Proposed new bill would mandate IDs to be checked for the purchase of a prepaid phone
The unpredictable economy has made somewonders for the prepaid market as they continue to reap profitsas consumers see the value in going the no-contractroute, but there is still this underlying gray area that can beassociated to criminal activities. Just about anyone can go to aretail store and pick up a prepaid phone without having to besubjected to the usual ID verification check that's in place when one would sign up for a postpaid phone. However, there is a newproposed bill which would mandate customers purchasing a prepaidhandset to register it and provide identification at the time ofpurchase. Drug traffickers, terrorists, and even gang members havelonged used prepaid carriers to conduct their illegal activitieswhich can thwart law enforcement officials. If this bill does go through,wireless carriers would be responsible for obtaining information andkeeping records for their prepaid customers so that law enforcementofficials can identify them if needed for a specific investigagtion. Senator ChuckSchumer said, “This proposal is overdue because for yearsterrorists, drug kingpins, and gang members have stayed one stepahead of the law by using prepaid phones that are hard to trace.”
source: Yahoo via Mobileburn
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