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10news.com reports that many cell phone users might not be getting the deals they think they are after a new UCAN/Teletruth study finds average costs per minute have skyrocketed to over $3. FULL STORY
25 years after the breakup of the AT&T monopoly, a comprehensive audit of more than 700 San Diego phone bills challenges the long-cherished assumption that "phone deregulation has reduced costs for all customers." The ugly reality is that for the majority of wireless and landline telephone bills studied, customers pay unjustifiably high per-minute charges for long distance and wireless services. Get an overview of the 87-page report here. Get the full report in PDF format.
INFORMATION WEEK - According to an audit of 703 consumer phone bills by TeleTruth, long-distance charges have increased on average to 55 cents a minute, and just
8% of landline customers pay less than 10 cents a minute. Full Story. Read the full 87-page report here. <!-- / teaser (dek) copy -->
Los Angeles Times, David Lazarus - Coverage of the UCAN TeleTruth study of 700+ "deregulated" phone bills finds that the average cell phone bill costs about $3 a minute when you factor in all the hidden fees, taxes, and surcharges. Full story.
The FCC has revoked any need to regulate basic cable rates in many parts of San Diego for Time Warner.
NORTH COUNTY TIMES As many as 10,000 North County residents will not be able to get a free over-the-air TV signal at midnight tonight because their TV sets are too old to get an HDTV signal More.
Editor's note: On February 11, President Obama signed legislation delaying the DTV conversion.
The digital TV conversion scheduled for February 17 will be delayed to June 12 once President Obama signs the bill approved by the House on February 4. Millions of consumers currently on a waiting list to get $40 coupons toward the purchase of converter boxes will benefit from the delay if Congress allocates more money for additional coupons
Read more in this article from the San Francisco Chronicle.
North County Times: Boost and Cricket cellullar are offering unlimited minutes on national calling plans for cell phones for just $50 a month. But according to UCAN's Michael Shames, these "buckets" of goodies could come with features and services you don't need or want. MORE.
Wireless Tip: Family Plans mean you share minutes. Each phone added on the plan shares the total minutes unless the plan is "upgraded". If you have 2 phones on a Family Plan and decide you only need one, then you no longer get the Family Plan rate. With one phone you become an individual at whatever the going rate for that phone is at the time of the change. The trick is to be careful to review the pros and cons of so-called great deals.
Did you know that your BlueTooth cell phone can use your laptop as a speakerphone? That it can be an Internet source? That it makes cappucino? Read on, Macduff....
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UCAN's affiliate New Media Rights is hosting a discussion forum on the future of media and journalism in San Diego. Join in on the discussion now!
How to protect your own blog or website from liability for user generated content
Is Youtube putting advertisements on user videos without permission?
Essential free and open software toolkit for consumers
How to find free music, images, and video you can use or remix in your own creative works
How to Listen to Music on the Internet for Free...Legally
How to make a Podcast... for free
Visit NewMediaRights.org
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Want to bring the hammer down on annoying telemarketers? Stop Telemarketers Now and get your number off telemarketing lists. And for the telemarketers that just won't take no for an answer; we'll show you how to take them to court and hurt em where it counts...in the pocketbook.
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What are you packin? Is it anything like UCAN's new and improved Consumer Complaint Directory? If not, you should really pick up a copy. This thing is chock-full of hard-hitting consumer punch.
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