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 Federal  Communications  Commission  Washington,  D.  C.  20554 
 February  14,  2005  Released:  February  15,  2005 
 Mr.  Steve  Largent  President 
 CTIA  –  The  Wireless  Association  1400  16  th  Street,  NW,  Suite  600 
 Washington,  DC  20036 
 Dear  Mr.  Largent: 
 I  am  writing  to  you  today  to  commend  CTIA  and  its  members,  for  addressing  the  important  issues  that  arise  with  the  delivery  of  content  over  mobile  devices.  Mobile  content  has  been  of 
 increasing  interest  to  both  members  of  the  media  and  the  public  in  the  past  few  months.  As  wireless  technology  advances,  consumers  are  able  to  access  an  increasing  amount  and  variety  of 
 information  through  their  mobile  connections.  The  development  of  new  wireless  technologies  presents  both  benefits  and  risks  to  consumers,  especially  those  consumers  who  are  most 
 vulnerable  –  children.  As  your  members  know,  as  mobile  devices  have  become  more  ubiquitous,  they  are  increasingly  used  for  work,  entertainment,  and  perhaps  most  importantly,  personal 
 safety.  As  a  result  of  the  development  of  new  mobile  data  technologies  and  applications,  as  well  as  the  growing  use  of  wireless  devices  by  children,  the  issue  of  access  to  adult  content  by  minors 
 on  mobile  devices  has  come  to  the  forefront.  I  applaud  the  initiative  you  are  taking  to  address  this  issue  and  ask  that  you  consider  the  following  recommendations. 


 With  adult  content  available  from  a  myriad  of  sources,  now  more  than  ever  it  is  important  for  carriers,  content  providers,  and  parents  to  know  what  is  being  done  by  industry  to  prevent  access 
 to  adult  content  by  minors,  as  well  as  what  they  can  do  to  protect  their  children.  Therefore,  I  ask  you  to  help  educate  parents  about  their  options  with  regard  to  content  access  by  minors.  Let 
 parents  know  that  they  can  block  access  to  pay-  per-  call  voice  services  and  access  to  the  mobile  Internet  through  their  children’s  handsets;  inform  parents  of  the  types  of  content  that  children 
 will  have  access  to  through  download  services;  and  ensure  that  parents  are  aware  of  the  different  types  of  services  to  which  their  children  will  have  access. 


 Second,  I  ask  that  you  consider  whether  the  availability  of  adult  content  via  mobile  devices  warrants  changes  to  CTIA’s  carrier  code  of  conduct  to  promote  industry  self-  regulation. 
 Through  responsible  action  on  the  part  of  wireless  carriers  and  content  providers  this  important  social  goal  can  be  achieved  without  government  intervention  and  without  interference  to  the 
 provision  of  content  to  adults. 
 Finally,  I  encourage  you  to  examine  the  efforts  that  are  being  made  by  both  government  and  industry  in  other  countries  to  address  the  issue  of  access  to  adult  content  by  minors.  For 
 example,  the  United  Kingdom,  Australia,  and  Israel  have  each  recently  confronted  this  subject,  with  differing  results  in  each  case.  This  issue  is  not  confined  to  our  borders  and  we  should  be 
 mindful  that  other  parts  of  the  international  telecommunications  industry  are  facing  similar  circumstances. 
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 By  encouraging  independent  initiatives  by  your  members  and  giving  parents  access  to  the  tools  needed  to  protect  their  children  from  inappropriate  content  you  can  encourage  the  continued 
 growth  of  wireless  services  as  an  integral  part  of  every  American’s  daily  life. 
 Sincerely, 


 John  Muleta  Chief,  Wireless  Telecom.  Bureau 
 Federal  Communications  Commission 
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