Summer Storms Highlight Need for "Old-Fashioned" Phones - With summer (and summer storms) fast approaching, consumers may want to consider keeping a traditional wired phone in the house as part of their emergency preparedness kits. In the event of a power outage, cordless phones will not function. However, the local phone grid has its own backup power, so plugging in an "old-fashioned" corded phone should still get a dial tone, enabling consumers to call for emergency services if necessary. Additionally, consumers who have "cut the cord" with their local service provider may want to invest in a car charger for their wireless phones to make sure that they can continue to call out in the event of an extended electrical outage. For more information on communicating during an emergency, click here(iii).
Bellsouth Long Distance Subscribers to Get Some Relief from Fees - Starting September 15, most Bellsouth long distance subscribers will see the Wireless Local Number Portability (LNP) End User Line Charge decrease from 35¢ per month to 18¢ per month. Bellsouth levies this fee thanks to FCC regulations that allow telecommunications carriers to recoup the costs of complying with federal wireless LNP rules directly from residential phone users.
WIRELESS WATCH
May 24 Signals Launch of Wireless Local Number Portability for Rest of Country - November 24, 2004 was a momentous day for American telecommunications consumers. On that day, FCC rules mandating wireless local number portability went in to effect. For most of the country's wireless subscribers, this meant that they were now free to take their wireless phone number with them when they switched carriers. Since then, over 2 million people have taken advantage of the new rules to switch their wireless service. On May 24, the new rules will go in to effect for all consumers, not just those in the top 100 markets. Consumers who have been told that they do not reside in one of the top 100 MSA's should contact the carrier they wish to switch to after May 24 for details on how to initiate the porting process. For more information on wireless local number portability, click here(iv).
Tips For Keeping a Wireless Phone for Emergencies - Many consumers say that the reason they buy a wireless phone is for use in an emergency. If the phone is to be used solely for dialing 911, consumers can save by buying a phone without activating service. While it will likely be more expensive to buy the phone by itself, service won't have to be paid for, saving consumers $20 or more per month in service fees. Consumers should be sure to look for phones that either work exclusively on an analog system or ones which are "dual-mode," meaning they will work on either digital or analog systems. Emergency calling on a digital-only phone may not work as well as on an analog phone. Also, the emergency phone should be programmed to log on to the strongest available signal. Consumers should read the phone's user manual for instructions on how to go about this. Finally, most major wireless carriers will not sell a phone without the buyer agreeing to a service plan. Consumers looking to avoid this can buy a standalone phone at retailers like Circuit City or Radio Shack. Alternatively, since many people are now switching to digital phones, consumers may want to ask around with friends and family or check at yard sales for people looking to get rid of their old analog phones. For more information on using an emergency wireless phone without a service plan, click here(v).
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
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