MetroPCS: make "bill shock" rules for Verizon/AT&T, not us

Three months ago, the Federal Communications Commission launched a bill shock proceeding, proposing rules that would require mobile carriers to provide consistent "usage alerts," letting a subscriber know that she's on the way to exceeding her usual monthly charges. The wireless industry is strongly opposed to this proposal. But MetroPCS, the nation's fifth largest carrier, offered a compromise this month: exempt the smaller carriers and just make the big guys obey bill shock rules. It's unclear to us how only imposing this concept upon Verizon and AT&T alone will inspire MetroPCS to improve. But to be fair, the carriers' comments illustrate how complex this issue can get, given the different business models that mobile ISPs deploy.