CUB Connects Spring Workshop Series Review

During the spring of 2012 the CUB Connects team presented a series of educational workshops at public libraries in Multnomah County. We offered three different presentations at six libraries:

• Choosing the Right Phone Plan
• Protecting Yourself from Scams
• Understanding Your Phone and Internet Bills

Every participant that filled out an evaluation said that our workshop was helpful or very helpful. As consumer advocates we have a long history of working behind the scenes to help consumers and these workshops gave us a chance to help people one-on-one with issues that we can’t advocate for in front of the Public Utility Commission.

Thank you very much to all of the Multnomah County library staff for their support and to the participants for attending!

These workshops have greatly motivated us to move forward with outreach around phone and internet issues. We are seeking additional partnerships to bring these workshops to communities throughout Oregon and are excited about the possibilities.

For more information or to request a CUB Connects educational workshop, please contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Consumer Education Workshops to Begin in the Portland Area

A long-term goal of the CUB Connects project was always to get out into the community and continue our telecom consumer awareness and education in a variety of ways.  Thanks to the Multnomah County Library, we are now offering several workshops at libraries in the Portland Area on the following topics:

• Understand Your Phone and Internet Bill
• Choosing the Right Phone Plan
• Protecting Yourself From Scams

For information on times and locations, please see the events page on the CUB Policy Center website.

New Website Helps You Manage Your Mobile Data

A new website, What Is My Cap, created by nonprofit groups Mozilla Foundation, Public Knowledge and Open Source Democracy Foundation has just launched with the express purpose of comparing data plans of the major mobile phone carriers.

All of the major phone carriers, with the exception to date of Sprint, have placed caps on their data plans, with overage fees or throttling occurring after the cap is reached. Throttling is when the company slows down the speed of data exchange in response to the end user reaching their cap. WhatIsMyCap.org shows you how much the data cap is for each carrier, how much streaming media that equals, as well as how much more you would potentially pay in overage fees if you went over your allotted amount.

A great example of how Data Caps can easily effect consumers is shown by Public Knowledge in their example of Verizon and the NFL teaming up to allow streaming of football games, including the Super Bowl.  In this example, if a consumer watched all available games over their phone, they would most likely hit their cap, and thus be charged for any usage over that limit, even if it was simply sending an e-mail.

Included on the website is a link to a Public Knowledge petition requesting the FCC to investigate wireless data caps to decide if they are fair to consumers.

SCAM ALERT: Buying Tickets Online

Last week I attended a big name show in Portland.  While in line to enter the show, I witnessed two women who were turned away because the tickets that they had purchased were fake.  They had purchased the tickets online, and the person who sold them the tickets had apparently sold duplicates of the same tickets to other unsuspecting buyers on the internet.  The result - multiple people with the same ticket for the same show.  Buying tickets for events online has become the easiest and most convenient way for people to attend an event.  However, aside from the legitimate event ticket site, there are also quite a number of ticket reselling sites available.  These have taken the place of the traditional “scalper” standing on the corner before the event.  With reseller sites, you can often find tickets for sold out shows, albeit at a hefty price.  You can also sometimes find discounted tickets available for shows.  However, be aware that with so many of these reseller sites available, it has become even easier to get scammed.

A quick and perfectly legal and useful Google search unearths a multitude of ticket resale sites in addition to the actual official event ticket sale site and it is very hard, unless you read all the fine print, to figure out which site is which.  We encourage you to read the fine print or else you may end up like the ladies in line with me with expensive, useless, fake or duplicate, tickets, a bad evening and a skinny bank account.  If you do your own perfectly legitimate Google search, for a big name show, you will see what we mean – dozens of folks offering to sell you tickets – and it’s not the show’s fault they are being scammed too! 

Nowadays when you buy tickets to a show, you are given the option to print your tickets at home right away.  This digital image is very easy to duplicate, and this is how the ladies that I witnessed found themselves ripped off.  They purchased tickets from a scammer who had a digital ticket. It is very east to sell this ticket again and again to people and there is no way for the buyer to know that the ticket has already been accounted for by another buyer.

How can one avoid getting ripped off online?  The best way is to make sure that you will not be ripped off is to buy from the onsite box office direct, use only the official online event ticketing site, or buy your tickets online from a large national or regional seller like Ticketmaster.com or Ticketswest.

If, however, you want to buy tickets to a sold out event, then your only option is to go with a reseller.  You will often pay more, and there is more risk involved with such a purchase.  The best way to protect yourself is to look at reviews for the seller online to make sure that the seller and the site are legitimate.  One way to do this is running a Google search for the seller and the website and see if any negative reviews or scam articles show up in the search. When you have decided to purchase from a seller or site, make sure the seller or site offers a guarantee on their tickets, and if time allows, always opt to receive the tickets by snail mail.
Legitimate sites like Craigslist and eBay are very popular for purchasing tickets to events.  Often times people who bought tickets to an event, they can no longer attend, will quite legitimately use these sites to quickly sell their tickets.  But, as with all things, there are rogues that take advantage of perfectly legitimate sites and ruin them for others so be aware that when using these sites you are particularly vulnerable to scamers. 

