Market Research Industry
FCC takes aim at the wireless industry
Thursday, 27, May 2010
The Federal Communications Commission, which has been taking a beating on proposed Net neutrality regulations, is lacing up the gloves again, this time to do battle with wireless carriers.While more than a few of the wireless carriers are the same companies going toe-to-toe with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski over Net neutrality, the latest scrap is over a very different issue: billing. More specifically, those shocking bills consumers say they get from time to time from their wireless providers.
The FCC has been looking into the wireless industry's billing practices and pressuring carriers over their early termination fees for some time. But it seems that Genachowski, who took the reigns at the FCC less than a year ago, has intensified the scrutiny.Starting last August, the FCC launched a proceeding to examine how consumers could be empowered to make informed decisions about their communications services. In January, the FCC also sent letters to the nation's four largest cell phone providers and Google, asking them to explain how they implemented early termination fees.