Fears over US mobile phones list (Financial Times, 21 May 04)

[dave () farber net]

...... Forwarded Message .......
From: GLIGOR1 () aol com
To: dave () farber net
Date: Sat, 22 May 2004 09:45:15 -0400 (EDT)
Subj: Fears over US mobile phones list (Financial Times, 21 May 04)

Fears over US mobile phones list
By Amy Yee in New York
Published: May 20 2004 19:36 | Last Updated: May 21 2004 0:06
www.ft.com


Consumer advocates are expressing concern over a wireless industry trade 
group's proposal to compile US mobile phone numbers and list them in a 
directory 
by early next year.

"We are puting it together for the consumer that has cut the cord [on 
landline phones] and also for small businesspeople who use their wireless 
phone as 
their primary phone," said Travis Larson, a Cellular Telecommunications and 
Internet Association spokesman.
But consumer groups fear that wireless users may be flooded with calls from 
telemarketers - particularly because wireless phone customers, unlike 
traditional customers, are charged for each incoming call.
"People better be given a serious chance to opt in to the directory," said 
Mark Cooper of the Consumer Federation of America. "They have to be 
apprised of 
the decision being made."
In Congress, legislation has already been introduced that would prohibit 
wireless companies from listing numbers without customer permission, or for 
charging customers to keep unlisted numbers. All the big US wireless 
carriers except 
Verizon plan to give users the option to be listed.
CTIA emphasised that consumers would have the option of being included in 
the 
operator-assisted directory. Those who deferred would not be charged extra. 
There are no plans for a print-version directory.
The group has no estimate of the number of wireless listings it would 
compile. Mr Larson said 5m consumers already pay up to $20 to list wireless 
numbers 
in the phone book, and 8m people use only wireless phones; by 2008 about 30 
per 
cent of consumers will have only wireless phones.
Mr Larson added that people could put their numbers on the national "Do not 
call" registry that bars telemarketers from calling.
Cingular Wireless said: "Subscriber privacy is paramount and central to our 
efforts. Subscribers will control access to their personal information."


-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as interesting-people () lists elistx com
To manage your subscription, go to
  http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip

Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/