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FCC: 'Bill Shock' Hits 30 Million Cell Phone Users

by Caleb Johnson on May 27, 2010 at 09:50 AM

Epic Bill Shock If the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has its way, cell phone users won't be shocked anymore when they open their bills. According to MSNBC, the FCC claims that one in six cell phone users, or about 30 million people across the U.S., have experienced "bill shock" due to a drastic increase in charges from one month to the next. Yes, thanks to the FCC, there's a name for this phenomenon other than "irresponsibility." The FCC surveyed about 3,000 people in April and May, and according to the results, about a thousand said their bills had jumped by at least $50, and around 23-percent said their bills had increased by $100. Apparently, as the FCC contends, it should be up to cell phone service providers to warn customers when they're about to use up minutes, send too many texts, or exceed their data usage.

The FCC hammered this point home by pointing out that 84-percent of those who experienced "bill shock" weren't contacted before they exceeded the limits of their plans. Simple solution: monitor your minutes, texts and data usage (it's easily accessible online). That, and read the fine print before you sign any cellular contract. [From: MSNBC]

Tags: billshock, business, cellphone, cellphones, cellphoneservice, FCC, federal communications commission, FederalCommunicationsCommission, government, money, smartphones, survey, top

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