CAC OKs Truth-in-Billing Suggestions as FCC Group Hears Broadband Gripe
The FCC Consumer Advisory Committee approved recommendations to the agency by its Truth-in-Billing (TIB) Working Group. CAC was also warned that scam robocalls are evolving under COVID-19 and consumers need to be vigilant. Members met virtually Monday. WG leaders read…
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from the recommendations, which the FCC didn't immediately release, following standard protocol. “Continue to examine consumer complaints, and if there is evidence of significant consumer complaints related to interconnected VoIP, the commission could consider a new truth-in-billing public notice regarding the applicability of adding interconnected VoIP to rules in the future,” said the statement approved by CAC. Consider revising the consumer intake form and online portal to gather more detail on consumer billing complaints, the resolution said. CAC also sought a new working group to look at TIB issues in more detail. Consumer Federation of America's Irene Leech said the commission needs to be aware that, for many, broadband service is terrible. Leech said she can barely work at home, even though she pays $177 monthly. The first month after lockdown, she went over her allotment and was billed an additional $100, she said. “The whole bill, for a system that wasn’t adequate, was $277 and I share that as an example of what consumers are dealing with and the frustrations that we feel.” Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Associate Chief Eduard Bartholme said robocall scams continue to evolve in the pandemic, and the FCC is trying to keep up. “Early on, the scams focused on testing, … bogus cures, health insurance plans,” he said. “By week two and three, the scams were pivoting to be more focused on financial fears, so it was student loan relief, government grants, misinformation about the relief checks that were being discussed in Congress at the time.”