WASHINGTON-John Bohn has been sworn in as the newest member of the California Public Utilities Commission, likely giving GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger the majority he needs to revamp or repeal the controversial bill of rights for telecom consumers.Bohn, who was appointed after high-tech entrepreneur...
WASHINGTON-A state bill to establish a telecom consumer bill of rights in California is headed to the Senate floor later this week, while Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) made a new appointment to the Public Utilities Commission. Schwarzenegger hopes the appointment will thwart regulations governing...
WASHINGTON-Former Silicon Valley tech executive Steve Poizner, one of two nominees appointed by GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to the California Public Utilities Commission last December, said he is removing himself from consideration for the post after receiving legal advice that effectively prevents him from...
WASHINGTON-Legislation to make a bill of rights for telecom consumers a state law has moved forward in the California legislature, countering efforts by a state regulator to revise-and possibly overhaul-new mobile-phone carrier regulations approved last year but not yet effective. The Senate Energy, Utilities...
WASHINGTON-Massachusetts state lawmakers are pushing for a cell-phone consumer bill of rights law, pointing to a new study on billing, service, contracts and other problems encountered by wireless subscribers."We shouldn't be asking cell-phone customers to accept bad customer service confusing bills, and hidden fees,"...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission today extended truth-in-billing rules to mobile-phone carriers and said regulatory recovery fees cannot be disguised as government-mandated taxes. But the agency also ruled state regulations governing use of line items are pre-empted by federal law.While wireless carriers would have preferred...
WASHINGTON-The City of San Francisco and a consumer group asked the California Public Utilities Commission for a rehearing of the agency's decision to suspend the telecom consumer bill of rights while the new guidelines are re-examined."The commission's decision staying the bill of rights is...
WASHINGTON-New California Public Utilities Commission member Dian Grueneich signaled she is not prepared to throw out the bill of rights for telecom consumers, saying the agency should reinstate some guidelines that are now on hold as a result of a decision earlier this year...
WASHINGTON-Legislation introduced in the California legislature last week would create a bill of rights for telecom consumers that would be at least as comprehensive as guidelines state regulators approved last May, only to put on hold last month. The measure-SB 1068-is authored by California...
WASHINGTON-State lawmakers have introduced legislation to make the controversial bill of rights for telecom consumers the law of the land in California.The measure-SB 1068-is authored by California State Sen. Martha Escutia (D), chairwoman of the Senate Committee on energy, utilities and communications. The bill's...
WASHINGTON-The stakes continue to rise in the telecom consumer bill-of-rights controversy, with the California legislature ready to write the new rule into law and the California Public Utilities Commission considering a sweeping overhaul of the state's telecom regulatory regime. Sen. Martha Escutia (D), chairwoman...
WASHINGTON-Legislation could be introduced as early as today to write into state law the telecom consumer bill of rights approved last year by the California Public Utilities Commission, a move that comes in response to the agency's recent decision to put new guidelines on...
WASHINGTON-The California Public Utilities Commission's decision to suspend the telecom consumer bill of rights could prompt a showdown between GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Democratic-controlled state legislature, a battle with major implications for mobile-phone carriers and state regulators across the country. At least...
WASHINGTON-A California lawmaker said she may seek to write into law a bill of rights for telecom consumers, following yesterday's Public Utilities Commission vote to suspend a major rule that creates a slew of new regulations for mobile-phone carriers in the state. "The PUC...
WASHINGTON-The California Public Utilities Commission today suspended the bill of rights for telecom consumers, with new Commissioner Dian Grueneich casting the deciding vote to put on hold a sweeping rule vigorously opposed by the mobile-phone industry and GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Commissioner Geoffrey Brown,...
WASHINGTON-Dian Grueneich was sworn in as a member of the California Public Utilities Commission, allowing her to vote next week on a proposal to suspend the bill of rights for telecom consumers. Grueneich, a Democratic who headed an energy and environmental consulting firm, is...
WASHINGTON-The California Public Utilities Commission has decided to postpone until Jan. 27 a vote on Commissioner Susan Kennedy's proposal to suspend the bill of rights for telecom consumers. The agency had scheduled to take up the matter at Thursday's meeting. Both CPUC President Michael...
WASHINGTON-The controversial California bill of rights for telecom consumers is about to go nuclear. This week, only months after narrowly approving a rule creating scores of new regulations governing wireless carrier disclosure, marketing, billing and service, a newly configured California Public Utilities Commission is...
WASHINGTON-A newly configured California Public Utilities Commission next week is set to vote on a proposal by Commissioner Susan Kennedy to suspend the bill of rights for telecom consumers, a move that comes as mobile-phone carriers fight the rule in court and try to...
Editor's note: At the end of each year, the RCR Wireless News editorial staff looks back on the news events that made headlines and decides which were the most significant, industry-impacting stories during the past 12 months. While our list does not include the...
WASHINGTON-Rather than simply depending on high-powered lawyers to do battle with the Federal Communications Commission or the California Public Utilities Commission or the City of Baltimore, the cell-phone industry soon will be looking for a few good men and women from its 173 million...
WASHINGTON-Cricket Communications Inc. has created a storm of controversy over a request for special relief from requirements of California's bill of rights for telecom consumers. Cricket, which serves the California markets of Modesto/Merced and Visalia, asked the California Public Utilities Commission to waive certain...
WASHINGTON-Cricket Communications Inc. has created a storm of controversy over a request for special relief from requirements of California's bill of rights for telecom consumers.Cricket, which serves the California markets of Modesto/Merced and Visalia, asked the California Public Utilities Commission to waive certain guidelines...
WASHINGTON-The California Public Utilities Commission last week denied industry's request to reconsider a decision creating a bill of rights for telecom consumers, but not before the six national carriers filed lawsuits in federal court to overturn new state regulations. The mobile-phone industry spent hundreds...
