Sen. Udall reintroduces measure to curb cellphone ‘bill shock’

Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) has proposed a bill that would require cellphone companies to inform customers when they have used 80 percent of their voice minutes, text messages or data use.

Under the measure companies would also have to get customer consent before charging for services that exceed customer plans. Sen Udall introduced the Cell Phone Bill Shock Act of 2011 on April 5, saying that it would be simple and cost-effective for cell companies to send a text or e-mail to customers nearing their data limit. He said bill shock is becoming more of a problem as companies change the terms of their unlimited data plans or drop them altogether.