BUCKS WATCH
Autumn Brings Qwest Long Distance Customers Two New Fees - Qwest long distance subscribers opening their October bills may find some unwelcome new fees this month. Effective October 1, 2004, Qwest began charging long distance plan subscribers a new Interstate Service Fee of 99¢ per month. In addition, subscribers to Qwest’s Choice Long Distance plans will see a new monthly recurring charge of $2.00, which also went into effect on October 1. The 99¢ Insterstate Service Fee and $2.00 monthly recurring charge do count towards the $20 monthly cap on the Qwest Choice Long Distance plan. For more information on these new fees, click here(i).
WIRELESS WATCH
TRACNotes Readers Wary of Wireless 411 Directory - Last week we asked TRACNotes readers to write in with their opinions on the proposed wireless 411 directory (click here(ii). for the original story). Readers were generally wary of the proposed directory and many were openly opposed to it. "I would opt-in as long as it was only available by dialing 411," wrote a reader in Mountain View, California. "I will opt out of the 411 wireless directory as long as I have to pay for incoming calls," said another reader in The Dalles, Oregon. "If the billing method changes or I get rid of the landline altogether and I use my cell phone regularly, then I might consider wanting my number available in 411," she added. Several readers were worried that wireless phone companies will sell their wireless numbers to telemarketers, despite assurances from the industry that this will not be the case. Wrote a reader in Killeen, Texas, "I for one agree with Verizon [in opting out of the wireless 411 directory]. I am sure that pretty soon after the service goes into effect that the list will be sold to marketers."
Minute Guard an Interesting But Pricey Way to Avoid Overage Charges - Talkative wireless users who find that they are consistently being hit with expensive overage charges may want to take a look at a new service called Minute Guard. The service sends subscribers a text message or e-mail whenever they are in danger of exceeding their monthly minute limits. Minute Guard, which requires no software download, is compatible with all of the major wireless carriers’ text message-enabled phones. The service can be set to send an alert when a subscriber reaches 75%, 80%, 90% and 100% of their monthly minute allowance. At $19.95 per year for an individual account or $24.95 per year for a family account (2-5 phones), plus the cost of the text messages (usually around 10¢ per message) the service is not cheap. However, with additional minutes past monthly allowances costing as much as 45¢ per minute, monthly overage charges can quickly add up to more than the cost of Minute Guard. Most wireless carriers offer ways for subscribers to check their current minute usage on their phones or online for free, so consumers who often find themselves going over their limits may want to try and get in the habit of checking their usage a week before the end of the month (or sooner for talkative users). Users who consistently exceed their monthly minute limits by 100 minutes or more may want to consider moving up to a plan with a higher limit before they invest in Minute Guard. For more information on Minute Guard, visit their website at http://www.minute-guard.com.
WASHINGTON WATCH
TRAC Applauds Supreme Court Decision Upholding Do-Not-Call List - The Supreme Courts decision this week to uphold a lower court ruling affirming the constitutionality of the National Do Not Call Registry ensures that millions of consumers will be able to protect themselves from unwanted and intrusive telemarketing calls. "The unprecedented popularity of the National Do Not Call Registry among consumers suggests that unwanted telemarketing calls are an issue which most Americans felt needed to be addressed by the federal government," said TRAC research associate John Breyault. Since the Registry came into effect, more that 64 million telephone numbers have been posted on the list. In a recent survey, 87 percent of respondents who had registered on the Registry said they received fewer unwanted telemarketing phone calls since signing up. For more information on the Do Not Call Registry, visit https://www.donotcall.gov.
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!
TRACNotes is distributed to TRAC members and those who have signed up on the TRAC website "Newscenter." If you do not want to receive TRACNotes, simply click here and let us know(iii). You won't receive these in the future. We hope you choose to remain a part of our network, and that you find TRACNotes helpful. Our goal is to provide you useful information about what is happening in the telecommunications marketplace for consumers and to keep you up to date on TRAC's policy advocacy. If you like what you see, please consider becoming a member of TRAC by clicking here(iv).
©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
