Want to know more about SAR? Bill shock? Broadband rates? The FCC has launched a Consumer Help Center portal to empower consumers to read up, leave comments or file complaints themselves.
The Federal Communications Commission is launching a
Consumer Help Center Website, where
consumers can get the latest information about telecommunications issues raised
before the FCC, seek tips before making communications purchases, express their
opinions and file complaints.
"Our new Consumer Help
Center makes it easy for consumers
to learn about our work and take action," Joel Gurin, chief of the
Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau of the FCC, said in a statement.
"Here, in one place, consumers can do a number of things, such as read
about consumer issues, get practical advice for avoiding problems, file a
complaint comment on our rulemakings or read what our FCC experts are saying in
our Consumer Blog."
Prominent consumer issues currently highlighted on the site
include online security and privacy concerns, information on broadband speeds
and how to test them, early termination fees and "bill shock." The
site was announced July 27.
In May, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar called on the
FCC
to take action against the early termination fees imposed by many wireless carriers. In her argument, Klobuchar
pointed to an FCC study that found consumers were largely confused about the
terms of their wireless contracts and a number had experienced "bill
shock"-surprise at a considerable one-time increase on a bill that they
didn't understand the reason for. The new Consumer
Help Center
offers links to such studies and resources where consumers can learn tips for
avoiding bill shock.
In another example, consumers can now read about cell phone SAR (specific
absorption rates)-another topic widely covered in the news,
following
CTIA's lawsuit against the city and county of San Francisco, which would like to have the SAR level of
each phone displayed more prominently-and the FCC's findings on the SAR
of various devices.
The Help Center
was created by the FCC's Consumer Task Force, an interbureau group established
by Chairman Julius Genachowski at the start of 2010. For more information,
visit
fcc.gov/consumers.
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