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Cell Phone Users Want Stronger Consumer Protections, Surveys Find

June 19, 2006

• How to Avoid Early Termination Fees • Site Offers Cell Phone Contract Swapping --- News • Judge Rules Sprint Termination Fees are Illegal • Verizon Pays $21 Million to Settle Termination Fee Lawsuit • Washington Power Grab May Be Price of Lower Cell Phone Termination Fees • U.S. Cellular Settles 'Free' Phone Complaint • Cell Phone Industry Losing Its Treasured Arbitration Clauses • Wireless Firms Face Pressure On Termination Fees • Verizon, FCC Cook Up Termination-Fee Plan • FCC Not Ready to Pry Open Wireless Networks • Sprint Removes Three Fees, Adds Two New Ones • Sprint, T-Mobile Prorate Termination Fees • AT&T Changes Contract Policy • California Supreme Court OKs T-Mobile Class Action • Verizon Wireless Changes Contract Policy • FCC, Congress May Limit Cable, Cell Phone Termination Fees • Cell Phone Consumers Win Court Victory • Text Messaging Charges Surprise Cell Phone Users • Cell Phone Customers Held Captive by Termination Fees • Poll Finds Cell Phone Users Want Stronger Consumer Protection • Michigan Challenges One-Sided Cell Phone Contracts • New York Considers Tough Cell Phone Consumer Protection Law • California to Try Again With Telecommunications Bill of Rights • California Suspends Wireless Bill of Rights • California Adopts Wireless Consumer Bill of Rights

Two new polls show a large majority of American consumers supports the stronger cell phone consumer protections contained in a proposed law before the New York General Assembly.

The measure, among other things, would allow New York customers to cancel their cell phone contract after receiving their first bill without paying a penalty.

The two polls, commissioned by AARP, show that:

• An overwhelming majority of Americans (85 percent) support legislation allowing consumers to cancel their cell phone contracts after receiving their first bill;

• Cell phones for the second year in a row are the most complained about business in the United States, according to data from the Council of Better Business Bureaus;

• The majority of cell phone users, who are over 65 years of age or have a household income below 30K, buy cell phones primarily for safety and security;

• Half of all women cell phone users buy cell phones for safety and security reasons.

• Almost half (48 percent) of cell phone users reported not knowing who to contact in the event their cell phone service provider could not resolve a billing or service problem to their satisfaction.

"New York State has a chance to lead the nation in providing cell phone consumer protections," said Christopher Baker, Senior Policy Advisory with AARP's Public Policy Institute.

"Cleary, the majority of Americans support New York's efforts to empower consumers when dealing with a multi-billion dollar wireless cell phone industry."

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