FCC says CTIA has it wrong on 'bill shock' criticism

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday responded to the wireless industry's criticism of its consumer bill survey, saying the trade group misstated the facts.

To rewind, CTIA's head of regulatory affairs, Chris Guttman-McCabe, wrote in a blog Wednesday that the FCC's survey findings that 30 million cell phone users experience "bill shock" was inflammatory and that the agency inappropriately surveyed minors.

A statement from Joel Gurin, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Chief:

“At the FCC, where we handle thousands of complaints a year on exactly this subject, we know that bill shock is a problem for millions of Americans," said FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Chief, Joel Gurin.
"Moving forward, we hope that CTIA, which represents one of the country’s most innovative and productive industries, can work with us on simple solutions to help their customers avoid these costly surprises.”

Here's what the FCC found last May:

One in six cell phone users have been shocked to find increases in their monthly bills that aren’t part of their service plan, according to a survey by the agency.

Half of cell phone users and two-thirds of broadband Internet subscribers said they are unaware of early contract cancellation fees attached to their plans, the FCC said.