Many of us are familiar with the concept of “bill shock” – that feeling we get when we glance at our cell phone bill and the number is waayyy higher than we expected. That unpleasant sensation may go the way of the Dodo, due to a deal struck between the FCC and major wireless carriers which aim to eliminate the institution of bill shock altogether.
Julius Genachowski and Steve Largent, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and the head of wireless industry trade group CTIA, respectively, are expected to unveil the new plan at a press conference in Washington DC today. The announcement will delineate the new guidelines under which carriers will alert customers when they approach or surpass their monthly data limit.
CNET reported that the operators who agreed to the new restrictions include all the big guns, including AT&T, Verizon, T Mobile, and Sprint. The propensity for bill shock has increased in recent months, as all these companies, with the exception of Sprint, have eliminated their unlimited data plans. Instead, they now opt for monthly bills corresponding to the amount of data consumed. Even Sprint may soon take this route, as they recently acquired the rights to the iPhone, a notorious data guzzler.
The deal, which was originally resisted by telecom companies but was eventually agreed upon, will be offered for free. Customers will be able to opt out, however. It will affect both smartphone and tablet users.
The new edict will be offered in addition to data tracking tools already available from most wireless carriers.
