Time for PUC to protect the public

[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: Richard Holober, Consumer Federation of California]
[Commentary] As cell phones become more popular, consumer complaints have soared. One means of mitigating those grievances: the California Public Utilities Commission, which is supposed to protect the consumer. So far, however, the commission has fiddled while phone users burn with anger and frustration. Next month, the spotlight will be on the PUC as it considers enacting modest rules to curb the worst cell-phone industry practices. The Consumer Federation recommends a proposal from PUC Commissioner Dian Grueneich which grants consumers some real relief from the worst phone company abuses. The alternative restores the right to revoke new phone service for 30 days without penalty or early termination fees. It stops phone companies from changing the terms of a contract without the customer's consent. And it adds an important new protection for non-English speaking customers. It would require phone contracts to be written in the same language the company uses to market the product -- saving vulnerable consumers from bait-and-switch tactics.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/02/23/EDG2PHCEC91.DTL