One of the greatest things about this country is the availability of choice. Want a breakfast cereal? You can choose from a multitude at your local grocery store. A loaf of bread? White or wheat no longer cut it--now, the more grains you have the better. 5? 10? 15? The grain sky is the limit. The ability for consumers to choose can be a good thing as long as there is actual choice. However, when we look at certain consumer areas--cell phone providers, for example--the actual ability to choose a specific provider is a limited one. The culprit? The early termination fee.

And now, for T-Mobile's next trick, making an entire prepaid cell phone plan disappear! But where did the plan really go? Was it a trick or all part of another devious plan? Time to put on our sleuth hats, boys and girls, for this is the case of the missing plan.

AT&T Smartphone Without a Data Plan? Don't count it. On T-Mobile? Maybe. 

T-Mobile claims to be offering blazing-fast download speeds on its supercharged 4G network. UCAN decided to put its supercharged 4G network to the test in San Diego and was highly concerned with the results.

The California Public Utilities Commission is holding Public Participation Hearings and Public Workshops throughout July in various locations across the state of California. 

Verizon Wireless must want to be AT&T. Perhaps the two are preparing for a merger because there is little explanation as to why Verizon Wireless seems to copying every bad decision AT&T makes. Just like AT&T Verizon Wireless will soon eliminate its unlimited data plan replacing it with a profit friendly, consumer frustrating tiered data plan.

On June 9, 2011, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted 3-2 to open an Investigation into the proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile. The three votes in favor of opening the investigation were also (not coincidentally) the three newest Commissioners appointed by Governor Brown.

New Media Rights and UCAN urged the CPUC to open an investigation in a letter responding to AT&T’s advice letter notifying the CPUC of it’s intent to merge assets. As the CPUC has heeded that request, UCAN will participate in the CPUC Investigation along with New Media Rights and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. This will be our next step in opposing the merger, the organizations have already jointly filed a Petition to Deny the merger with the FCC.

T-Mobile announced today that it is moving from from an unlimited data plan to a tiered data plan. This isn’t a drastic change from its current data plan offering, but it does change the game a bit. Is this change what consumers want or is it what the industry wants?

FCC opens docket to review proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile.