In comments filed today, RTG opposes the adoption of any requirement that small wireless carriers provide mandatory usage alerts when a customer approaches and reaches monthly limits that will result in overage charges and when a customer is about to incur international or other roaming charges that are not covered by the customer’s monthly plan.

While the FCC clearly perceives that “bill shock” is a problem, its NPRM provides little if any evidence that such a problem exists. Moreover, the fact that a charge may be more than anticipated does not by itself justify regulatory action.

Requiring carriers to reconfigure their billing systems will impose substantial costs on all carriers and have an inordinately harmful impact on smaller carriers. The tools for wireless users to monitor and limit usage already exist. Any mandate that mobile service providers offer consumers the means to set their own usage limits would be overly burdensome for small and rural providers and should not be adopted.

Please click here for a copy of the filing.

About RTG – Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Rural Telecommunications Group is a trade association representing rural wireless carriers who each serve less than 100,000 subscribers. RTG’s members have joined together to speed delivery of new, efficient and innovative telecommunications technologies to remote and underserved communities. www.ruraltelecomgroup.org @RTGwireless

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