Top billing: 5 best practices for the mobile industry

Mobile Cramming: A Federal Trade Commission Staff Report suggests five best practices for the payment option known as “carrier billing.”

• Consider giving consumers the option to block third-party charges.
• Honor long-standing truth-in-advertising principle.
• Charges shouldn’t be placed on consumers’ bills unless they’ve given their express, informed consent.
• Charges for third-party services should be clearly shown on consumers’ bills.
• Carriers should set up effective ways for consumers to dispute charges.