As we noted earlier this week, the FCC has launched in inquiry into why we continually see story after story (some involving smart individuals) suddenly facing ridiculous wireless broadband bills of $10,000, $20,000 or higher.

Of course it’s a multi-sided situation, involving a combination of lazy or confused customers and complicated (and often amoral) billing practices that create bills that don’t even remotely reflect the real cost of the provided service. It’s clear that consumers could pay closer attention to their contract. It’s also clear that carriers could do a much better job educating/alerting customers when bills get out of hand.

One of the proposals being looked at by the FCC mirrors a recent new European Union rule. It requires that carriers allow users to cap the maximum amount they’d like to spend each month. Users are then notified at 85% of total usage, then the account is temporarily suspended when the limit is reached. If the user doesn’t pick a cap, a cap of $68 a month (data only) is automatically set for them.

Wireless carriers obviously don’t want new FCC rules on this front, so the wireless industry very quickly worked to bring attention to the usage and billing tools they already offer (though it’s clear they aren’t working for many). The wireless industry’s chief lobbying organization, the CTIA, issued a statement saying they were “looking forward to educating the commission” on all the existing tools they give users to check their balances and usage.

The CTIA blog also posted a list of carrier codes that allow users to check their balances:

AT&T

• *BAL# (*225#) and Send = Check your balance
• *MIN# (*646#) and Send = Check your minutes
• *DATA# (*3282#) and Send = Check remaining data usage (including text, pictures/videos and Internet)
• *NEW# (*639#) and Send = Check your upgrade eligibility
• *PAY (*729) and Send = Make a payment

SouthernLINC Wireless

• #BAL and Send = Check your balance (prepaid customers)
• #ADD and Send = Add talk time (prepaid customers)
• #MIN and “Send” = Check your minutes in the current billing period (contract/postpaid customers)
• #PAY and “Send” = Make a payment (contract/postpaid customers)

The industry strives to serve and provide all of our 285 million customers with the necessary tools to have a positive experience. -CTIA

Sprint Nextel

• *2 and Send = Check your usage, balance and to find your nearest Sprint store
• *3 and Send = Make a payment
• *4 and Send = Check your minutes

T-Mobile

• #MSG# (#674#) and Send = Check how many text messages sent and received and how many remaining
• #MIN# (#646#) and Send = Check your minutes used and when your billing period ends
• #BAL# (#225#) and Send = Check your current balance and date last payment was received

U.S. Cellular

• #BAL (#225) and Send = Check unbilled minutes, mobile to mobile minutes and text messages

Verizon Wireless

• #BAL and Send = Check your balance
• #MIN and Send = Check your minutes
• #PMT and Send = Make a payment
• #DATA and Send = Check text and picture count and data usage
• *611 and Send = Access account information

Again though, many consumers simply don’t understand what a gigabyte or megabyte of data even is — so they may need additional help, be that simpler billing models or systems that better alert users before a bill goes apocalyptic. Of course none of the carriers want to lose their right to rip off confused customers by charging them ridiculous amounts of money for services rendered — so they so far haven’t volunteered to embrace the EU proposal of allowing users to cap usage. Those voluntary changes might arrive down the line should they think the FCC is truly interested in passing regulation.
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Related posts:

1. CTIA: Carriers Haven’t Been ‘Sensitive’ To Ridiculous 3G Bills – Still, industry obviously prefers the FCC let them gouge in peace
2. Pay Verizon Wireless a Fee…To Pay Your Bill – New $2 ‘Convenience Fee’ Starts January 15
3. FCC Taking Closer Look At Ridiculous Wireless Broadband Bills – Better education? Better user notification? More sophisticated tools?
4. French ISP Free Turns Heads With New Wireless Service – New Fourth French Wireless Carrier Shakes Things Up
5. So, When Will Verizon Learn to Bill Correctly? – Customers Have Their Accounts Drained…Accidentally

Tags: BAL, balance, billing, billing practices, carrier codes, FCC, fcc rules, MIN, payment, Send, smart individuals, U.S., usage, wireless broadband

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