3.14.03 @ 12:02AM
Not even Hillary will be impressed by Senator Chuck's latest play for attention.
Although you'd be hard-pressed to find any language in the
Constitution authorizing such a thing, Congress is now entertaining
a "Cell Phone User Bill of Rights" that would impose a variety of
new mandates on the wireless industry. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)
has proposed the measure as a way to "foster competition," "improve
disclosure," and "[make] it easier for consumers to choose
plans."
Hmmm... perhaps Sen. Schumer is not talking about the same cell
phone industry that the other 137 million of us currently subscribe
to in America because it is difficult to see where the crisis is
here. Consumers aren't clamoring for federal regulation, and why
should they? Today, almost all Americans have a choice of at least
three cellular providers in their communities, with most having
five or six to choose from. Average local monthly bills fell from
an estimated $95 per month in 1988 to roughly $47 in 2002. Service
options and calling plans have multiplied. And service quality is
constantly improving as carriers build-out their networks. This
sounds like a classic capitalist success story, not a pending
consumer crisis that requires bureaucratic intervention to head
off.
Moreover, this latest "Bill of Rights" proposal is another slap
in the face of the Founders' original Bill of Rights, which helped
secure our genuine rights against government interference. Sen.
Schumer's proposal, by contrast, is really a Bill of Regulations
that invites more government activism and intrusion. One wonders
where this nonsense will end as Congress has also entertained an
"Airline Passenger Bill of Rights," a "Patients' Bill of Rights,"
and a "Digital Media Bill of Rights" in recent sessions, among many
others.
Why not a "Clean Gas Station Bathroom Bill of Rights" and a
"Speedy Restaurant Service Bill of Rights" while we're at it. Such
proposals assume we have a God-given right to things we have no
right to whatsoever. Congress should spend less time penning new
Bill of Rights' proposals and start doing more to honor and restore
the Founders' original 10.
topics:
Constitution
