USA - the FCC is consulting on a measure to alert consumers before "bill shock"

[ny times] The Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday that was seeking public comment on a plan that would require wireless phone companies to notify customers when they are running up unusually high charges for data usage, roaming or other uses beyond what is covered by regular monthly fees.

The initiative, outlined on Tuesday by Joel Gurin, chief of the F.C.C.’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, is intended to help consumers avoid what the commission calls “bill shock.”

The commission has received hundreds of complaints from consumers about receiving bills with unexpected charges, sometimes amounting to hundreds of dollars, Mr. Gurin said in a statement, adding that the charges are often caused by misunderstandings of contract terms.

F.C.C. Weighs Plan to Warn of High Cellphone Bill