Work Remains a Year After Bill Shock Agreement, Says FCC Report
An FCC briefing on industry progress in meeting the goals of a Oct. 17, 2011, agreement on curbing bill shock will say more work remains to be done on the part of industry, commission officials said Tuesday. They said the FCC will also find that the four major carriers have met an initial goal of offering alerts on two of four possible notifications: For data, voice, messaging and international roaming overage, by Wednesday’s deadline. Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau staff are to brief commissioners. The report was a last-minute addition Tuesday to the FCC’s Oct. 17 meeting agenda (http://xrl.us/bnujah).
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Last year, the FCC, CTIA and Consumers Union unveiled “Wireless Consumer Usage Notification Guidelines” as an alternative to bill shock rules proposed by the agency in 2010 (CD Oct 18/11 p1). FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said then the FCC could still regulate if voluntary guidelines don’t work. The report repeats that warning, officials said.
The FCC last provided information on carrier progress on bill shock warnings in April (http://xrl.us/bnuir9). According to the commission’s bill shock “portal,” Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel all were providing alerts for data and for customers who incur additional charges when using their wireless devices while traveling abroad. AT&T was offering alerts for just data, according to the portal, while T-Mobile was providing alerts for voice as well. But many of the smaller carriers had yet to order alerts, according to the portal. It lacks the latest information.
The announcement of the briefing came as a surprise to other 8th-floor officials. “Why was this announced to the press the day before the meeting?” one asked. “Nobody was given a reason why it was announced late.” A wireless industry official said carriers faced two deadlines and the second -- that they would offer all four types of alerts on April 17, 2013 -- is still six months away. So it’s not surprising they have more work to do, the official said.
Last week, Consumers Union asked for an update. “These alerts could make a real difference in helping consumers avoid unexpected charges,” Ellen Bloom, CU director-federal policy, said Tuesday. “We're anxious to hear about the progress that’s been made. Our folks at Consumer Reports are going to spread the word on whether companies are living up to their agreement, and we'll be asking consumers if they're getting these alerts and whether they're helpful.”