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Submitted via IRC for Fnord666
FCC plans to stop reviewing informal complaints—filing a formal one costs $225.
Ajit Pai's Federal Communications Commission is proposing that it stop reviewing the vast majority of consumer complaints about telecom companies. Going forward, consumers harmed by broadband, TV, and phone companies would have to pay $225 in order to get an FCC review of their complaints.
The FCC accepts two types of complaints: informal ones and formal ones. It costs nothing to file an informal complaint and $225 to file a formal one; given that, consumers almost always file informal complaints. Besides the filing fee, formal complaints kick off a court-like proceeding in which the parties appear before the FCC and file numerous documents to address legal issues. It isn't an easy process for consumers to go through.
[...] Chairman Pai's proposal to change the informal complaint procedure comes in a larger proposal about formal complaints; the change to informal complaints is explained in a footnote. "We delete the phrase 'and the Commission's disposition' from the last sentence of that rule because the Commission's practice is not to dispose of informal complaints on substantive grounds," the footnote says.
Customers will still be able to submit informal complaints, and telecom providers will still be required to respond to them within 30 days. But consumers who don't get what they want from the ISP will have to file a formal complaint and pay the $225 in order to get the FCC to take any action.
Even if the telecom provider fails to reply to an informal complaint, the only recourse would be filing a formal one. "[T]he Commission will notify the complainant that if the complainant is not satisfied by the carrier's response, or if the carrier has failed to submit a response by the due date, the complainant may file a formal complaint," the proposed version of the FCC complaint rule says. By contrast, the current version of the rule says that "the Commission will contact the complainant regarding its review and disposition of the matters raised. If the complainant is not satisfied by the carrier's response and the Commission's disposition, it may file a formal complaint."
Democrats from the FCC and Congress say the change will make it more difficult (and expensive) for consumers to get complaints resolved. "This is bonkers. It's unacceptable," FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement to Ars.
But, see also: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/07/11/no-fcc-is-not-forcing-consumers-pay-file-complaints/.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 16 2018, @08:39PM (3 children)
Where is it that people leave off the initial "A" in american? I've never heard it every pronounced like that IRL except ironically by hipsters.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Tuesday July 17 2018, @01:19AM (2 children)
It's somewhat sarcastic / self-effacing stereotype. It refers to a fairly large percentage of the US population who are somewhat "backwoodsy", "hicks", "redneck". The stereotype usually includes a fairly heavy accent and kind of lazy drawl in speech, hence the "'merican", generally into Country music, driving trucks, usually into guns, hunting, beer, somewhat sloppy clothing. I'm sure others will help augment my response (as well as bash it).
(Score: 2) by TheReaperD on Monday July 30 2018, @10:34PM (1 child)
You're dead on for the redneck reference I was making. Where I live, there's a nearby neighborhood filled with stereotypical rednecks and the way they slur "America" just makes me laugh and shake my head.
Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Tuesday July 31 2018, @12:35AM
I'm quite aware and honored that people around the world use this system. A common social gaffe, which I've done too many times, is to hear a slang term, think you understand it, and misuse it. Recently here someone defined "troll" perfectly for me, so I thought I'd toss in my $0.02 for "Murican". "Rednecks" come in many flavors. I cross paths with too many in and around Appalachia. I even see them in and around big cities, in their lifted pickup trucks with huge tires, essentially no muffler, and of course, red neck.