The 8th U.S. Appeals Court, St. Louis, handed wireless carriers w...
The 8th U.S. Appeals Court, St. Louis, handed wireless carriers what CTIA characterized as a “major victory,” overturning a Minn. law that prohibits the companies from changing the terms and conditions of subscriber contracts that “could result” in higher…
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rates or an extended contract term, without consent from the subscriber. The case pitted Verizon Wireless, Sprint, T- Mobile and other carriers against the state of Minn. “We have always maintained that state regulation, like that in Minn., imposes unnecessary costs upon the delivery of service and limits choice, thus not benefitting the wireless consumer,” said CTIA Pres. Steve Largent. “The court’s ruling that Minnesota’s statute is ‘impermissible rate regulation preempted by federal law’ is proof that consumers risk higher costs when states attempt this type of command-and-control regulation.” A spokeswoman for Minn. Attorney Gen. Mike Hatch said: “We have reviewed the decision. We have not decided what the next step is.”