It looks like Verizon and AT&T’s recent “Hey, we’re not total assholes” moves might’ve been to preempt such “fairness” from getting some legal teeth, as a bunch of rowdy Senators are looking to make the mobile industry play just a bit nicer with a mobile bill of rights for consumers.
https://gizmodo.com/at-t-decides-to-play-nice-takes-the-teeth-out-of-termi-311316
The Cell Phone Consumer Empowerment Act intro’d last month, for example, would force carriers to prorate termination fees, prevent them from calling their own fees government taxes, and keep their coverage maps up-to-date and easily available to customers. Also at issue are termination fees for military personnel shipped overseas and automatic extensions forced on customers seeking small changes in their contract.
Naturally, the industry’s against increased regulation, with Verizon, for instance, saying it already follows many of the proposed provisions. Some Republican Senators also argue that the competitive market provides enough protection for consumers. On the other hand, having more transparency and fairness seems like it would benefit consumers, and at least on paper, a mobile bill of rights doesn’t sound like a bad thing. What do you guys think? [InfoWorld/Yahoo!, Flickr]
