As promised, here’s what we could find about what each of the different carriers’ monthly fee for cellphone number portability, which they’re charging even for customers who aren’t planning to switch carriers.
Sprint PCS: Collects $1.10 a month for “Federal Wireless Number Pooling And Portability.”
T-Mobile: Not charging a cent, and some readers report receiving bonus “loyalty minutes” as well.
Nextel: Some readers wrote in that there were no portability charges on their bill, but others reported seeing a charge of either $1.55 or $2.83 for “Federal Programs Cost Recovery,” which covers number portability.
Verizon: Most readers reported no portability charge, but it seems to vary by state, with some reporting being charged $0.55 for portability.
UPDATE: Just spoke with Verizon about this, and they say they’re definitely charging anything at all for portability. Which means that they’re doing an awfully poor job of communicating this to their own customers, who think they’re being charged when they’re not.
Cingular: Collects a fee of up to $1.25 for “Regulatory Cost Recovery,” which likely includes number portability. Most Cingular subscribers who wrote in said that they were being charged $0.32 for this, but others said they weren’t being charged anything at all. Probably varies by state.
AT&T Wireless: Collects $1.75 for “Regulatory Program Fees,” which includes number portability and E911 service, though some readers wrote in that they weren’t being charged anything extra.
Thanks to everyone who wrote in and shared the details of their bill with us.
