Posts Tagged ‘Verizon’

Verizon Refunding Up To $90 Million to Cellular Customers

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010

Getting ripped off? It may pay to speak up – the squeaky wheel gets the $90 million dollar refund.

  • The F.C.C. (Federal Communications Commission) has been receiving consumer complaints about bogus data charges assessed by Verizon Wireless on customers without active data plans.
  • In response, Verizon announced it will voluntarily refund affected customers. The company will likely still face a fee from the FCC.
  • Many customers were charged $1.99 every time they accidentally hit a key that opened their phone’s browser. Verizon has been accused of  refusing to reverse these charges when individual customers called customer service to complain.

Facts & Figures

  • According to a Verizon executive, about 15 million customers without data plans were billed for unintentional data usage in the past few years.
  • Beginning in October, current and former customers will receive credits to their account ranging from $2-$6.
  • In the end, the refunds are estimated to total $50 million.

Best Quote

The agency is “gratified to see the repayment, but for millions of Americans it’s a day late and a $1.99 short.” – Michele Ellison, Chief of the F.C.C. Enforcement Bureau

Verizon And AT&T Let The Competition In

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

But will a more liberal network usage policy strain limited bandwidth resources?

  • With new FCC regulations looming, two of the telecom industry’s leaders announced on Tuesday that they would reduce restrictions currently in place on users of their cellular networks.
  • AT&T will now allow users to access Skype on the 3G network to make cheaper international phone calls, and Verizon plans to collaborate with Google to produce new cell phones that will be open to any mobile application.
  • Proponents of net neutrality recently found a voice in the FCC chairman, who argues that it is unfair for a company to restrict or filter Internet access for paying customers to advance its own interests.

Facts & Figures

  • Verizon is the nation’s largest cell phone company.
  • This announcement was made just one day before an important speech at a wireless conference by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.
  • Analysts say Verizon already has a more open network policy than most other telecom companies.

Best Quote

“The timing is nice. It is the carriers saying, ‘Okay, we are responding’ and answering the market needs while also trying to stay within the guardrails that appear to be going up at the FCC.” – Mike McGuire, Vice President of Research at Gartner