TRAC AND YOU
TRAC Membership Special - With membership support, TRAC has been promoting the interests of residential telecommunications consumers since 1983. Through participation on the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee, publications like TRACNotes and TeleTips, and other programs, TRAC brings the consumer voice to the attention of government and industry. In the process, TRAC has gained a national reputation for high-quality, reliable advice on how consumers can sort through the hype, save money and determine the best service to meet their communications needs. As we approach the end of 2005, TRAC asks that you consider a membership contribution at the highest possible level to support the research and development that makes all this possible.
Benefits of Membership Support
- Automatic subscription to the weekly electronic TRACNotes;
- A complimentary copy of every TRAC publication that is released in 2006;
- Complimentary editions of TRAC’s two most popular publications; the TeleTips Residential Long Distance Comparison Chart and the Consumer Guide to Telephone Service Over the Internet.
2006 Special
A 50% discount is being offered on TRAC membership contributions that are received before January 15th. Contributions are also tax deductible!
- Individual membership - $12.50 for one year, $20 for two years – regularly $25 for one year, $40 for two years
- Business or association membership - $25 for one, $40 for two years – regularly $50 for one, $80 for two years
- Student - $5 for one year , $9.50 for two years – regularly $10 for one year , $18 for two years
- Sustaining - $125 – regularly $250
Holiday Shopping Questions Answered - In last week’s edition of TRACNotes, we asked readers to send in their holiday shopping questions. Several readers wrote back and we’ve chosen two to answer this week. Here is the first question:
"I bought a STi Mobile Samsung at Staples, free after rebate. How do I decide which phone card to buy in order to use the phone?"
Thanks for the question. STi Mobile is a prepaid mobile provider running on Sprint’s PCS network. The company currently offers two calling plans. STi Mobile Plan 1 offers a 10¢ per minute night and weekend rate and a 12¢ weekday rate. Nights and weekends are classified as 9:00pm-6:59 pm Monday-Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday. STi Mobile Plan 2 offers a flat 18¢ per minute rate 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, with calls to many international destinations incurring no additional charge. For consumers who call mostly in the U.S., STi Mobile Plan 1 is clearly the better choice of the two plans. Regarding phone cards, STi Mobile customers must buy recharge cards in $10, $25, $50, and $100 denominations. At least one call every 60 days must be either placed or received or the phone will be deactivated. As such, if the phone will only be used for infrequent calls or emergencies, opt for a cheaper card ($10 or $25). Since the minutes don’t expire (aside from the 60-day rule) and you receive no discount for buying a bigger block of minutes, there’s really no reason to buy the $50 or $100 cards aside from the convenience factor of having to buy cards less frequently.
Prepaid phones are a popular choice for older users who only want to make a few calls per week or who want an emergency phone, which leads us to our second question of the week:
"We’re desperate to find a cheap, easy to use pay-as-you-go phone for an elderly aunt. It should have easy to read numbers and be easy to program."
Your best bet is probably going to be 7-Eleven’s Speak Out Wireless Service with the Nokia 1100 handset. The best thing going for the Speak Out service is that the minutes purchased do not expire for a full year after service activation. This is especially useful, considering that older relatives may not remember to “top-up” their minutes every 30-60 days, as many prepaid wireless providers require. In addition, the service works right out the box, with a charged battery and phone number included in the package. Airtime costs a flat 20¢ per minute, which isn’t the cheapest when compared to other prepaid calling plans, but there are no additional fees to worry about either. Minutes can be purchased in $25, $50, $75, or $100 increments. 7-Eleven is currently offering a $50 rebate on the purchase of Nokia 3595, Nokia 3100, and Nokia 3200 handsets (click here for details). Users reviewing the Nokia 1100 handset have reported that it’s a basic, dependable phone without all of the bells and whistles that may confuse consumers unfamiliar with wireless phone technology. For additional information on 7-Eleven Speak Out Wireless, click here.
Keep those holiday shopping questions coming! We’ll try to answer as many questions as possible in next week’s edition of TRACNotes
WIRELESS WATCH
Cord Cutting On the Rise Says Consumer Electronics Association – Opting to use a wireless phone exclusively for all calling needs has continued to increase in popularity, especially among young people. According to data from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), 17% of consumers who purchased a wireless phone in the past 90 days reported using their wireless phones only. Doing your homework brings results, noted the report. While most consumers spend les than one hour researching wireless phone options, those who spend more time are more satisfied with the phones and plans they eventually walk away with. Interestingly, the study found that buyers who visit independent retail shops are particularly enthusiastic about conducting research. As a result, they report higher levels of satisfaction compared to those who buy from carrier stores. Before you get rid of your landline phone company, however, take a look at TRAC’s "Tips for Cutting the Cord," available for free online by clicking here or visiting http://www.trac.org/tips/wireless/cutting-the-cord.html. For more information on the CEA survey, click here.
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. 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 with 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.
©2005 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"
