Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 24, 1994 TAG: 9401240065
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The Federal Communications Commission also has printed a fact sheet with answers to consumers' most frequent questions.
And officials at the agency, legendary for speaking in jargon and bouncing callers from one office to the next, say they are changing their ways.
"We're finishing up the rules, making them clear and simple, so that any consumer who wants to take some time can understand them," said Sandy Wilson, chief of the FCC's new cable TV bureau.
When a consumer calls the bureau, the person who answers will be expected to start solving the caller's problem immediately, she said.
Wilson is in the process of hiring and organizing a staff of 240 lawyers, accountants, economists and clerical workers. They will be divided into teams, each of which will have authority over all cable problems in one region of the country.
But Wilson emphasized that the FCC is not a police force patrolling the nation's 11,000 cable companies looking for violations.
And consumers can't expect every change in monthly bills to be covered by the law. For example, subscription fees charged for once-free cable TV program guides or fees for fixing VCRs are not covered by the law.
It's inevitable when part of a business gets regulated, companies will look for ways to make more money in unregulated areas, said Mike Ruger, an FCC attorney.
"We have seen operators who have dreamed up charges they never had before," he said, adding that the agency is interested in hearing about new charges.
The public's biggest misconception about the new law appears to be that all rates would go down and that the federal government regulates everything cable-related, FCC officials said.
Actually, local governments regulate the cost of equipment needed to receive cable service, installation, service charges, and basic cable programming.
Consumers who have problems in those areas should call their local government's cable TV office. Officials there are supposed to determine whether basic rates are reasonable.
The FCC regulates the cost of channels that aren't basic, including premium channels, such as HBO and Showtime, and pay-per-view for special sporting events or movies.
The FCC will decide whether program packages beyond the basic are reasonably priced.
by CNB