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UCAN's Fraud Squad is currently offering a full range of service to our members and San Diego residents. At this time, the Fraud Squad can still assist you with a dispute with SDG&E, City of San Diego water department, and San Diego telecom companies. Feel free to fill out our online complaint form and we will contact you if we can assist with your issue.
Audit of San Diego phone bills highlights challenges of deregulation
25 years after the breakup of the AT&T monopoly, a comprehensive audit of more than 700 San Diego phone bills challenges the long-cherished assumption that "phone deregulation has reduced costs for all customers." The ugly reality is that for the majority of wireless and landline telephone bills studied, customers pay unjustifiably high per-minute charges for long distance and wireless services. Get an overview of the 87-page report here. Get the full report in PDF format.
Proposed legislation could kill regulation of landline and wireless phone services
Look out! Over UCAN's protests, a State Senate committee just voted unanimously for a bill that will strip the California Public Utilities Commission of the power to regulate phone companies. If passed, Senate Bill 1161 will also jeopardize landline phone service and telecommunications programs that aid low-income and hearing-disabled persons.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the bill's author, Senator Alex Padilla, has received significant campaign contributions from AT&T and other telecom interests. More.
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Three UCAN divisions will protest AT&T T-Mobile merger
AT&T and T-Mobile are planning to merge. Not only is UCAN troubled, but so are two other affiliated UCAN projects. More.
New appointees could transform the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), from a "lap dog," into a watchdog
The end of an era at CPUC?
Governor Brown's new appointees to California's most powerful regulatory court - the California Public Utilities Commission - has the potential to restore integrity to a tarnished institution. Full Story.
Response to Chris Reed's opinion of UCAN in "America's Finest Blog"
Union-Tribune Opinion Editor Chris Reed has slammed UCAN because he dislikes our 87-page report that exposes flaws in the deregulation of the telephone industry. Unfortunately, Mr. Reed's blogs are magically preventing readers from posting comments. You can't view our rebuttal at Chris Reed's blog, but you can read it here.
This is the report that AT&T does NOT want you to see: Phone Bill Survey of UCAN Members
This analysis of consumer phone bills in PDF format has spurred an intense reaction from AT&T and its cronies in the mainstream media. This report dares to suggest that the deregulation of phone services has increased the cost of communications for low-income consumers. GET IT HERE.
Consumers overspending on telecom bills
INFORMATION WEEK - According to an audit of 703 consumer phone bills by TeleTruth, long-distance charges have increased on average to 55 cents a minute, and just
8% of landline customers pay less than 10 cents a minute. Full Story. Read the full 87-page report here.
Utility Consumers' Action Network - (619) 696-6966
Terms and Conditions
UCAN.org is made available by the Utility Consumers' Action Network to assist you in becoming what you always knew you could be: a consumer ROCK STAR! We take no corporate money, and are beholden only to you, the consumer. As such, the site is here for educational, advocacy, and empowerment purposes, as well to to give you general information and a general understanding of the law. Just remember this site is NOT here to provide specific legal advice. By using this web site you of course understand that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the Web Site publisher, UCAN. The Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.
That said, get to digging on the site, inform yourself, speak your mind, and earn Watchdog Bones! This is YOUR site, and we mean it. So comment on any of the content, discuss the latest issues in the forums, file a complaint on a company with the Fraud Squad, and generally cut loose.
See our Terms of Use, Privacy, and Copyright complaint policies as well as our Content Reuse Policy, Some Rights Reserved. Remember, if you have any questions about copyright law or need legal information regarding intellectual property, the internet, or new technologies, visit our affiliate New Media Rights at www.newmediarights.org. If you are in the San Diego region, you can also can apply to use New Media Rights' multimedia studio and equipment for free.