And remember, if after all your careful research you are still in doubt about where to purchase your tickets, call the venue where the event is being held, and they will be able to direct you to the official ticketing service.

Parental Control Options for Cell Phones

Are you a parent of teens or tweens that have or want cell phones? According to the Pew Research center about 75% of 12-17 year-olds now own cell phones. As technology advances and younger and younger kids are getting cell phones, parents too have to adapt and figure out how to protect their children in a digital world.

It’s important that parents are aware of the options for purchasing cell phones for their children as well as the parental control available with different service providers.

All of the major service providers offer parental control options. Parental controls are available that filter content, limit usage and monitor location. Check out this comprehensive blog about Parental Controls for Cell Phones that describes the different categories of controls and gives a breakdown of the types of parent controls available for each service provider.

If you are considering purchasing a cell phone for your teen or tween, make sure you read this Back-to-School Guide for Responsible Use. The article gives advice on what to consider before you buy, when you are shopping for your child’s cell phone and how to set rules on phone usage.

If you are a parent and want to understand trends in teen and tween cell phone usage, take a look at this comprehensive report on How Teens are Using Their Cell Phones .

AT&T/T-Mobile Blocked by DOJ

In a rather sudden and unexpected move, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday filed an antitrust lawsuit to block AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile.  The DOJ stated in a press release that

“The proposed $39 billion transaction would substantially lessen competition for mobile wireless telecommunications services across the United States, resulting in higher prices, poorer quality services, fewer choices and fewer innovative products for the millions of American consumers who rely on mobile wireless services in their everyday lives.”

Amelia Deloney of the Center for Media Justice stated that, “blocking this merger was a major victory for communities of color, rural communities, and America’s poor.”

Deputy Attorney General James Cole stated in the DOJ’s press release that

“The combination of AT&T and T-Mobile would result in tens of millions of consumers all across the United States facing higher prices, fewer choices and lower quality products for mobile wireless services. Consumers across the country, including those in rural areas and those with lower incomes, benefit from competition among the nation’s wireless carriers, particularly the four remaining national carriers.  This lawsuit seeks to ensure that everyone can continue to receive the benefits of that competition.”

The DOJ lawsuit by itself does not completely halt the pending merger.  For the merger to happen, it still would need to be approved by the FCC, though analysts are saying that with validly raised antitrust concerns, this is now unlikely to happen.
For more information about the AT&T/T-Mobile, please read our previous news post concerning this issue.

Tips from Illinois CUB

A few weeks ago I headed to Chicago to visit with the members of Illinois CUB’s staff who work on consumer education and outreach (link to Oregon CUB blog).  It was an interesting trip and a great way to learn more from a group that has an established consumer outreach program.  Not only did I get some helpful hints for how to develop the CUB Connects outreach program but, I learned some great money-saving tips to share with my fellow Oregonians.

1. Drop expensive, unnecessary features from your Landline Phone Service. This includes Line Backer, 411 Service and Voicemail Service.
      a.    LINE BACKER - If you check your phone bill and see a charge for Line Backer then you are paying for an OPTIONAL insurance plan for the wires INSIDE your house only. Fixing outside wires is done by the telephone company for no charge. According to IL CUB, problems with your inside phone wires occur and average of once every 20 to 30 years.
      b. 411 Service – 411 services can cost up to $2 a call. Don’t use the service and use 1-800-free411 or 1-800-YellowPages for residential listings and 1-800-555-Tell for business listings.
      c. Voice Mail – Voicemail services cost around $10 a month and don’t include charge for the messages you receive and retrieve. Check your phone bill and consider using an answering machine instead of paying the high cost of this monthly service.

2. Trim Bloated Cell Phone Bills – Evaluate your cell phone bill and make sure that you are using only the minutes, texts, data and extra features for which you are paying. If you are signed up for a plan that includes unlimited features, check how many you use and see if your phone company has a cheaper plan that offers a certain amount of minutes/text/data per month that fits your own usage. Visit http://cubconnects.org/providers to find your provider and see the different plans they offer.

3. Switch to a Long Distance Carrier – Check your phone bill to see how much you are paying per long distance call, or, if you have unlimited long distance figure out how many minutes you use a month. According to IL CUB,  Pioneer Telephone’slong distance plan consistently offers the lowest rates for long distance services. Use cubconnects.org and search long distance under the “home phone” option to compare different providers. Another option is to only use your cell phone for long distance.

Remember to use CUBConnects.org to compare phone and internet prices or call our toll free helpline at 1-855-892-4314 for help!

