UCAN

On April 24th, the California Public Utility's Commission, made a ruling on AT&T Tariff Rule 12 that will have a significant impact on AT&T marketing abilities. The ruling gave validity to Advice Letters 28800 and 28982 written in 2006 by AT&T. Read more.

The Cox May bill includes an insert that gives notice to customers about July 2008 rate increases. The notice says, "new rates for pay-per-use calling features effective 7/1/08.

UCAN's reply comments support a strong reporting requirement for telecommunications abuses, something the Cellular Telephone Industry Association(CTIA), AT&T, Verizon and other carriers don't want. These proceedings will decide if the companies will have to comply with basic consumer protection standards, or will be allowed to police themselves. Read More

UCAN has released comments regarding proposed "cramming" reporting requirements in California. Cramming is the placing of unauthorized charges are "crammed" into your phone bill where the charges are often unnoticed. UCAN supports tough reporting requirements, particularly due to abuses in the wireless phone industry.

Recent approval of a settlement in case 06-10-023, UCAN's cramming case against MCI, brings refunds to 1,890 customers as well as customer service and billing system improvements.

Your telephone rates have increased by between 70-276%.....in just the past year. From a few years ago, we are looking at 1000% price increases. Remarkably, many consumers aren't even aware of these price shocks. And when they find out, they feel helpless to do anything about them. They're partly right thanks to irresponsible regulatory oversight. But there are some ways to fight back..............read on.

UCAN's Executive Director appeared on the Dr. Phil show on January 31st. Learn more.

It's funny how phone companies that lobby regulators for "pricing flexibility" only seem to move their prices in one direction: up. "Flexibility" implies the ability to flex in multiple directions, and while I recognize it's just another fancy lobby-speak term, it's time to call it what it really is: "price increasing flexibility." It's certainly flexible, because the respective company may decide to raise a particular rate 3% or 300%, but make no mistake, there will be no downward flexing.

As if it were a surprise, the phone giants are raising rates again, some by as much as 300%. This USA Today story points to a growing source of criticism. While the largest telecom companies continue to lobby for decreased regulatory oversight on the basis of increased competition, their phone service rates are rising. In California, phone companies have been largely deregulated since late 2006, but as this chart from TURN shows, major service providers such as AT&T and Verizon have increased rates over and over again. Basic economics tells you that in a competitive marketplace prices should fall...so what can you do? Ditch your landline phone. Internet phones can provide a wider variety of services at a fraction of the cost of traditional landline phones. Using your cell phone as your primary phone can also be cheaper than maintaining a landline phone.

Mona Shaw did to her cable and phone company what many of us only fantasize about ... More

If only Mona Shaw had known about the UCAN Fraud Squad ...

Corvallis Gazzette-Times: Phone bills are so complex that even "attorneys can't understand them," says UCAN's Fraud Squad Advocate, Sue Macomber. Full story.