Disqus
The Government Accountability Office, “the investigative arm of Congress,” has found, after a recent audit, that the Federal Communications Commission has been slacking on their mission to protect consumers and regulate the US wireless ecosystem. Citing a survey of 1,100 wireless subscribers in the US, the GAO says that the FCC isn’t keeping up with consumer concerns regarding “truth-in-billing” practices, customer service, and early termination fees.
Part of the problem, it seems, is that the FCC hasn’t really enforced wireless billing regulations and that consumers are largely unaware of the FCC’s complaint process. The GAO further dings the FCC for its inability to track and analyze complaints. The investigation also found that the FCC has been lax in enforcing wireless billing rules that require carriers to make monthly cellphone bills easier to digest.
“The FCC can — and must — do more to make sure consumer concerns are resolved by wireless carriers and oversee the wireless industry with a greater focus on consumer protection,” Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Jay Rockefeller, who requested that the GAO look into these matters. “It is time for the agency to take real action to better protect wireless consumers.”
The FCC responded to the GAO with a statement saying that the regulatory body is in the midst of a “sweeping review of the wireless market” and is well on its way to shoring up its consumer protection policies.
[Via: MobileBurn]
About The Author
Will Park
Will hails from The City of Angels - Los Angeles, California. He spends his time playing with his numerous gadgets and looking forward to seeing what future holds for mobile technology. An avid promoter of a fully "digital" life, he promotes the widespread adoption of truly mobile, paper-less living. He dreams of the day when he can go completely digital. No more snail mail, paper receipts, bound books, notepads/spiral notebooks, credit cards, hard currency. He's a digital warrior - fighting for the converged life. He is an idealist and a realist - he has a perfect view of what the world should be but knows that the world is not perfect. Can we ever hope to see Will's dream become reality? We'll see...
