FCC to probe Florida wireless outages, urges carriers to waive bills

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Tuesday called for wireless carriers to waive bills for October and allow consumers to switch carriers without penalties after some residents in Florida have expressed frustration getting service restored following Hurricane Michael.

Pai said that the progress in restoring service is “completely unacceptable” and said the FCC would investigate the outages. The request from the chair of the nation’s telecommunications regulator came after Florida Governor Rick Scott, who is locked in a tough race for the U.S. Senate, earlier on Tuesday called on carriers to waive bills for customers without service and allow consumers to change carriers without penalty.