The Federal
Communications Commission is probably not something we give much thought to in our everyday lives. However, we experience their influence many times each day since they govern our communications from our conventional telephones to cellular phones to the Internet to television and radio. The Federal Communications Commission’s
web site (http://www.fcc.gov/) is probably not a stop that you would normally make while surfing the web. This is a typical
government web site with unappealing information that most of us have little, if any, interest in. However, this agency’s web site offers a little-known service that we could all probably have used at one time or another.
That obscure resource is a simple
form that can be filled out for a variety of everyday problems experienced by telephone users nationwide. Have you been a victim of “slamming,” where your long-distance provider has been changed without your permission? Did you register on the national Do-Not-Call List and still
receive unwanted telemarketing
calls? Or, maybe you have billing dispute with your phone company that has been going on for weeks and you still do have a resolution? Were you promised three cents a minute for phone calls only to receive your bill and find they charged you 25 cents a minute? Have you been getting unwanted faxes that use your ink and paper? All of these problems, along with others explained on the website, can be handled through the filing of Form 475.
The link to this handy tool is http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html#general. I consider myself pretty web-savvy and I just discovered this feature last week. I was quick to use it after receiving unsolicited phone calls from a questionable charitable organization. It took me less than three minutes to complete the form, and I was even given a confirmation number. That confirmation number can be used to follow up on the complaint.
Published: June 27, 2005
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