Mobile Data Plans: Managing your Cap

It has been about one year since AT&T stopped offering unlimited data plans to new smartphone customers and now Verizon has followed suit. Existing customers can still be grandfathered into unlimited data plans, but this decision is representative of a larger trend in wireless data use.  According to a white paper from Cisco, “Global mobile data traffic grew 2.6-fold in 2010, nearly tripling for the third year in a row.” The white paper also indicates that data use per smartphone has more than doubled in 2010, and that the average smartphone generated 24 times more mobile data traffic (79 MB per month) than a basic cell phone (3.3 MB per month). Wireless resources become even more strained when you consider that the average tablet generates 405MB of mobile data traffic per month, which is over five times that of a smartphone, or 122 times that of an average cell phone. With this type of traffic on wireless networks, it is clear why wireless companies would want to limit data use.

While Verizon and AT&T have eliminated unlimited data plans, T-mobile has placed caps on the amount of high speed data that a customer can use in a month. While technically still unlimited, T-mobile will throttle a users data speed after reaching thresholds of 200MB, 2GB, 5GB or 10GB depending on the user’s wireless plan. Limiting data speeds is nothing new; Verizon actually began periodically using this tactic earlier in the year for it’s highest users. This leaves Sprint as the only major wireless carrier to offer truly unlimited data plans and some speculate that this could give sprint an advantage. Sprint is currently using this advantage as a selling point, but will need to continue enhancing its network if it intends to maintain this advantage. Considering current data trends and rumors of a Sprint iPhone, this may be a tall order.

Even though Verizon has eliminated unlimited data plans, this press release outlines ways that new Verizon customers can track their data use.  In particular, the data calculator is useful if you’re shopping for a new mobile phone plan. These tools can estimate your monthly data needs based on how you use your smartphone. Knowing how much data you need will allow you to choose the most appropriate plan. Don’t forget to use the CUBconnects website too!

Here are links to data calculators provided by the major wireless providers (not sprint of course!).
AT&T
T-Mobile
Verizon

If you’re already in a tiered or capped data plan, there are still some actions you can take to limit data use and avoid overage charges. One easy step is to utilize Wi-Fi hot spots. Data sent over a Wi-Fi connection won’t count towards data caps. Another way to limit data use is to limit the amount of video or music you download or stream to your phone. These are data intensive activities, which can quickly eat into a monthly data cap. If these methods don’t suit your taste or are not enough to stay within a monthly limit, then examine which apps you are using and their settings. This article from CNET has recommendations for apps that can help you monitor data use, compress incoming data, and which twitter apps use data more efficiently.

According to a study by Nielsen, the average smartphone user in the United States used 435MB per month during the first quarter of 2011. This is less than a quarter of the 2GB cap provided by many wireless plans, but this number has increased by 89% since the first quarter of 2010. The study also shows that data use is increasing even faster when looking at the top 10% and top 1% of data consumers. The growth of smartphone data use in the U.S. may be slightly lower than the global numbers, but are still very significant. You may not be facing any data issues now, but it will definitely be important for the future. Keeps these data resources in mind when purchasing your next smartphone or data plan and remember to keep using CUBconnects.org.

Detecting Phone Scams

It’s good to be aware of phone scams when you answer the phone. Although many scams are performed online, phone scams are more common than you may realize.  Telephone fraud can take many different forms and phone scams can even be used in conjunction with information obtained on the internet or other forms of fraud. Unfortunately, some types of phone scams even target senior citizens.

Here are a few local examples of recent phone scams. In Clackamas County, fraudulent callers asked for financial information using a hijacked caller ID from a business in Indiana.  A similar report from Eugene indicates local business numbers were used in phone scams in an attempt to solicit personal information including financial info. Last fall, an 87 year old woman was scammed out of $9,500 after she received a call from a person impersonating her 12 year old grandson. A couple in Oak Grove who had lost $4,000 in a previous scam were able to alert police and avoid being duped again when they received a suspicious call from Canada. These are just a handful of stories that represent a much larger threat.

There are some simple measures you can take to prevent getting caught in a phone scam. One easy step is to register your non-business landline or mobile phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry . If you’re an Oregon resident, you will “be protected by both the federal and state “no call” laws thanks to the Oregon Department of Justice. If you believe that there has been a breach of the “no call” list, please report the incident to the Oregon Department of Justice or the National Do Not Call Registry.

In general, you should be wary of any unsolicited phone calls, especially if the caller asks for any kind of money or payments, personal information, or has an offer that sounds too good to be true. A reputable caller will be able to provide information on their company and product, and will not pressure you into any decisions. If you receive a fraudulent phone call, you can report it your local authority, the Federal Trade Commission, or the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Reporting “no call” violations and attempted phone scams will help with prevention efforts.

The best thing to do is to educate yourself on the different types of phone fraud and how to recognize them.  The Federal Trade Commission has a portion of their site dedicated to common types of phone fraud with tips on how to avoid them. The FBI provides information on general scams and safety. Oregon residents can also sign up for the Oregon Scam Alert Network to get updates on emerging scams and fraud.

If you missed our last blog post, read it here to learn how you can be scammed right on your phone bill and what to do if you get “crammed.”

