FCC chair supports standardizing ETFs
Most of the majorUScarriers have put forth efforts recently to improve the early termination fee situation for their customers, but FCC head Kevin Martin wants to take it still one step further by standardizing the contract provisions at the federal level. The wireless industry is in the midst of proposing a standardized ETF policy, too, and while Martin hasn't indicated whether he likes the existing proposal, its terms make sense and closely match what many carriers have already put together: prorate ETFs over the course of the contract and allow customers to back out within 30 days or 10 days after the first bill is received. At issue, though, is an additional provision that steals regulatory capability from individual states, a line item that many consumer groups don't support -- and for good reason, considering that a number of ETF lawsuits are underway at the state level. It sounds like the FCC is still a while off from forming a meaningful opinion on how this should exactly work, so for the time being, the carrier's own terms are still your bible for jumping out early.
[Via RCR Wireless News]
