WASHINGTON—GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation to allow California wireless and wireline telecom subscribers to contest unauthorized billing charges, including those arising from the theft or loss of mobile phones.
Schwarzenegger’s veto is a big victory for the mobile-phone industry, which opposed the bill and has spent considerable resources in recent years fighting state efforts to impose new state regulations on wireless carriers.
Schwarzenegger said that while he supports protecting consumers, Sen. Jackie Speier’s (D) cramming bill is unnecessary.
“The provisions this bill seeks to accomplish have either been resolved through existing statutory or regulatory provisions,” said Schwarzenegger in a veto statement. “In fact, earlier this year, the California Public Utilities Commission launched a consumer education effort in multiple languages focusing on a wide range of telecommunications consumer protections, including the very information required by SB 440. By requiring California-only billing practices, SB 440 actually has the potential to hurt consumers by raising costs for consumers by establishing a different billing practice for California residents. Consumers are better served by actual protections not simply words printed on their bills.”
