Last week, Sprint Nextel said Chief Operating Officer Len Lauer was leaving the company, his services no longer needed.

This week, he was let go again. This time from he was erased from the CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment keynote lineup at the September convention and told he will no longer be the wireless association's chairman of the board.

"Given the situation that Len is no longer serving a role at Sprint Nextel, he has been removed as chairman at CTIA," said Shannon Nix, a CTIA spokeswoman. "The nature of his role at Sprint is why he was elected as chairman. Given that he is no longer in a leadership role there, he is no longer in a leadership role at CTIA."

She added that Sprint Nextel is working on a replacement for the keynote speaker. "There will be no impact on the keynote or on the integrity of the show," she said.

Lauer's term as chairman was expiring at the end of the year. Gary Forsee, Sprint Nextel's chief executive, took over Lauer's role as COO internally at the company, and was also appointed to the CTIA board of directors last week.

"Len's leadership as the association chairman and dedication to serving the wireless community have been exemplary," said Steve Largent, CTIA president and CEO. "He has consistently provided keen insight on a number of wireless-related issues and has been a valuable contributor to the association's and industry's efforts to promote public policy and initiatives that benefit wireless consumers."

Rough couple of weeks.