EU looks to ditch roaming fees in 2015, report says
Documents filed by the European Union say that lawmakers would make it illegal for telcos to charge customers to use their devices while roaming in member countries.
The European Union could soon put an end to roaming charges, Reuters reported on Monday, citing official documents it has obtained.
According to those documents, which come from the European Parliament's industry committee, it would be illegal for telecommunications companies to charge customers roaming fees if they're traveling in member countries. The policy, if approved, would go into effect on December 15. The nixing of roaming charges would also extend to text messaging and data fees.
Roaming charges were once the bane of the average mobile customer's life. Whenever they were outside a designated area, they'd be hit with massive charges that could send bills soaring. In the US, while roaming charges are still in effect to some degree, they've been limited in their bite on customers, due mainly to heavy modifications made to plans.
If the EU nixes roaming charges, it would require a full committee vote and approval by the member countries. The plan offers a faster ramp-up in killing off roaming charges than those proposed by European Telecoms Commissioner Neelie Kroes, who had hoped to end them at some point in 2016.