Cellphone Companies to Shape Up

From Boston.com: "Cellphone firms OK consumer accord," by Peter J. Howe--

Three of the biggest US wireless telecommunications carriers have negotiated a pact with attorneys general in Massachusetts and 31 other states that could expose them to civil fines if they fail to deliver promised new consumer protections, including letting people cancel new service within 72 hours without paying any fee.

Verizon Wireless, Cingular Wireless, and Sprint PCS said yesterday that they have already implemented most or all of the new consumer protection measures mandated by the agreements with Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly and other states' top prosecutors, and in some cases are already going beyond what the so-called settlement agreements require.

As part of the pact, the three carriers are paying a total of $5 million to the states, including $425,000 to Massachusetts, to fund consumer education programs. The other New England states participating in the settlement are Maine and New Hampshire.