|
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
NTC 7 hears complaints on unwanted messages
By
Aurelia l. Castro
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) 7 is the first regional office in the country to have filed administrative cases against two leading telecommunication companies.
Jesus Laureno, NTC 7 enforcement and operation chief, said the increasing number of complaints filed by cell phone users receiving and paying for unsolicited messages and ring tones compelled the office to act.
Like other NTC regional offices, NTC 7 used to forward complaints to NTC main office in Manila.
In an interview yesterday, Alan Macaraya, legal counsel of NTC 7, reported 18 administrative cases against telecommunications companies.
“We are committed to enforce the memorandum circular on rules and regulations on broadcast messaging services released last March by the NTC,” he said.
Memorandum
NTC 7’s first series of hearings with the telecommunications companies and complainants started last week.
An NTC memorandum circular says that the sending and charging for unsolicited commercial messages or spam are prohibited, unless the subscriber has consented to accept them.
It also provides that “subscribers who do not reply to these broadcast/push messages shall be considered to have opted-out and such broadcast should be stopped or subscribers may opt-out without being charged.”
Mobile companies are called to act on spam-related complaints within 30 days after they are received from consumers, the circular stated.
Report
Complainants are advised to report to the NTC if they are not attended to and are not satisfied with the action of the service provider.
“We can only act on it if there are formal complaints filed in our office,” he said.
The cases are based on the formal complaints filed at NTC 7’s office by Cebu City’s cell phone subscribers from September up to this month who all complained of getting and paying for unsolicited messages.
(November 22, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
