Washington to consider cramming

Wednesday, the Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on “cramming,” that’s when phone companies charge you for things you didn’t authorize on your landline (some people still have landlines). At the hearing, Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) will release the findings of an investigation into cramming and what it’s meant for people’s pocketbooks. The FCC is looking to crack down on companies that practice cramming, and will talk about new rules that will “empower consumers to prevent and detect unauthorized telephone bill charges (“mystery fees” or “cramming”) by improving the disclosure of third-party charges on wireline telephone bills” at the agency’s open meeting Tuesday.