National Consumers League Asks FCC to Investigate Bill Shock for International Wireless Calls
The National Consumers League asked the FCC to take a closer look at the role international mobile roaming (IMR) services play in wireless “bill shock.” An NCL analysis found that “a significant portion of the more than 73 million Americans…
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who travel abroad annually may be at risk of incurring higher than expected charges on their wireless phone bills,” NCL said in a Wednesday news release. Since 2011, carriers have been providing notifications to travelers of international roaming charges they may incur while using their phones overseas, the group said. “Given the explosive growth of data-intensive smartphones since 2011, however, NCL believes notifications alone may not be sufficient to prevent IMR-related bill shock, it said. NCL urged the FCC to “gather new data on the impact of IMR-related bill shock and consider possible regulatory or voluntary industry solutions.” Scott Bergmann, vice president-regulatory affairs at CTIA, questioned the need for the FCC to step in. “The wireless industry provides consumers with a host of consumer-friendly protections and service offerings to ensure that consumers can travel abroad without unexpected international roaming charges,” Bergmann said. “Through practices developed collaboratively with the FCC and Consumers Union, wireless providers offer usage alerts, as well as a variety of service plans, account management tools, tips and customer service support to help consumers connect and manage their bills when they travel abroad.” The marketplace is working for wireless consumers, he said.