Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel

September 2009 - A ban on prerecorded sales messages without a customer's written consent has taken effect. According to a Plain Dealer article, the Federal Trade Commission responded to consumer complaints about these calls, also known as "robocalls." Telemarketers violating the ban could be fined up to $16,000 per call. Consumer complaints can be made through www.donotcall.gov or 1-888-382-1222.

August 2009 - The merger of two local telephone providers, CenturyTel and Embarq, means that customers will see a new name emerge for the combined companies. CenturyLink is now the corporate name, but customers will likely see the logos of both the original companies on their bills until later this year. According to the companies, customers are being notified of the merger through bill messages in the July and August bills. Other changes will eventually include a new account number for CenturyTel customers and a new mailing address for payments. If customers have questions, they can contact their local telephone provider at the telephone number listed on their monthly bill.

July 2009 - Access to high-speed Internet service brought more than $32 billion in benefits to customers nationwide last year, according to a Washington Business Journal article citing research commissioned by the Internet Innovation Alliance. According to the news report, "Consumers find benefits from broadband in the areas of education, health care, work, news, communication, entertainment and civic affairs."

July 2009 - AT&T has increased the monthly price of call waiting from $5.98 to $6.50. This increase will not affect customers with a local calling package that includes call waiting. In addition, the company has increased the monthly price of its Complete Choice Basic Package from $21 to $23.

July 2009 - Verizon has increased the monthly rates of several calling features for customers that subscribe to them outside of a package that bundles together several features. Verizon is able to increase its prices since it was granted "elective alternative regulation" by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio in 2006. Elective alternative regulation permits companies like Verizon to increase the rates of telephone features such as Call Waiting and Three-Way Calling as well as the prices of packages that typically include basic local service and several features.

Below is the list of the rate increases effective June 30:

July 2009 - Effective July 12, AT&T will increase the monthly price of its Linebacker inside wire maintenance plan for its local telephone customers from $6.99 to $7.50. This increase will not affect customers with a local calling package that includes inside wire maintenance.

Consumers are not required to have an inside wire maintenance plan. The plan serves as insurance designed to cover the cost of repairs to telephone lines that run to or inside a home. Most inside wiring problems typically occur every 20 to 30 years, so consumers should weigh the costs of a plan with the potential benefits. For more information, see our fact sheet on Utility Line Insurance.

June 2009 - Frontier Communications, a small telephone company with about 500 residential telephone lines in northwest Williams County, is raising the prices of some calling features significantly.  For example, the monthly price of call forwarding will increase from $2.40 to $5.99 while three-way calling will increase from $1.90 to $5.99.

Below is the list of all of the rate increases going into effect on June 19:

Frontier is also no longer offering a monthly 50-cent discount per calling feature when two or more features are purchased on the same line.

June 2009 - Samsung is recalling certain models of its Jitterbug cell phones because they may not connect a consumer to emergency 911 services when the phone is in an area without service. Here is more information about the affected models and how to reach the manufacturer.