Mr Newsom is technically oriented and

a heavy user of the Apple iPhone, his promotion of the new law

would seem to have grown out of a dedication to the right to

know. “It’s information that’s out there if you’re willing to look

hard enough,”Tony Winnicker, a spokesman for Mr Newsom, said

of the SAR. “And we think that for the consumer for whom this is

an area of concern, it ought to be easier to find.”

Officials in San Francisco emphasised that the labelling ordinance

is intended only to inform – not to disparage cellphones or

discourage their use. But the wireless industry takes a jaundiced

view of the initiative, and not only for its potentially chilling

effect on sales. John Walls, a spokesman for CTIA - The Wireless

Association, said that highlighting SAR information could mis-

lead customers into concluding that some phones are safer

than others. “We believe there is an overwhelming consensus

of scientific belief that there is no adverse health effect by using

wireless devices,” Mr Walls said. “This kind of labeling gets away

from what the FCC’s standard actually represents.”

Elsewhere in telecom . . .

Motorola (Schaumburg, Illinois) and the Canadian handset

❈

maker Research In Motion said 11

June that they had

settled the patent complaint over mobile technology filed

by Motorola with the International Trade Commission in

January. Research In Motion (Waterloo, Ontario), maker of

the BlackBerry, is to give Motorola an initial payment plus

continuing royalties for the use of mobile technology. While

financial terms were not disclosed, the two handset makers

said the deal included an agreement to cross-license various

patents related to industry wireless standards and wireless

e-mail messaging. The disputed patents cover several

cellphone functions, includingWi-Fi access, the management

of applications, user interface and power management.

Dorothy Fabian – USA Editor