Sometimes the Best Things in Life Really Are Free

More services and more data, but without more cost. That’s as consumer friendly as you can get. And unsurprisingly, consumers have embraced free data offerings. Free data offerings:

• Enhance competitive choice. FCC Chairman Wheeler was right – free data services are “highly innovative and highly competitive.” We want operators competing for customers on price, quality and new offerings like free data. It is competition that compels companies to roll out new ways of improving service and consumers win.
• Encourage experimentation. Free Data may be new to wireless, but it is a common business practice across our economy from toll-free calling to free shipping. The FCC has recognized that toll-free provides callers “with a ‘free’ and convenient way to contact businesses” and “have proven successful for businesses.” Likewise, free shipping offers consumers significant benefit. A recent survey found that over 80% of consumers rated free shipping as “very important” or “important” in making their online shopping decisions. The same pro-consumer concepts apply for Free Data. We want wireless operators to find new ways to deliver for consumers.
• Meet demand for more data. Consumers demand more and more mobile data, particularly for video services. We want to help meet that demand and promote usage on our smartphones and tablets to embrace the connected life and the Internet of Things (IoT). Free data helps us do that. Consumers can watch more without paying more each month, and they already are doing just that. T-Mobile reported that customers of its Binge On service are watching more than twice the amount of streaming video as they did before. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings noted that his service is “seeing a great reception amongst our users and we’re seeing viewing going up. We hope those kinds of programs expand.” So do we.
• Help bring everyone online. Over 31.5 million American adults are smartphone-only, and for many low-income and minority communities mobile broadband is the first (and sometimes only) connection to the Internet. Total cost is identified as a key factor for adoption, so finding ways to offer consumers more services and data without driving up cost is an idea we should all embrace.
• Deliver a better consumer experience. Above all else, we should look at how the average consumers benefits from new plans. Without question, consumers are benefiting from these free data offerings.