CUB Executive Director “Crammed” on Phone Bill

According to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) website cramming is the practice of placing unauthorized, misleading or deceptive charges on your telephone bill.  These unauthorized charges can be intentional or unintentional and often are missed by consumers. Phone bills are often confusing and have a lot of different small charges included, and crammers rely on this to hide unwarranted charges in consumer’s bills. According to the FCC, these charges may be any of the following: “service fee,” “service charge,” “other fees,” “voicemail,” “mail server,” “calling plan,” “membership,” “monthly fee” or “minimum monthly usage fee” or even something more obvious like “mobile love alerts”.

“Mobile love alerts” is what CUB’s Executive Director Bob Jenks found on his mobile phone bill right before he was about to make his payment. Knowing that neither he nor his family members had signed up for any love alerts or additional services on their mobile plan, Bob called his service provider and they immediately removed the additional charge. Here is a copy of Bob’s phone bill with the cramming charge highlighted. According to his mobile phone service provider, they have received a number of complaints regarding the “mobile love alerts” charge and an online search of the term showed consumers from a variety of service providers complaining about the same charge.

According to an infographic about cramming released today in a press release from the FCC, only 1 in every 20 consumers is aware of the cramming charges on their phone bill. The FCC estimates that 20 million Americans are victims of cramming charges and today, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced new actions to help consumers prevent and identify cramming.

The lesson learned here is to ALWAYS review your phone and internet bills and make sure that there are no unwarranted charges. To compare your phone bill with approved charges check out Understanding Your Phone Bill, a complete guide to the acceptable charges on your phone bill. If you see a charge for a service that you did not sign up for make sure to call your service provider.

A phone call to his service provider saved Bob $9.99!

Here is a consumer guide to identifying mystery charges on your bill, issued today by the FCC. The guide also explains what to do when you think there are unwarranted charges on your phone bill.

Community Broadband Summits Happening Now in Oregon

The Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) and OneEconomy are hosting a series of Community Broadband Summits (CBS) to gather information about broadband adoption and technology in communities throughout Oregon. OneEconomy is a global non-profit organization that has been working closely with the OPUC, Oregon Broadband Advisory Council and other groups to develop the Oregon Broadband Mapping Project which we wrote about in February this year. The information collected throughout the CBS process and from communities throughout the state will help strengthen the current state broadband map and the direction for broadband growth in Oregon.

The summits are open public forums aiming to discuss the role and use of broadband in our communities with special focus on telehealth, energy management, education and government applications. Forums have already been held in Astoria, Portland, The Dalles, Salem, Eugene, Coos Bay, Medford and Klamath Falls.  Check out this article that outlines the event in Eugene. The CBS travels to Warm Springs on Monday and events are scheduled for Bend, Burns, Pendleton, Enterprise, Ontario and Grand Ronde between June 22nd and July 6th.

Additional information is available on the Broadband Summit website or through the toll-free hotline 855-858-0937.

Warm Springs Broadband Summit Details

Location:  Tepee Deli Tech Center
Address: 3240 Walsey Lane, Warm Springs OR 97761
Date: Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
Time: 6:00pm – 7:30pm

Consumer Protection Issues in the Mobile Marketplace

On May 19, 2011, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a press release summarizing its Prepared Statement on Consumer Protection Issues in the Mobile Marketplace to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

The prepared statement from the FTC was given by David Vladeck, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. The FTC press release states that, “while mobile technology, such as smart phones, is giving consumers a vast array of new products and services, it also presents new consumer privacy challenges,” and that “the FTC is committed to protecting consumers in the mobile marketplace, where vast amounts of data can be collected from consumers without their knowledge.” However the testimony also states that the FTC, “will continue to bring law enforcement actions where appropriate and work with industry and consumer groups to develop workable solutions that allow companies to continue to innovate and give consumers the new products and services they desire.” This testimony from the FTC highlights the importance of mobile privacy and why there is a need for developing stronger policy, but also brings up the issue of promoting innovation.

Creating a policy that balances privacy needs with innovation will not be an easy task. Even within the technology industry there is a wide range of approaches to internet privacy. According to these quotes from the FTC hearing, Apple has never collected location data from users and does not intend to. On the other hand, “Google’s business depends on protecting the privacy and security of our users” While some within the industry argue that consumer information is required for developing new technologies and mobile functions. For instance, Facebook issued a 29 page response to the FTC’s Proposal to Protect Privacy Online that was issued in December of 2010. As said in this Huffington Post article, “Facebook argued that web companies should be principally self-regulated so as not to stifle innovation” and “that the company is obliged by user demand to respect individual privacy.” Even within the tech industry, companies are as conflicted as the consumer.

Consumer privacy is clearly an important issue, which needs to be addressed. However, the wide range of opinions towards mobile privacy policy from consumers and within the tech industry will make it difficult to please everyone. Furthermore, new products and services are constantly being added to the marketplace, which complicates the landscape for developing adequate policy. Until suitable standards can be established, it is important for consumers to be aware of their online presence and mobile privacy.

