Group pushing for new roaming rules

[Fire14]

Companies Push For Fair, Reasonable Wireless Roaming Practices


A group of companies and trade organizations representing providers of wireless services have formed the Alliance for Fair Roaming Access to petition Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to address anticompetitive and discriminatory roaming practices within the industry.

Alliance members are promoting fair and robust competition in wireless communications and are asking the FCC to clarify that all wireless carriers are obligated to enter into automatic roaming agreements that are reasonable and nondiscriminatory.

The group claims that these anti-competitive practices in the industry, if left unchecked by the FCC, threaten the quality, coverage and price structure of wireless services available to customers, particularly low-income, minority and underserved customers served by small, rural and regional carriers.

Consolidation in the wireless industry has reduced the number of roaming partners for small, rural and regional home carriers, and as a result, smaller carriers are frequently forced to purchase roaming services for their customers at what many consider to be unjustifiable high roaming rates. Some carriers are also restricting roaming to basic voice service and do not permit roaming for newer data services. The high wholesale charges smaller carriers are forced to pay have a disproportionate and negative impact on low-income, minority and rural consumers who often rely on small, rural and regional carriers for service, say members of the new alliance.

In a prepared statement, the Alliance wrote: “While certain segments of wireless service are competitive, the current environment for automatic roaming services is not. Some carriers even refuse to provide roaming for new services such as e-mail. These types of predatory roaming practices established by large carriers stifle consumer choice, suppress competition and hurt the industry overall.

Customers who need access to roaming and sometimes can least afford to pay higher rates for wireless phone service deserve to have access to a full menu of wireless services at reasonable rates.”

The FCC has acknowledged that issues exist with respect to roaming practices in the wireless telecommunications industry. Seven years ago, the FCC asked the public for input on numerous roaming issues. The FCC solicited public comments again in 2005. Recently, the FCC began to consider the issues.

The mission of the Alliance is to ensure that customers have telecommunications access whenever and wherever they travel throughout the US.

Members of the newly formed alliance include:

Cricket Communications

LCW Wireless, LLC

National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA)

Rural Telecommunications Group (RTG)

SouthernLINC Wireless

Mobi PCS

Organization for Promotion & Advancement of Small Telecommunication Companies (OPASTCO)

Cleveland Unlimited, Inc.

Companies Push For Fair, Reasonable Wireless Roaming Practices | Wireless IQ

[bobolito]

I think AT&T and Verizon rather expand their networks before they allow automatic roaming in the areas they already cover.

[hf1khal]

Originally Posted by bobolito

I think AT&T and Verizon rather expand their networks before they allow automatic roaming in the areas they already cover.

I agree. But I also wonder on the small company practices as they also charge higher than usual roaming rates to the bigger companies so this has to be a two fold process.

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by hf1khal

I agree. But I also wonder on the small company practices as they also charge higher than usual roaming rates to the bigger companies so this has to be a two fold process.

I thought the smaller companies were complaining about the bigger carriers charging too much for roaming.

If they forced the carriers to let customers roam on similar technologies networks, it could be a bad thing, they may take away the free roaming features & make people pay for roaming again.
I hope that wouldn't happen, but makes you wonder if the carriers are pushed into this.

[hf1khal]

Originally Posted by Fire14

I thought the smaller companies were complaining about the bigger carriers charging too much for roaming.

If they forced the carriers to let customers roam on similar technologies networks, it could be a bad thing, they may take away the free roaming features & make people pay for roaming again.
I hope that wouldn't happen, but makes you wonder if the carriers are pushed into this.

Well we know a few cases were the small carrier plays the monopoly game and charges higher rates. Case in point the carrier in NJ a while back wanted a high roaming rate that it resulted in the biger carriers preventing roaming on that carrier and I have heard simmilar stories of others who have been doing the same. Their reason is that they need the funds to build up and maintain their netwrok and without the roaming higher roaming fees then they can not afford to expand and they calculated that their losses are lower if they are charged higher as thier clientel are less likely to travel as compared to teh bigger providers.

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by hf1khal

Well we know a few cases were the small carrier plays the monopoly game and charges higher rates. Case in point the carrier in NJ a while back wanted a high roaming rate that it resulted in the biger carriers preventing roaming on that carrier and I have heard simmilar stories of others who have been doing the same. Their reason is that they need the funds to build up and maintain their netwrok and without the roaming higher roaming fees then they can not afford to expand and they calculated that their losses are lower if they are charged higher as thier clientel are less likely to travel as compared to teh bigger providers.

Yes that was Sussex Cellular & it got them to the point of shutting down & now AT&T owns that license.

And if you look at the Iowa landline companies & what they are doing to these wireless carriers recently with the party lines, I can see where they can be a big problem.

Maybe they are going to get hurt this way, thinking they can get the big 4 to lower roaming rates & they won't have to and the bigger carriers say "go to the FCC we will see what they say to charge".