Updated Sept. 24



CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Federal Communications Commission is looking into widespread billing problems at Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest wireless carrier.



The regulatory agency is receiving complaints about Verizon following a series of Plain Dealer stories in the last 10 days that raised questions about unexplainable explosions in cellular data use among thousands of Verizon customers nationwide. In many cases, the supposed increases in the use of data on smartphones led to over-limit fees or caused people to buy larger a data plan to avoid fees.



"We are aware of consumer complaints to the FCC on this issue," said FCC spokesman Will Wiquist.



Wiquist said he couldn't comment on specific complaints or the number received, but said that in general, "consumer complaints are an essential resource for the Commission's work." Such complaints can be used to affect policy decisions, resolve issues between consumers and companies, and are used by the FCC's enforcement bureau to "track trends and enforce the Commission's rules."

The number of wireless billing complaints filed with the FCC ballooned this month, as customers submitted 2,656 grievances from Sept. 1 through Sept. 22, according to a Plain Dealer analysis of the commission's online data. In the same time period last year, 746 such complaints were filed. That's an increase of 256 percent.

This summer, the reports to the FCC began to climb. In July, customers filed 1,154 protests; in August, they submitted 1,230. The numbers began spiking Sept. 9 when The Plain Dealer wrote its first news story about the apparent scope of Verizon data overages. The FCC hasn't yet broken out how many involved Verizon, but said last week it is aware of Verizon's data-overage issue.

Plain Dealer stories on Sept. 2 and Sept. 9 chronicled tales from people whose cellphone data use had skyrocketed for no apparent reason, often doubling or tripling or more and adding hundreds or even thousands of dollars to people's monthly cellphone bills.

Since the stories were published, thousands of people have contacted The Plain Dealer to recount their own frustrations with data that their cellphone company says they're using. Most of them are customers of Verizon. Some are customers of AT&T and a few are customers of T-Mobile.



When the FCC probes incidents involving communications companies, the agency can impose penalties, require refunds and negotiate settlements.

Last year, for example, the FCC fined AT&T $25 million for a privacy breach involving customer Social Security numbers. Six years ago, following an FCC investigation, Verizon paid nearly $80 million to customers and the government after overcharging 15 million customers with concocted $1.99 data fees.

To file a complaint about your cell phone data use with the FCC

Online: https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us

By phone: 1-888-225-5322 (888-CALL-FCC)

One of those who has complained to the FCC is Chris Steiner of Akron. His family's data use has gone up by 50 percent in the past six months. He hasn't been able to get answers from Verizon about what's going on.



In an interview with The Plain Dealer last Friday, Verizon officials said its corporate office isn't aware of any widespread problem with complaints to the company about cellular data use or billing over-limit fees. Verizon hasn't yet replied to follow-up questions, including what Verizon is doing now to investigate this massive issue.

Unhappy consumers can also reach out to their state attorney general's office.



"We encourage consumers to check their bills, to review their contracts, to check their phone settings, and to file a complaint if they suspect a problem or if they have an issue they can't resolve on their own ," said Kate Hanson, spokeswoman for the Ohio Attorney General's Office .



She noted that complaints about cellphone services and billing are appropriately directed to the FCC. But Ohio consumers can also contact the Ohio attorney general for help, Hanson said.



"We offer an informal dispute resolution process to help resolve consumer complaints," she said. "Through this process, specialists work with both parties to help reach a resolution."



She said consumers with concerns are encouraged to go to www.OhioProtects.org or call 800-282-0515.