Senate mulls billing and privacy issues for carriers

The Senate's Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation is considering whether mobile subscribers need more protection from the wireless industry's billing procedures, privacy standards and related practices. Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam is set to testify before the committee to argue that the "competitive framework for this industry should stay the same and the committee should continue to encourage competition over the heavy-handed regulations going forward," according to Verizon Wireless spokesman Jeffrey Nelson. The committee points to rapid consolidation in the industry as the root of its inquiry.

For more on the hearing:
- read this article from BusinessWeek