As we noted last week, the FCC has opened an inquiry into whether wireless carriers can do more to prevent what’s become an endless flood of stories about users facing ridiculously-huge 3G bills. The problem is a combination of users who don’t pay attention and carriers who have clearly not done enough in making their billing models clear enough to understand. Carriers say they already offer enough tools to consumers, and don’t seem keen to embrace the EU idea of giving users the ability to set a monthly data usage cap they can’t travel beyond.

Still, in an interview with CNET, CTIA President Steve Largent admits carriers could do better:

While CNET asks the CTIA about an old EU restriction that would require a text message to be sent should users approach their cap (something some carriers do already), the website doesn’t ask how carriers feel about allowing users to set a monthly data bill limit — which would seem to be the pressing question in the face of the new (and seemingly reasonable) EU rules.

Meanwhile, Verizon has buckled after stories recently highlighted how a Boston-area retiree spent years trying to resolve an errant $18,000 phone bill. According to the Boston Globe, Verizon has agreed to forgive the man’s bill — though the problem continues to plague his credit report. These stories of carriers becoming miraculously altruistic only after the press highlights these absurd bills have become all -too common — and it’s something that clearly caught the FCC’s attention.

The question now is whether carriers will voluntarily impose better consumer education and usage tools — or whether the FCC will have to enact regulation forcing their hand. “Consumers are stupid so they deserve it” is not an excuse, unless your name is Gordon Gekko and humanism and empathy have become alien. While you can insist that only an idiot wouldn’t read their contract, you can also argue that only an apathetic idiot would attempt to charge eighteen thousand dollars for a service worth at best a few hundred.

Something will be done about wireless data bills insanely out of line with actual costs, whether the world’s Gekko’s agree or not. The only question now is whether carriers volunteer change — or whether they have change forced upon them.
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2. Wireless Industry Responds To FCC Iquiry On Insane Bills – Will they ultimately volunteer to mimic new EU bill cap model?
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Tags: attention, Bill, billing issues, boston area, boston globe, endless flood, FCC, Gordon Gekko, President Steve Largent, question, something, steve largent

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