FCC Weighs Plan to Warn of High Cellphone Bill

The Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday that it was seeking public comment on a plan that would require wireless phone companies to notify customers when they are running up unusually high charges for data usage, roaming or other uses beyond what is covered by regular monthly fees.

The initiative, outlined on Tuesday by Joel Gurin, chief of the FCC's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, is intended to help consumers avoid what the commission calls "bill shock." The commission has received hundreds of complaints from consumers about receiving bills with unexpected charges, sometimes amounting to hundreds of dollars, Mr. Gurin said in a statement, adding that the charges are often caused by misunderstandings of contract terms. Wireless carriers in Europe are required by law to send text messages to consumers when they are running up roaming charges or getting close to a set limit for data usage, Gurin said. "We're issuing a Public Notice to see if there's any reason that American carriers can't use similar automatic alerts to inform consumers when they are at risk of running up a high bill," he said. "This is an avoidable problem. Avoiding bill shock is good for consumers and ultimately good business for wireless carriers as well."