Heavy Night and Weekend Callers Could Save 82% Per Month With Right Plan - Heavy night and weekend callers on the wrong plan could be missing out on savings of 82% or more, according to TRAC’s TeleTips Residential Long Distance Comparison Chart. The chart, which compares the costs of 47 of the nation’s leading long distance plans for 18 different calling groups, is the only one to use a "shopping basket" approach to help consumers choose the right long distance service for their particular calling habits. For example, a subscriber to Sprint’s 1000 Anytime plan averaging 6 calls for 63 minutes per month could save, on average $39.60 per month by switching to Verizon’s e-Values plan. A caller averaging 12 calls for 121 minutes per month with Verizon’s Talktime 1000 plan could save, on average, $37.80 per month by switching to IDT’s 5 Cents plan. Consumer looking for more money-saving tips on long distance service can order the TeleTips Residential Long Distance Comparison Chart, along with other TRAC publications, by clicking here or visiting http://www.trac.org/publications.
WIRELESS WATCH
Some Bluetooth-Enabled Phones Vulnerable to "Bluesnarfing" - Consumers who rely on their Bluetooth-enabled phones to store important information like address books, calendars, and text messages could be at risk of data theft. According to security and networking company AL Digital, a security flaw in the Bluetooth standard could allow an attacker to steal data from certain Nokia and Sony Ericsson wireless phones without leaving a trace. Vulnerable phones include the Ericsson T68; Sony Ericsson R520m, T68i, T610 and Z1010; and Nokia 6310, 6310i, 7650, 8910 and 8910i. According to Nokia, users of these phones may want to consider switching off the Bluetooth functionality on their wireless phones in areas where malicious attacks may occur, such as public places. For more information on this issue, click here[v].
WASHINGTON WATCH
TRAC Joins Coalition to Protect Universal Access, Fairness - TRAC joined a broad coalition of senior, consumer, rural, minority, and disability groups Thursday in calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to oppose changes to the collection mechanism for the Universal Service Fund (USF). The Keep USF Fair coalition believes that the current USF funding mechanism is equitable because it is based on customer usage (minutes used of long distance). The proposed change to a subscriber line or per user fee being considered by the FCC will unfairly discriminate against consumers and low-volume users causing them to pay the same amount in USF fees as high-volume users. The proposed changes would hit hardest low-volume long distance users, low-income consumers on fixed incomes, residential consumers with multiple phones, and many prepaid wireless service users. TRAC encourages all consumers to visit www.keepusffair.org to learn more and take action on this important issue.
TRAC IN THE NEWS
Multitude of Telecom Options Make Comparison Shopping Difficult - TRAC Chairman Samuel Simon was quoted this week in Jane Bryant Quinn’s Newsweek column, urging consumers to take stock of their telecommunication expenses to find ways to save money. With traditional wireline market share increasingly being lost to wireless and VoIP calling, telecom carriers are turning to alternatives like bundled local and long distance plans to retain subscribers. "The distinction between local and long distance is vanishing fast," said Simon. Consumers can access this useful article by clicking here[vi].
Unwary Callers Could Be Spending 30¢-40¢ Per Minute, Says Simon - "Most people are paying for more airtime than they actually use or need," said Samuel Simon, TRAC chairman in Sunday’s Austin American-Statesman. One way consumers can get a grip on out of control phone bills is to keep a log of all phone calls for a month to determine your calling pattern. This can help consumers to find the right mix of local, long distance, and wireless calling plans for their particular calling habits. Consumers who take the time to sit down and calculate their actual calling costs "might find that [they are] actually spending 30 to 40 cents a minute" for phone calls, Simon said. Click here[vii] to access the article.
INTERESTING LINKS
FCC Main Page - http://www.fcc.gov
FCC Complaint Form - http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cib/fcc475.cfm
List of State Regulatory Commissions - http://www.naruc.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=15
What do you think? Got a tip you want to share? Nominate your "Scam of the Week" and your "Tip of the Week" - If we select your submission, we’ll give you a one-year free membership in TRAC and acknowledge your contribution by name in TRACNotes. Send an e-mail to trac@trac.org to submit your ideas!
©2004 Telecommunications Research and Action Center. TRAC grants unlimited rights to reproduce TRACNotes or any information contained in it provided attribution is given as follows: "Source:Telecommunications Research and Action Center. http://www.trac.org"
Endnotes
