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Petition by HearUsNow Consumers Union to Stop New FCC Bills

DKVZW

Jan 16, 2006, 5:28 AM
HearUsNow.org is a non-profit organization, a division of Consumers Union and Consumer Reports.

They have gotten things done allready! The truth in billing initiatives the FCC set for Wireline Carrriers were extended to Wireless as well.

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/wirelessphonebi ... »

They among with other public interest groups have started a petition against new dockets in front of the FCC that will prevent your state/local government from interfering in any way with cellular carriers.

Instead the dockets will install new rules which are favoring the industry and not the consumer in every way.

Here is a Link to Hear Us Now!
http://www.hearusnow.org »

Here is the link to the Petition they've organized
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Hello Moto

Jan 16, 2006, 11:17 AM
i'm not signing that, and no other cingular customer should either. cingular already does all that and iff enough people complain about billing, they they will start charging HIGHER regulatory cost on wireless like they do wire line... regulatory cost are between $6 -$8 on wireline, $3-$4 on wireless (not including tax on either)...

Cingular is well ahead of this, don't encourage this petition... it's not good for cingular customers... verizon maybe, they still charge for detailed billing...
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DKVZW

Jan 16, 2006, 12:26 PM
Have you read the CITA and SunCom plea to the FCC?

Where they are trying to declare the ETF a "rate"?
Do you support removing the State, Police and Local government from protecting the rights of their residents with regards to any cellular dispute?

I think it will pave the way for $500.00 early term fees, and 4 year contracts. With no out, no recourse. These are not face to face - business to business contracts either. Where one promises one thing and another promises another.

These contracts only have promises on behalf of the cusotomer, no promises on behalf of the cellular carriers.

Most people see the ETF as a Penalty for early exit, not as a "rate" or a "cost" of providing wireless service as SunCom and CITA have put it. ...
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texaswireless

Jan 16, 2006, 2:07 PM
Yes, it has been read.

Paving the way?

There is significant competition to minimize any potential risk of those extreme situations occuring. On the other hand...

State controls and their attempts to eliminate ETFs DO NOT WORK. This has ALREADY HAPPENED. This isn't THEORY as you are trying to extrapolate but fact. When the California PUC did not allow discounts on phones based on contracts the market was stagnant. EVERY consumer was forced to pay higher prices for phones. Network investment was minimal. Once the CPUC lifted those requirements the market in CA boomed to join the rest of the country in offering consumers better prices in exchange for a commitment. When you eliminate even the option for a contract to take away c...
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DKVZW

Jan 16, 2006, 2:37 PM
If a wireless agreement is a 2 way contract then yes. The opponents of CITA/SunCom are not trying to get rid of the ETF, Maybee the State of California is, but the initial contradiction here is that.

A) ETF is not a "rate". Its a penalty.

B) ETF was initialy created to help recoup costs of phones which were offered below market, it was not done here first, it was done in the EMEA, where now %60 of the market is pre-paid.

C) If CITA / SunCom state that removing the ETF is something that will hike the price of handsets and make them less affordable then what does it have to do with rates or service?

D) Thankfuly 1 provider pro-rates the ETF. Others do not. If ETF is to recoup cost of phone then it should be set based on price of ph...
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ralph_on_me

Jan 16, 2006, 5:42 PM
When you get a cell phone with Cingular, you have 30 days to make sure it works. That's twice as long as any other carrier. If your phone isn't going to work well at your place of residence, you should know well within your return period.

If a person moves in the middle of their contract, how is that the fault of the company providing them with cellular service?

Pro-rated ETFs usually have a higher initial pay out than non prorated or flat fee ETFs. Pick your poison on that one.
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sangyup81

Jan 16, 2006, 6:33 PM
Actually about part G, you can get out of your contract without ETF if you move to a market that Cingular does not cover. Verizon does the same. And if the coverage is bad, then why should the consumer be given the ability to leave the contract? If you lose your job, should you be allowed to not pay your credit card bills without any penalty to your credit? I think the problem is that customers don't realize how serious it is for them to sign contracts and then when the penalties come, they cry foul.

And you don't have to sign contracts to get service. You just have to sign them to get service cheap.

And the $150 Early Termination Fee is the actual discount of the phone. We set it so the discount we are making the customer liable...
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ralph_on_me

Jan 16, 2006, 11:32 AM
Anything Consumer Reports is a part of is something I don't support. People will also be in for a shock when those "free" phones go away if ETFs are eliminated.
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Hello Moto

Jan 16, 2006, 11:39 AM
here here!!! Did you see the latest issue of consumer reports... it was a joke... i really would like to meet who does those reports... it ranked us lowest in invery cali market... hello? we use the same network as t-mobile and our own.... and, the california highway patrol uses our network for call boxes??? 2 other consumer groups found cingular best in 2 different cali markts... and i know for a fact that in many areas of the south, verizon is no better than verizon, expecially by the point scale they showed... oh yea... '6 points or more are meaningful'

so basically, they ranked verizon #1, everyehere except Chicago adn US cellular beat them?????? and everyone else 2nd, because if there is less than a 6 point diffence, it doesn't mean ...
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Hello Moto

Jan 16, 2006, 11:42 AM
Hello Moto said:
here here!!! Did you see the latest issue of consumer reports... it was a joke... i really would like to meet who does those reports... it ranked us lowest in invery cali market... hello? we use the same network as t-mobile and our own.... and, the california highway patrol uses our network for call boxes??? 2 other consumer groups found cingular best in 2 different cali markts... and i know for a fact that in many areas of the south, verizon is no better than verizon, expecially by the point scale they showed... oh yea... '6 points or more are meaningful'

so basically, they ranked verizon #1, everyehere except Chicago adn US cellular beat them?????? and everyone else 2nd, because if there is less than
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ralph_on_me

Jan 16, 2006, 11:42 AM
Consumer Reports surveys the people dumb enough to pay for their magazine. That's usually the extent of their research.
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