By Allen Tsai | Wed Jan 27, 2010 10:21 am |
The Federal Communications Commission escalated its inquiry in the telecom sector by asking all of the major carriers, and Google, to explain how they tell their customers about early termination fees.
Regulators sent letters to AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, asking them to detail how each discloses their early termination fees to consumers in advertisements, on Web sites and in monthly bills.The agency also sent a letter to Google, asking for clarification about its $350 "equipment recovery fee" charged to Nexus One buyers. That charge, in addition to T-Mobile's $200 early termination fee, adds up to a total of $550, which the FCC called "unique." The investigation is part of a larger FCC push started last year to determine how much consumers know about the fees being billed to them each month. In December, the regulatory body looked into Verizon when it doubled its termination fee for "advanced phones" to $350 when most rival companies charged half as much. Officials are also looking into the amount subscribers are charged even when a carrier pro-rates its termination fee. AT&T, for example, pro-rates their $175 fee by $5 a month, meaning in the final month of a contract a customer would still have to pay $55. The wireless companies typically require subscribers to sign two-year contracts with fees to help recoup the cost of discounted handsets. But the charges also keep customers from leaving for other carriers. The major carriers have responded in statements, saying that their customers can completely avoid the fees with prepaid plans, but by paying the full-price of their handsets.
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Thu Feb 09, 2012 3:58 pm | By
More households in the U.S. are eschewing pay-cable service in favor of streaming video, a new study finds, potentially drying up revenues for a long-powerful industry.
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Thu Feb 09, 2012 3:39 pm | By
Researchers developed a self-monitoring device to help drug users stay clean once they are out of rehabilitation, highlighting innovative ways mobile devices are improving general health.
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Thu Feb 09, 2012 3:20 pm | By
U.S. regulators are close to approving Google's $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola, putting the Android maker one step closer to forming a partnership that may change alliances in the industry.
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Thu Feb 09, 2012 3:10 pm | By
Apple will hold a launch event for the iPad 3 in the first week of March, as the company updates its tablet to stay ahead of rivals.
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Thu Feb 09, 2012 2:54 pm | By
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was unfit for George H.W. Bush's council in 1991, according to an FBI investigation, highlighting his drug use and decision to not support his daughter.
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