Wireless industry representatives told Neb. legislative committee...
Wireless industry representatives told Neb. legislative committee that pending bill to empower PSC to arbitrate retail wireless billing disputes could conflict with federal rules that restrict state jurisdiction over mobile phone services. Unicameral legislature’s Transportation & Telecom Committee opened…
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hearings on LB-1286, which also would require wireless providers to register their billing operations with PSC. Wireless carriers said binding arbitration and registration of billing was closely akin to regulation of rates and entry, which was forbidden to states. Industry also argued that market competition would weed out carriers with chronic billing problems. But PSC Comr. Anne Boyle testified in favor of bill, saying agency had received 228 complaints since May about cellphone billing problems but could do nothing about them except to refer complainants to already burdened FCC, which could do little about individuals’ complaints except to ask carriers to solve problem. She cited consumer press reports that 45% of cellphone complaints revolved around billing problems. But industry countered that 228 complaints out of 600,000 cellphone users in Neb. showed problem was small in scale.