Update on the AT&T Acquisition of T-Mobile USA

Earlier today, The US House Judiciary Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet Subcommittee held a hearing “How Will the Proposed Merger Between AT&T and T-Mobile Affect Wireless Telecommunications Competition?” Following is a summary on what has happened since the merger was first announced.

On March 20, AT&T announced that it will acquire T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG for $39 billion.  Before this merger can be completed, it must be approved by both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and The United States Department of Justice, which work together on complex merger cases. The Department of Justice does set a timetable for its investigation, but it will likely take many months. To pass the FCC, AT&T must submit an application to review the transaction as a complex merger case. The rough timeline for the FCC to complete a review of a complex merger is approximately 180 days, but for a case of this size will likely be longer.  For example, the FCC review process in the Comcast and NBC Universal merger took 234 days to complete and it took the FCC 294 days to review the Century Link and Qwest merger. AT&T submitted a public interest statement  to the FCC on April 21, 2011 and submitted its application on April 28, 2011. Currently, the transaction is in the public comment phase.  For updates on the FCC’s progress, you can check the timeline and view public documents here.

When AT&T first announced the merger with T-Mobile, the Washington Post reported that, “the FCC and the Justice Department have expressed some concerns that consumers do not have enough choice among wireless carriers.” Since then, the FCC has released this order on April 7th, which “requires facilities-based providers of commercial mobile data services to offer data roaming arrangements to other such providers on commercially reasonable terms and conditions, subject to certain limitations.” The order states that “only AT&T and Verizon Wireless oppose the Commission’s adoption of a data roaming requirement,” and that “after carefully considering the arguments in the record, we conclude that it will serve the public interest to adopt a data roaming rule.” In response, Verizon has filed a suit against the FCC. This is a good indication of how the FCC will approach the proposed merger and that even as a competitor, Verizon will likely benefit from a consolidated market.

To address concerns from its customers, T-Mobile released a blog post on March 20, 2011 and this letter on March 25, 2011, shortly after the merger was announced. On May 11, T-Mobile CEO Philipp Humm testified before Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights where he detailed the benefits of a merger in his introductory remarks. In the same session, AT&T Chairman, CEO and President, Randell Stephenson testified before the Senate where he outlined how the merger would benefit consumers .

As a competitor in the wireless industry, Sprint has put up strong opposition to the merger. Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse’s testimony argued that , “takeover will create a duopoly, providing ‘Twin Bells’ with control of approximately 80 percent of wireless industry revenues.” Supporting Hesse’s argument was Cellular South CEO, Victor Meena, who also testified against the proposed merger. In addition to Hesse’s testimony, Sprint has supported the NOTAKEOVER Project, a coalition formed to stop the merger. Another group effort is led by the Center for Media Justice and the Media Action Grassroots Network to “ensure low-income and working Americans are represented in the heated debate over the proposed takeover.” Prior to AT&T’s announcement, Sprint and T-Mobile were the two parties rumored to be considering a possible merger .

Also in opposition to the merger is Leap Wireless, which operates Cricket Communications. AT&T CEO Randell Stephenson mentioned Leap three times in his aforementioned testimony, however according Leap VP of Government Affairs, Russ Merbeth, “they haven’t been running any of that past us.” This press release from Leap Wireless was not released until May 24, 2011, 13 days after Stephenson’s testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

To defend itself from the opposition, AT&T has started a series of blog posts on its public policy blog. Joan Marsh, AT&T Vice President of Federal Regulatory, has contributed three entries in the “busting myths” series.  These entries address spectrum efficiency, spectrum holdings, and Sprint’s pricing. The blog series also has an entry on wireless backhaul written by Bob Quinn, AT&T’s Senior Vice President-Federal Regulatory and Chief Privacy Officer. The most recent entry by Marsh states “Sprint should stop complaining and keep competing, something they’ve been quite successful at as of late.”

If you are an AT&T or T-Mobile customer, CNET’s Marguerite Reardon has written this article, which outlines what the merger likely means for customers if it goes through. However, for the time being nothing will change while the FCC and Department of Justice review and investigate the agreement.  Reardon has also written this piece, which outlines the regulatory hurdles of the proposed merger.

In its press release, AT&T states that it expects the transaction will close in “approximately 12 months.” Many agree that the proposed merger will be allowed by both the FCC and Department of Justice, but that it will come with many concessions.

Here is a recap of this morning’s hearing. Stay tuned for more updates on the merger!

CenturyLink Introduction Meeting

On Wednesday, May 19th, 2011, the CUB Connects Team attended the presentation to the League of Oregon Cities by CenturyLink at the Salem Convention Center to discuss how the recently approved merger of CenturyTel and Qwest will affect Oregon cities and consumers.

The merger was approved on March 24, 2011, by the Oregon Public Utility Commission. This was the first meeting since the approval that we’ve been able to learn how the merger will affect Oregon customers of both CenturyTel and Qwest.

For now, the most noticeable change that Qwest customers will see will be the rebranding of all Qwest bills, statements, advertisements, and service trucks. By late summer/early fall, expect to see “Qwest is becoming CenturyLink” on your statements, with it simply becoming just “CenturyLink” over time.

