AMTA Snapshot Edition 97

Minister joins AMTA for first Board meeting of 2008 The Board of the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association met with the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, at its first meeting for 2008 in Melbourne this week.

US male infertility findings inconsistent with major research and scientific consensus Research conducted by the Cleveland Clinic on male fertility in the US is inconsistent with other research in the area and with the scientific consensus that there are no substantiated health effects from mobile phones, Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association CEO Chris Althaus said.

Mobile phones, coffee and chlorinated water – all unlikely to cause cancer, says new Australian report Drinking coffee, using mobile phones or having breast implants is unlikely to cause cancer, according to a risk ranking system devised by an Australian cancer specialist to debunk popular myths, Reuters reported this week.

The thin blue line joins MobileMuster Victoria Police has joined MobileMuster this week and will be encouraging 3000 staff over the coming months to track down and apprehend all old unused mobiles lurking around at home and work and hand them over for recycling.

Mobile access assists to narrow digital divide between rich and poor countries The diigital divide between rich and poor countries is narrowing as mobile phones and Internet use become more available, but the developing world still lags far behind, a United Nations report says.

Communities to be consulted on telecommunications issues across Australia The Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee is assessing the adequacy of telecommunications services in regional, rural and remote parts of Australia.

Japanese study finds mobile phone use is safe Computerworld reports that using a mobile phone does not increase your risk of brain cancer, according to a new Japanese study that is the first to consider the effects of radiation on different parts of the brain.

Increased mobile phone penalties "ineffective" say road safety experts Some of the UK's leading road safety experts have called current laws banning drivers from using hand-held mobile phones ineffective. They also say enforcement should be beefed up to save lives on UK roads.