fee

In the cell phone world, upgrade fees are the root of all evil.

Well, maybe not all evil, but they're responsible for a big portion of it. Apparently, though, carriers don't agree.

Consider that on Friday, AT&T confirmed that it was doubling its upgrade fee from $18 to $36. So now, any AT&T customer who decides to upgrade to a new phone will have to pay a decent chunk of change for the "privilege."

True, AT&T isn't the only carrier to do so and it doesn't charge more … Read more

When people hear that a graffiti artist who took Facebook stock instead of cash for paintings he did at Facebook's headquarters will soon be a millionaire after the company goes public later this year, it's hard not to wonder if there is any way you might still be able to cash in on Facebook's riches.

Unfortunately, for most common folk, participating in Facebook's IPO isn't an option. But once the stock starts trading on the public market, eventually regular people will be able to buy shares. It's hard to say at this point whether … Read more

I miss software. I miss buying a tiny CD swimming in a big box of air for $49.99, installing the program on my PC, and not worrying about paying for the product again.

Today, thanks to "The Cloud," consumers are being sold subscriptions to products that should really be one-shot purchases.

Many services deserve to be subscription-based. But not all. And while you can finagle a justification to charge a few dollars a month for almost anything, that doesn't mean you should.

Here's are some guidelines to see if the app or service you're … Read more

Well, that was fast. Verizon Wireless caved to pressure from outraged consumers and a possible probe by the Federal Communications Commission and backed off of a plan to charge customers a $2 fee to pay their wireless bills online.

In a statement issued this afternoon, the company said it would drop the plan announced yesterday.

"At Verizon, we take great care to listen to our customers," Dan Mead, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless said in a statement. "Based on their input, we believe the best path forward is to encourage customers to take advantage … Read more

Verizon Wireless's new $2 "convenience fee" for paying a bill online has outraged consumers, and today the Federal Communications Commissions said it will look into the fee.

"On behalf of American consumers, we're concerned about Verizon's actions and are looking into the matter," the FCC said in its statement.

The FCC isn't providing further information about its investigation. The New York Times was the first to report the FCC's statement.

Verizon confirmed on Thursday that beginning January 15, it will charge customers $2 to pay their bills online using the one-time … Read more

The mobile world moves at a breakneck pace, and it's difficult to keep up--even without the technical jargon most industry insiders throw around. And they do love to toss those terms around.

This week, I explain what the difference between a computer chip and chipset is, the difference between regular and Enhanced 911, and why for companies, breaking up is hard to do.

So for some light reading, here are a few terms (and definitions) commonly used by telecommunications experts who assume everyone understands them.

Breakup Fee: OK, so this isn't exactly a telecom term, but it's … Read more

Deutsche Telekom said today it would be entitled to a breakup fee if AT&T's planned purchase of T-Mobile USA falls apart, refuting an earlier report that it could potentially end up with nothing.

Reuters, citing anonymous sources, reported yesterday that AT&T may be off the hook for paying a $6 billion breakup fee to Deutsche Telekom under certain conditions. But Deutsche Telekom said today that isn't the case.

"The story from Reuters misstated the facts," Deutsche Telekom representative Andreas Fuchs told CNET today. "The breakup fee was agreed to precisely to … Read more

AT&T may not have to pay T-Mobile USA's parent, Deutsche Telekom, the $6 billion break-up fee even if the mega-merger between wireless carriers falls apart, according to Reuters.

AT&T may not be on the hook for the fee under certain conditions, a source told Reuters in a story that ran today.

Spokesmen for AT&T, T-Mobile, and Deutsche Telekom didn't immediately respond to CNET's requests for a comment.

AT&T and T-Mobile were thrown for a loop last week when the Department of Justice sued to block AT&T's planned acquisition … Read more

Yesterday we reported that Sprint is raising its ETFs to a whopping $350 for advanced devices, though it will be prorated based on the remaining months of your contract.

Well, perhaps to ready itself for the incoming deluge of customers who want to upgrade their handsets to the Samsung Epic 4G Touch or the rumored iPhone 5, Sprint will also increase its upgrade fees from $18 to $36 on September 9, according to an internal document leaked to SprintFeed.

We're not quite happy with all these fee increases, but hopefully this means Sprint will be able to keep its … Read more