Telecommunications: FCC Should Include Call Quality in Its Annual Report on Competition in Mobile Phone Services
GAO-03-501
Published: Apr 28, 2003. Publicly Released: May 05, 2003.
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Highlights
Over the past decade, Americans have come to rely increasingly on mobile phones to meet their business and personal needs. However, because of the nature of radio transmission and other constraints, consumers are not always able to complete calls or to hear their calls clearly. As reliance on mobile phones has increased, state officials, consumer groups, the media, and others have raised concerns about the extent of call quality problems. With regard to call quality, GAO agreed to describe the regulatory framework; determine the extent to which consumers are experiencing problems; and discuss actions for improving call quality suggested by interested parties.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
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Federal Communications Commission | 1. To assist FCC in determining whether further regulatory action concerning mobile phone call quality is necessary, FCC should include call quality in its congressionally mandated annual report on competitive market conditions in the mobile phone industry. This report should incorporate an analysis of whether market competition is effective in ensuring that carriers are meeting consumers' expectations and desires regarding call quality. |
FCC's most recent report on competition in mobile telephone services (10th report, September 2005) contains a substantive discussion of call quality, including overviews of the results of several consumer surveys on this issue, as well as a discussion/analysis of how market competition is driving improvements in call quality. In its public notice of January 2006 soliciting data and information for its next annual report on mobile phone competition (Fall 2006), FCC explicitly includes call quality as an area where it is seeking comment.
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Topics
Cellular telephonesCompetitionCustomer serviceInternal controlsStrategic planningTelecommunications industryWireless phonesTelecommunicationsSpectrum managementConsumers