Speaking with a senior leader of a wireless company today, I asked, “Why are you in a commodity industry that is one of the most reviled business sectors?” Confusing bills, bill shock, incomprehensible and restrictive contracts and pricing systems, termination fees, brutal competition that ignores customer needs, and all this adding up to absurdly huge profits, nickle-and-dimed from the pockets of customers one at a time. Ask a cross section of people to name the industry that makes them madder than any other and they will usually name the wireless industry and then launch into a rant about their own carrier.

Things are so bad, the government has decided to level the playing field and go to bat for customers. How did we get to a place where the government (that paragon of customer service!) has to wade in on behalf of customers, a third of whom, according to recent research, receive unexpected charges on their monthly wireless bills?

My grandchildren tell me this is a North American problem – in Europe, the cost of phones is so low it would make North Americans cry.

Why don’t we do this:

1. Switch the†emphasis from meeting the needs of the carriers to meeting the needs of customers.

2. Eliminate all multiple charging and fee systems – just one rate that includes everything.† No need to check your bill, there are no details.† Flat fee – plain and simple.

3. If you don’t like your carrier, change – no restrictions.† If†I don’t like the company that services my car, I don’t have to buy a new car in order to change my service provider.

In other words, let’s make the cell phone the inspiring miracle of technology and social connection that it is and invite the wireless industry to set an example by being†the kinds of companies that†we are all longing for – in every industry.