FROM THE INDUSTRY
“Every day I drive someplace and have to deal with someone that thinks that
I love their music as much as they do and I don’t,” she said. “They don’t seem to have the consideration that I wouldn’t like it (their music) at all.” She added that she was surprised that there wasn’t a noise ordinance to control the disturbance and admitted that maybe there was another way to approach the issue. Also in favor of HB1178, the County of Maui Police De- partment added, “Law enforcement frequently receives public nuisance calls for service for excessive amplified music in neighborhoods and public parks.” At least one other individual submitted testimony and cited it as a daily distur- bance of their lives.
And that is all it took. With no research or any other due diligence, a pro- posal was submitted before the House that, if ignored, could have essentially killed the mobile electronics business in Hawaii, and possibly set precedent for other states to follow suit. Of course, the mobile electronics industry stood in opposition to the pro-
Law enforcement frequently receives public nuisance calls for service for excessive amplified music in neighborhoods and public parks.”
posal, citing any number of valid reasons, from unfair trade to discrimination, ignorance, lack of forethought, elimination of jobs and threat to small business. Kent Izuka, owner of Security & Sound Systems, submitted testimony that said, “What is the intent of House Bill 1178? Is it to stop people from playing their car stereos at a loud volume? If so, there is a law already in place for that which allows the police to issue a ticket if one’s system is heard from 30 feet away. This is similar to how speeding is handled. The police issue a ticket if one is caught speeding. There is no ban on equipment that happens to allow them to go fast.” So how do we work to avoid this in the fu- ture? It depends on our segment within the industry. Retailers need to know who their representatives are and attend meetings or
functions where they can meet these people face to face. Manufacturers can promote safe, ethical and courteous use of autosound equipment to consumers, just as they do with driver distraction. And our industry organi- zations need to monitor initiatives on the local, state and federal levels for proposals that could adversely affect our industry, and even use retailers as local “eyes and ears.” I spoke with Kent Izuka and he informed me that all the local retailers have decided to have a meeting to address the issue, be aware of how it could have had an impact on their businesses, and band together to educate their con- sumers as to things that could ultimately restrict their rights. Next up in Hawaii? House Bill 63, which looks to outlaw all alarm systems, including factory install ones. ■
Check our Facebook page for links to both bills and give us some feedback. 14 Mobile Electronics February | March 2011
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56