Even though Qwest will be rebranded as CenturyLink, the Qwest corporation will remain (albeit under the CenturyLink umbrella), so for now current Qwest customers should see no changes to their rates, and should receive the same products and services as they have been before.

Follow CUB Connects on Twitter and Facebook, or keep checking back here, to learn the latest news on this merger, and how it might affect you now and in the future.

Keep an Eye on Your Phone, Internet and Cable Bills for Unwarranted Charges

This week I received a bill from my cable and internet service provider, and noticed an extra charge that I didn’t think should have been there. I had recently upgraded my service, in order to save some money. The provider’s current promotion actually made it less expensive to sign up for both cable TV and broadband internet, than to just have internet (of course, only for the first six months; I need to remember to call after six months to either request another promotion or cancel my cable service). This was a good move to make, so long as I stay on top of when the promotional period expires; it helps me save over $20 a month.

However, when I opened my new bill, I noticed that I was charged $15.00 for an “Upgrade of Service” with the line “Required a separate trip” in parenthesis.  Now, I had upgraded my service, but the sales rep who sold me the upgrade said nothing about an upgrade charge.  That by itself I found disputable.  However, even more mysterious was the “Required a separate trip” line.  A separate trip for what?  Not once has s technician ever come to my apartment, even when I first signed up for internet service when I first moved in!

I contacted my service provider to inquire about this charge.  I was told that the $15.00 charge was added because a technician came out to install an extra outlet for my new cable service. I told the customer service representative that no one ever came to my apartment, and no extra outlet has ever been installed. The representative then quickly removed the charge for me.

Remember to always check your phone, internet, and cable bills for unwarranted charges.  It’s easy to do a quick review of your bill every month, and while it may mean having to be on the phone for a little while, the money you save may be worth it. If you don’t notice a charge or you don’t inquire about it, you’re giving a service provider extra money for nothing in return.

Have you had a similar experience? If so, what did you do about it?  Leave your comments below!

Need help with your Oregon phone or internet bill? Contact CUBConnects today!

Study Shows Increase In Cell Phone-Only Households

Does your home have a landline?

If you are like 30.6% of Oregon households that are “wireless only”, then the answer is no. Oregon is at the forefront of a national trend that has seen a transition away from residential landlines to an increasing number of households that exclusively use cell phones. According to a report by the Center for Disease Control (CDC)  , “As of the first half of 2010, more than one in four American households (26.6%) had only wireless telephones— an eightfold increase over just 6 years”. Across the nation, the number of “wireless only” households is now much larger than the number of households with landlines only, which is 12.9%. The CDC reports that this gap will continue to grow as the number of landline only houses declines, and as more mixed-use households become wireless only.

Why would the CDC study this? 

Part of CDC’s mission is to prevent and control disease. In order to do this, CDC conducts research to enhance prevention efforts. However, most of CDC’s research is conducted through random digit dial phone surveys that only reach landline phone numbers.  In order for CDC to follow its mission, it needs accurate research data from its phone surveys that accounts for both landline and wireless only households. As Stephen J. Blumberg –lead author of the CDC study -states, “These findings are important to CDC because many of our largest surveys are done on calls to landline phone numbers.  All of those adults with only cell phones are being missed in these surveys.” If adults with only cell phones are left out of the survey then they might also be left out of the prevention and control strategy. Accurate research data will help the CDC be more effective.

Who isn’t being included?

The nationwide data shows that Home ownership and household structure are likely contributors to “wireless only” houses. Young adults (18-34) and individuals below or near the poverty line are also more likely to live in wireless only households. 

Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households by poverty status (Jan-Jun 2010):
Poor      39.3%
Near Poor     32.9%
Not Poor      21.7%.

Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households by age group (Jan-Jun 2010):

Age 18-24     39.9%
Age 25-29     51.3%
Age 30-34     40.4%
Age 35-44      27.0%
Age 45-64      16.9%
Age 65       5.4%

Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households by household structure (Jan-Jun 2010):

Adult living alone                33.5%
Unrelated adults, no children     69.4%
Related adults, no children      19.1%
Adult(s) with Children            26.9%

Percentage of adults living in wireless-only households by home ownership status (Jan-Jun 2010):

Owned or being bought        15.5%
Renting                 47.1%
Other arrangements             34.9%

A Breakthrough and New Challenges:

The same CDC report states that wireless telephone numbers can now be included in random digit dialing surveys. The good news is that this will allow the CDC to gather data from all demographics. However, this new feature also presents many challenges and questions. For instance, will wireless surveys achieve the same result and success as landline surveys? Do wireless surveys need to be conducted differently? How can wireless survey data be incorporated with data collected from landlines to give an accurate account of the US population? As seen above, surveys performed exclusively on landline phone numbers will not account for demographics that are underrepresented, such as adults under 35 or those below or near poverty. However, the same demographics might be overrepresented if wireless survey data is not properly weighted in comparison to landline data. To solve this problem the CDC releases a report every 6 months that provides the most up-to-date estimates available from the federal government concerning the size and characteristics of the wireless-only population. This bi-annual report will help the CDC and other agencies more accurately combine data sets, but will also add an additional layer of complication.

