Unexpected wireless charges and head-scratching overage fees may soon be a thing of the past.
The CTIA, a wireless industry’s trade association which represents more than 97 percent of wireless consumers, announced Oct. 17 that it will send free alerts to warn customers about overage charges, including messages both before and after consumers “reach monthly limits on voice, data and text,” according to a CTIA press release.
Additionally, CTIA’s new “Wireless Consumer Usage Notification Guidelines,” will include notifications warning cell phone users who are traveling abroad about international roaming charges.
Customers have the ability to opt out, but will be automatically included in the notification system, said the release.
However, the increased transparency will not come immediately. Carriers are only obligated to send two notifications for data, voice, text and international roaming by Oct. 17, 2012. They must send four warnings by the same date in 2013.
The CTIA is seeking further transparency after years of pressure from groups such as the Federal Communications Commission to avoid “bill shock,” a term the FCC describes as anger from unexpected increases of high roaming fees or exceeding a monthly allotment of voice minutes, texts, or data consumption.
The FCC has reported that as many as 30 million Americans have experienced bill shock, but this new plan will go a long way to avoiding the surprise fees.
President Barack Obama applauded CTIA’s new devotion to complete transparency in billing.
“Our phones shouldn’t cost us more than the monthly rent or mortgage,” he said. “So I appreciate the mobile phone companies’ willingness to protect American consumers by making sure financial transactions are fair, honest and transparent.”
Students at the University of Maryland also seem overwhelmingly supportive of the new policy.
“It’ll be a big benefit to those who frequently receive overage charges,” said junior English major Zach Schmid, who has received unexpected overage charges. “If the company is making random charges to your card then I would want to know about it immediately.”
Junior math major Ana Matos echoed Schmid’s sentiments. “I like it. It’s good to know if you’re going to be charged soon.”