STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER AJIT PAI
ON WIRELESS BILL SHOCK PRESENTATION
April 18, 2013
After a consumer opens his monthly phone bill, his expression shouldn’t mirror the iconic image 
of Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone, hands slapped across his face and mouth wide open in shock.
I therefore applaud the wireless industry for providing free alerts to warn customers when they 
are about to incur additional charges and to warn them again if they exceed their plan’s limits for voice, 
messaging, or data.  Transparency and disclosure can be invaluable tools for protecting consumers.  As 
we’ve seen in the wireless context, this goal can be achieved just by letting people know what they are 
paying for the services they use.  And because pricing plays such a vital signaling function in our free-
market economy, these efforts by wireless carriers also help the market operate in a more efficient 
manner.
Of course, wireless carriers have a strong interest in providing good customer service; a happy 
customer is much less likely to switch to another carrier.  That may be why many wireless carriers are 
going beyond the benchmarks set forth in CTIA’s Consumer Code for Wireless Service and are offering 
customers a wide range of user-friendly options to track and manage usage.  As we heard at yesterday’s 
FCC workshop on this subject, all major carriers allow customers to check on usage, whether on their 
devices or desktops.  Some even let customers adjust their plans—without penalty—in order to avoid 
expensive overages.  Initiatives like these help wireless customers stay within their budgets, something 
that’s important to us all in these trying times.
I thank the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau for their oversight and ongoing work on 
this issue.  I also would like to thank the hardworking FCC staffers at our call center in Gettysburg, 
Pennsylvania.  I had the pleasure of meeting with them in January and was impressed by their 
professionalism and dedication in responding to consumers’ complaints.  For many Americans, they are 
the face and voice of the Commission, and in that regard, we are fortunate indeed.