How this Impacts Oregonians:

As a state, Oregon has the 7th highest percentage of adults living in wireless only households at 30.6%. The national average is 26.6%, which ranges from a low of 12.8% in New Jersey and Rhode Island to a high of 35.2% in Arkansas. However, even with such a high prevalence of wireless only households, Oregon does not have a high poverty rate or a particularly young population. Oregon’s poverty rate in 2009 matched the national average and was ranked 25th highest of the 50 US States and Puerto Rico. The median age in Oregon is 37.7 compared to the national median age of 36.5. Homeownership and household structure likely play a role in Oregon’s high wireless use, but, the 67.1%, home ownership rate is actually slightly above the national average of 66.4%, ranking 37th for all states. There may be other factors at play, but this means that Oregonians are ahead of the curve when it comes to going wireless. 

As the communications technology changes, consumers are faced with overwhelming options for services.  Whether you are shopping for a new wireless plan, looking to change your service or trying to stay up-to-date with Oregon telecom news, CUBconnects.org can help.

CUB featured on KOIN 6!

On Monday, April 25 KOIN TV’s Lisa Balick visited the CUB Connects office to find out more about our consumer education project. After a walkthrough of the website with Portlander Aaron Bannister and interviews with the CUB Connects staff, the news team headed back to their office to produce a Consumer Alert for the nightly news. Check out the fabulous news story telling Oregonians about CUB Connects!

AT&T Preparing to Buy T-Mobile

Today, AT&T Inc. announced that they will be acquiring T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom. The deal has been approved by both companies but has yet to be approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the regulatory body who will assess the acquisition contract, make necessary changes and provide conditions that the companies must follow before they approve the agreement. CUB Connects will make sure to stay up-to-date with the acquisition and inform consumers of any details or advances in the process that may affect current AT&T or T-Mobile customers.

For more information here are two articles that show different opinions on the acquisition.

AT&T to buy T-Mobile, creating wireless giant, from the Los Angeles Times online business section and AT&T Buying T-Mobile For $39 Billion from Business Insider online.

Analyzing the Comcast Letter Targeting Qwest Customers

This week, many customers in areas served by both Comcast and Qwest received a letter from Comcast offering a special promotional deal to sign up for Comcast Xfinity TV with Internet Service for $19.95 for six months.

This letter specifically references the recently approved merger between Qwest and CenturyLink, enticing Qwest customers to “ask yourself, are you really satisfied with Qwest? And how much do you know about CenturyLink?”

If you’re a Qwest customer or have considered switching, you probably know very little about CenturyLink, as they have not offered service in your area before. Mergers are generally in the company’s best interest rather than the consumer’s—but for Comcast to use fear tactics when talking about this merger to existing Qwest customers is an interesting marketing tactic. Comcast, of course, recently underwent a much larger and far-reaching merger of their own with NBCUniversal.

The details on how the Qwest/CenturyLink merger will effect Qwest customers have not yet been made public. CenturyLink is a telephone exchange company just like Qwest, and they are essentially going to be taking over Qwest’s service areas to provide a similar service under a different company name. If you currently have Qwest for home phone or internet service, you will probably soon be receiving your bills from CenturyLink instead.

So how about Comcast’s promotional offer? Is it a good deal?

This offer is only valued for new customers. If you currently have Comcast cable and would like to add additional features, you would need contact Comcast to see what promotional offers are available to you.

For new customers to Comcast, this is a great deal for the first six months. After the promotional period expires, however, your rates would go up to $29.95 for Digital Economy TV, and $54.95-$69.95 for Blast! Internet, making your total bill between $85-$100.

What other factors should I consider with this offer?

This promotion is not exactly an apples-to-apples offer of services. It’s for cable TV and broadband internet only. If you are currently a Qwest customer, you may be using Qwest for either a traditional home phone line, DSL Internet service, or both. If you receive telephone service from Qwest, and you choose to switch from Qwest/CenturyLink to Comcast, you would either need to retain your phone service with Qwest/CenturyLink, or sign up for Digital Phone service with Comcast at an additional charge not included in this advertised promotion.

Another factor to consider is your television service. If you have been receiving television service through Qwest, you have actually been receiving it from DirecTV. This is a satellite TV service, which often requires that you sign a contract with steep early termination fees. If you currently have this service, and you’re looking to switch to Comcast, please check to make sure you are no longer in contract with DirecTV first.

Also, the type of cable this Comcast promotion offers is “Digital Economy TV”, which is basic cable with some additional channels. If you are looking to have premium channels, they will also be an additional cost beyond the $19.99 offer. Please check with the Comcast website to see if the channels you want to watch are included in this package.

Is this offer right for me?

