Da-Chief
05-21-2008, 13:30
http://i.dslr.net/urls/95/4495.gif (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Wireless-Carriers-Trying-To-Kill-ETF-Lawsuits-94616)
Verizon's facing a billion dollar, 70-million-user class action for not being clear about ETF penalties. The Associated Press (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CELL_PHONE_FEES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-05-21-07-36-16) reports that wireless phone companies are lobbying the FCC for new rules that would get them out of these State lawsuits. According to the AP report, phone companies would be required to pro-rate ETFs and give consumers a thirty-day no-penalty cancellation window, in exchange for immunity from these suits:Under a proposal to the Federal Communications Commission, the wireless industry would give consumers the opportunity to cancel service without any penalty for up to 30 days after they sign a cell phone contract or until 10 days after they receive their first bill. The proposal also would cap such fees and reduce them month by month over the course of a contract based on how long customers have left.
Of course the reason the carriers are so eager for new rules is because they're already adhering to them. In an effort to pre-empt tougher pro-consumer laws like the "Cell Phone Consumer Empowerment Act (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s110-2033)," wireless carriers have already started pro-rating ETFs and offering 30 day no penalty windows (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/89257). They also stopped quietly extending contracts every time you made a plan change, thanks to Minnesota's Attorney General (http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/10/mn_sprint.html).
read comment(s) (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Wireless-Carriers-Trying-To-Kill-ETF-Lawsuits-94616)
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Verizon's facing a billion dollar, 70-million-user class action for not being clear about ETF penalties. The Associated Press (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CELL_PHONE_FEES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-05-21-07-36-16) reports that wireless phone companies are lobbying the FCC for new rules that would get them out of these State lawsuits. According to the AP report, phone companies would be required to pro-rate ETFs and give consumers a thirty-day no-penalty cancellation window, in exchange for immunity from these suits:Under a proposal to the Federal Communications Commission, the wireless industry would give consumers the opportunity to cancel service without any penalty for up to 30 days after they sign a cell phone contract or until 10 days after they receive their first bill. The proposal also would cap such fees and reduce them month by month over the course of a contract based on how long customers have left.
Of course the reason the carriers are so eager for new rules is because they're already adhering to them. In an effort to pre-empt tougher pro-consumer laws like the "Cell Phone Consumer Empowerment Act (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s110-2033)," wireless carriers have already started pro-rating ETFs and offering 30 day no penalty windows (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/89257). They also stopped quietly extending contracts every time you made a plan change, thanks to Minnesota's Attorney General (http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/10/mn_sprint.html).
read comment(s) (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Wireless-Carriers-Trying-To-Kill-ETF-Lawsuits-94616)
More...