Approaching cellphone plan limits? Now you'll be warned
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The FCC has found that one in six mobile phone users have experienced bill shock, or unexpected fees tacked onto their monthly bills, and 23 percent of those users have faced unexpected charges of $100 or more.
The FCC proposed rules last October that would make mobile phone companies send text or voice alerts to customers before charging them for services not covered by their plans.
Consumers should begin receiving warnings about their bills faster under the industry initiative than the FCC would have been able to require through the rulemaking process.
CTIA, representing companies serving 97 percent of wireless customers, and the FCC announced the voluntary guidelines, including disclosure of tools that make it easier for customers to track and control their service usage.
But public interest group Free Press criticized the FCC for failing to establish rules, opting instead for "industry platitudes."
"The FCC is charged by Congress to protect consumers and it should fulfill this mandate to write a rule that puts an end to outrageous monthly cell phone bills that rival the price of a new car," said Joel Kelsey, the Free Press political adviser.
Source: msnbc.com