FCC focuses on "cramming" crackdown

Opening the cell phone bill can be an ugly and dark experience. Over the years, these invoices have gained notoriety for being complex and cryptic. Many cell phone users have reluctantly paid invoices that contained services and fees without understanding all the charges. That could change soon. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is proposing new rules to crack down on a loathsome scam known as "cramming."

Cramming refers those long, hard-to-understand bills that wireless and phone companies send. According to an editorial this week in the Chicago Sun-Times:

As many as 20 million people are “crammed” each year by third-party companies, some of which do nothing but cram, but only about one in 20 customers realizes it, according to the FCC. The bogus charges can be for anything from psychic hotlines to diet programs, often misleadingly labeled as a “service fee.”

The Senate Commerce Committee estimates Americans pay about $2 billion in mystery fees every year. Phone companies have little incentive to stop the charges because they get a cut of the revenues.

The FCC wants to increase phone bill transparency and disclosure, which will apply to mobile as well as landline phone bills.

Read PCMag.com for more.

Sounding the alarm on cell phones

We've heard the warning before, but now it's an official alert. Cell phone use may cause cancer. That's the world from the World Health Organization.

According to a group of 31 scientists from 14 countries, there is not enough long-term data to link cancer and cell phone use directly. However, officials believe there is enough information to issue an alert.

With this latest announcement, WHO now groups cell phones in the same hazard category as chloroform, lead, and engine exhaust.

The report comes as a proposed class action lawsuit against 19 defendants, mostly cellphone manufacturers and telecommunications companies, has landed at the Supreme Court. The defendants -- which include Nokia, AT&T and Samsung -- are accused of misrepresenting that their cellphones are safe, when they in fact knew of potential dangers.


Source: Reuters


Update: Still wondering about the basis of the alert? Listen to this NPR interview.

Dangerous little hands

Any parent knows that toddlers and fancy cell phones are a dangerous combo. This is especially true if you're talking about smartphones, such as the iPhone or the BlackBerry.

Children who fiddle with keys can easily delete important e-mails, dial 911 or break a fancy phone. As I was driving home recently, I heard a delightful interview on this issue on National Public Radio's All Things Considered.

(By the way, if you click on the darling image above, it will take you to the NPR blog, All Tech Considered.)


Tags: Smartphones, Cell Phones, Technology, Children, Media by Sistrunk

Facts you may not know about texting

The truth cell phone companies are hiding

The public assumes that wireless carriers’ costs are far higher than they actually are, and profit margins are concealed by a heavy curtain. During the past three years, four major carriers decided to increase the pay-per-use price for messages to 20 cents from 10 cents. According to the New York Times, the cost went up even though the texting business is booming.



Tags: Cell Phones, Text Messages Technology, Business, Media by Sistrunk