AT&T Mobility chases VZW, eases ETF and contract-changing policies: Move comes ahead of Senate hearing on consumer-protection bill

AT&T Mobility has stepped up its customer-friendly policies, following changes by Verizon Wireless and just ahead of a federal hearing on wireless consumer protection.
The nation’s largest carrier introduced two new policies: Starting in November, customers can make changes to their calling plans over the course of their contract without being required to extend their current contract or start a new one. The carrier did not give a specific date as to when the new policy will kick in. Also, AT&T Mobility will pro-rate its early termination fee starting in early 2008; the company did not specify the details of how its $175 ETF would be pro-rated.
“We’re still sorting through our options,” said AT&T Mobility spokesman Mark Siegel. However, he did say that the ETF would decrease progressively over time, so that a customer who chooses to exit early in the contract would pay a higher ETF than one who stayed in his or her contract longer.
Verizon Wireless introduced a pro-rated ETF earlier this year, with its $175 fee declining at a rate of $5 for each month of the contract term that a customer completed. Last week, the carrier’s new policy of allowing calling plan changes without contract extensions went into effect.
AT&T’s announcement comes on the eve of Senate Commerce Committee hearing tomorrow on a wireless consumer-protection bill sponsored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.).