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Well, this should delight anybody who has a cell phone and likes to have money (i.e., most everybody). According to The New York Times, the Federal Communications Commission has apparently outlined a plan that would require cell phone providers to warn us of the wacky charges they're piling on us when we unwittingly exceed our plans.The plan was spearheaded by the FCC's chief of Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Joel Gurin, who has referred to these steep, unforeseen charges as "bill shock." Over the years, Gurin and his colleagues have heard myriad grievances about this sketchy practice from cell phone subscribers, and have finally figured they ought to do something about it. At present, the FCC is trying to gauge public opinion on "bill shock," so do your civic duty by visiting www.fcc.gov, and giving Ma Bell a piece of your mind. [From: New York Times]
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Comments
6
Subscribe to commentsRobertGMay 12th 2010 1:12AM
"Ma Bell" ceased to exist after May of 1980 by Federal order of divestiture. Leave old Ma Bell to rest in peace. She is long dead and cold in her grave. Divestiture and deregulation are precisely the reason new companies can pull off any kind of practices they want with little oversight and without regard to the consumer. Ma Bell's babies were taken away and left to run wild and new startups have been literally picking over her bones for the last 30 years.
DennisMay 12th 2010 4:25AM
Really now, how hard can it be for your cell service provider to send you an automated text message when you hit 95% of your allotted minutes. Simple but this would cut into PROFITS... and as Goldman Sachs has demonstrated, profit is paramount!
CCMay 12th 2010 6:07AM
Dennis has hit the nail on the head; profits are paramount. Like the megabanks, also deregulated with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act removing the Depression-era laws separating banking, insurance and brokerage activities, the phone companies were organized to maximize profits without regard to consumers.
homealoneMay 12th 2010 6:45AM
Yes I did try to do my civic duty and suggested a plan similar to Dennis'. Unfortunately with so many FCC hearings your link took me to I'm not sure if my comments were placed in the right section. And for the rest of the story, I did discover there are comments being recorded regarding telephone solication. If you agree, please comment in this area that Congress and all poiticans shall no longer exempt their selves for telephone solication. In my opinion they are no better than Junck Bond salesmen.
Wei JungMay 18th 2010 9:44AM
Shock bill for me is when I get over 10$ on my cellphone bill... I love my carrier, cheap mobile service rules! :)
$0.0047 per SMS, $7 for mobile unlimited HSPA service 256kbps or $24 for unlimited 1Mbps, $0.05 per min :) (9th cheapest in the world), and I live in a emerging country.
Carrier: ICE
Country: Costa Rica.
RosieMay 22nd 2010 5:37AM
I could not believe how much money I saved after switching from a contract to Net10 prepaid! This year alone my savings will add up to over $800.00 which is a fortune to me! It's not just that my calls are 10c per minute and my texts 5c each, but also having no roaming fees, long distance charges or hidden expenses makes a huge difference. I also find that being on prepaid makes me more aware of how much money I'm spending while on the phone so I'm a lot more careful! Anyway you look at it Net10 has been a good move for me!