The national task force organized in February to address telephone bill-related issues has recently wrapped up its first-step investigation. According to it, Korean mobile phone users will be able to adjust their calling plans reflecting their voice call and data usage patterns. Also, they will be allowed to purchase handsets not only at mobile carriers’ retail stores but also at manufacturer’s. The task force, formed by Korea Communications Commission (KCC), Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Fair Trade Commission, Korea Telecommunications Operators Association and so forth, kept alive most of the improvements suggested during last National Assembly session in coming up with its own action plans. The smart-phone call plans it proposes, including the flexible one mentioned above, are likely to be adopted by the industry soon. The organization has suggested call quota carryover and income and age bracket-specific plans, too. The handset purchase at manufacturers’ stores is seen to meet with some telecom operators’ opposition as it can change the distribution structure completely. Nevertheless, as the government has no intention at all to compromise, it is almost sure to begin somewhere down the road. One of the hardest nuts to crack is the membership fee and monthly minimum issue. The task force’s stance is that the opaque membership fee practice should be corrected and the monthly minimum needs to be reduced in some degree. However, the two are closely related to mobile carriers’ turnover. Some of them could take a direct hit if the government forces them to cut the charges. The industry is also saying that they do not oppose the idea of call rate refinement but are definitely against a coercive rate cut. In view of the position, the government is planning to bring out a new concept of communication expense which includes entertainment and financial service. “We are pondering upon categorizing the phone bill as part of entertainment expense,” said the KCC, adding, “That will help the public realize the rise in the expenditure is not so steep as they actually feel now.”In the meantime, on May 5, the KCC transferred Network Policy Bureau director general Hwang Cheol-jeung to the Telecom Policy Bureau director general position overseeing phone bill policy. Despite some delay in policy decisions that could stem from the personnel realignment, new call rate policy seem to be available before late this month as chairman Choi Shi-joong promised in April at the National Assembly.