STATEMENT OF 
COMMISSIONER ROBERT M. McDOWELL
Re: Wireless Carrier Usage Alerts to Prevent Bill Shock (October 17, 2012)
I congratulate Chairman Genachowski, the staff of the Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau, and the folks at CTIA and their members and 
Consumers Union on your important effort to help to protect consumers 
from unexpected charges on wireless bills.  This success story is the result of 
an ongoing effort between the Commission and the private sector.  I have 
long held that cooperative efforts, rather than forced mandates, yield the best 
results.  Today we see that this approach ensures that the government will 
not inadvertently interfere with, or add unnecessary costs to, the 
development of innovative and useful tools that help consumers manage 
their wireless usage.
An October 2010 white paper released by the Consumer and 
Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) staff states that the Commission had 
received 764 “bill shock” complaints in the first six months of 2010.  The 
CGB’s records, available on the Commission’s website, indicate that the 
agency received 416 such complaints in the fourth quarter of 2010.  
According to the website, this was the only quarter in which “bill shock” 
complaints were reported.  It is also worth noting that both prior to and since 
2010, “bill shock” complaints apparently did not amount to a level that CGB 
felt it should list and none are listed on the website.
 
I am pleased that, as of today, approximately 96 percent of America’s 
wireless consumers, or about 312 million people, are protected by a private 
sector solution from receiving unexpected charges on their bills.  This result 
was produced without a government mandate, which provides us with a 
model for future non-governmental solutions to the challenges faced by 
American consumers.  Again, thank you to everyone here at the 
Commission, and to the wireless service providers and consumer groups that 
worked to make this project a success.