After outcry, T-Mobile drops paper billing fee

The wireless phone carrier had recently informed its 33 million customers that the fee would go into effect this past Saturday and apply to anyone who didn't sign up for a paperless billing plan, in which bills can only be viewed on the Internet.

After an outcry from customers and threats of legal action, however, the company changed its mind. In a statement posted on a company Web page, T-Mobile said it had decided not to implement the fee, "for now."

"Instead, we'll be taking more time to determine the fairest way possible to encourage people to go paperless," it said.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, whose office had issued T-Mobile a warning over the planned fee, said in a statement that the company couldn't legally impose new charges without giving customers the option of ending their service contracts early.

"My office will not sit back and let a company change its prices under the guise of "going green,'" he said.

T-Mobile's main competitors, Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corp., all offer customers a free paper copy of a basic bill, but impose charges if customers want a paper copy of a more detailed bill with itemized calls.

T-Mobile USA, owned by Deutsche Telekom AG, has also been charging $3.49 for a detailed paper copy of a bill, and will continue to do so.

©2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.