This offer may be right for you, if: 1. You currently don’t have cable TV and are looking to add that service. 2. You don’t have broadband internet, or are unsatisfied with your current broadband internet speeds or service. 3. You are willing to accept the rate increase or cancel your service once the 6 month promotional period expires.
If you don’t fall into one of those categories, you may want to stick with what you have. If you’re an existing Qwest customer, consider calling Qwest to see if they offer any customer retention specials to compare to Comcast’s promotion, or use the CUBConnects.org telecom plan search tool to find your best rates for internet and home phone services!

What has CUB Connects been up to?

On January 25th, 2011 the CUBConnects project team presented to the Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) in Salem at the commission’s monthly public meeting.  CUB’s Executive Director, Bob Jenks, opened the presentation with comments about the incredible number of telecom and internet plans available to Oregon consumers and the enormity of the project.  Although the website accurately provides consumers with details and comparisons of plans, Bob pondered that maybe CUB wouldn’t have taken on the project if he had known how much it entailed.  But, when all is said and done, everyone at CUB knows that the hard work paid off and CUBConnects.org is a great resource for fellow Oregonians.

Andrea Crosby, the project manager for CUBConnects, walked the Commissioners and the audience through the search tool and different informational pages on CUBConnects.org.  Both Commissioner Savage and Commissioner Ackerman asked questions throughout the presentation and seemed thoroughly impressed by the product that is CUBConnects.org.

Brant Wolf, Director of the Oregon Telephone Association, contributed additional questions about the project that allowed Andrea to elaborate more on details behind the methodology used to collect the plan details and other aspects of the project.

The presentation served as the Beta-launch for CUBConnects.

On February 1st, 2011 the Oregonian published a detailed article about CUBConnects.org saying that the Website aims to demystify Oregon telecom pricing. In the article, Mike Rogoway nicely summarizes the website and the work that CUB put into making the project a reality.

On February 7, 2011, CUBConnects held a Launch Event at the State Capitol, in Salem.  This event gave legislators and their staff a chance to hear more about the project and some of our goals moving forward.  We hope to work with legislators to spread the word about CUBConnects.org throughout Oregon and reach out to all consumers in the state.

Connecting with the Oregon Broadband Advisory Council

Yesterday, February 24th, 2011, the CUB Connects team presented to the Oregon Broadband Advisory Council (OBAC).  The presentation was received with great enthusiasm from the council members whose activities include oversight of the Oregon Broadband Mapping Project.  The first version of the National Broadband Map was released to the public on February 17th and the Oregon broadband mapping project should be ready later this year.  After giving a brief history of CUB Connects, walking the council through the website and explaining the future expansion of CUB Connects, we proposed collaboration between the Oregon broadband mapping project and CUBConnects.org. The council showed great interest in the possibilities of linking the two projects in the future and was very open to the incorporation of consumer services with the map.

Christopher Tamarin, a telecommunications strategist for Business Oregon, emphasized the importance of including groups and organizations that represent consumers in OBACs agendas.  In 2010, the council primarily heard from economic, industry and policy representatives. The 2011 agenda aims to include groups that represent the greater Oregon community in order to offer a variety of perspectives to the council as they continue to guide Oregon’s strategic broadband implementation.

A particularly encouraging part of the presentation was when a CEO of a small Oregon telecommunications company offered his congratulations to the CUB Connects team for creating such a complex and detailed search tool.  Support and collaboration from service providers are important steps to ensure the accuracy of the CUB Connects database and the longevity of the project.

OBAC and the OBAC Fund were created during the 2009 legislative session in order to establish and implement broadband strategies throughout Oregon.  The council members represent a wide range of interests from economic and industry to tribal, educational and public safety.  The council is selected by the Governor and required to report to the legislative assembly.

The February 24th, 2011 Meeting Agenda can be found here.

Follow us on Twitter!

Follow us on twitter for the most up to date information about the CUB Connects project. We are also tweeting all the telecom news that we find relevant to Oregon consumers, including price changes, mergers, and legislative news.

Stay up to date on telecom news with CUB Connects on Twitter!

Using the Left Sidebar to Sort and Filter Your Telecom Search

After entering in the type of service you’re looking for and your zip code, you’ll be brought to a list of all available plans.  Depending on what service you’re searching for, and where you live, this list may be quite extensive.

Fortunately, we have provided a few tools to help you sort and refine your search, making it easier to find exactly what your looking for.
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1. Refine your Telecom Search with “Filter By”

You can easily refine this list using the filters provided on the left hand side of the page:

You are able to filter by provider, the maximum price you would like to pay, or other features specific to the type of service.  For instance, a search for mobile phone plans allow you to filter by number of minutes, text messages, or data provided, while a search for internet plans allows you to filter by download speed.

2. Change the Display Order of Your Telecom Search with “Sort By”

You also have the ability to resort the plans displayed by price or important feature, as well as simply alphabetically:

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The CUBConnects team will be presenting to the Public Utility Commission on January 25th, 2011 during the Public Meeting beginning at 9am in the main meeting room of the PUC:
550 Capitol Street N.E.
Salem, Oregon 97301

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