Senators Intro 4G Disclosure Bill
Oct 12, 2011, 4:54 PM by Eric M. Zeman
Three U.S. senators, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, and Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken of Minnesota, today introduced a bill that would require U.S. wireless network operators to clearly define 4G services and speeds. The bill is similar to one proposed in June by representative Anna Eschoo of California in the House of Representatives. "When consumers purchase a 4G wireless plan, they have the right to know exactly what they're getting for their money," Klobuchar said today. "This legislation will help ensure that wireless companies are honest about their product's capabilities so consumers can get a fair deal." As proposed, the bill seeks to force network operators to disclose guaranteed minimum data speeds, 4G network reliability and 4G coverage maps, pricing options, the 4G technology being used by that operator, and mitigating circumstances (foliage, terrain, population density) that could have an impact on the 4G network performance. The bill would also force the Federal Communications Commission to evaluate the speed and pricing of the 4G services offered by the top ten U.S network operators and provide a side-by-side comparison to consumers. The CTIA Wireless Association issued a statement in response to the legislation. "As we have said before, this bill proposes to add an additional layer of regulation to a new and exciting set of services, while ignoring the fact that wireless is an inherently complex and dynamic environment in which network speeds can vary depending on a wide variety of factors. Congress should not impose new regulations. Instead, they should focus on the real issue, which is making sure that America's wireless carriers have sufficient spectrum to lead the world in the race to deploy 4G services."
Comments
I applaud this!
although I'm still unsure if customers (the average ones atleast) will still understand anything about LTE, HSPA, speeds and such.
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