Can you hear me now?

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Nathan Maysonet
  • 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The words 'no signal' plastered on one's cellphone screen is hardly a surprise to cellular customers who call Laughlin home. Dialing a number and pressing 'call' on base often leads to nothing more than a few beeps as the effort fails.

Individuals hoping to forgo constant signal drops and failed calls by switching providers were historically met by expensive fees. The Laughlin Legal Office wants to remind Team XL that cellular companies have policies in place that waive early termination fees for service members in low coverage areas.

"We have a lot of people who arrive at Laughlin with carriers who only have limited coverage in the area," said Peter Myers, 47th Flying Training Wing Legal Office chief of civil law. "If a cellular company wants to charge you hundreds of dollars to get out of a contract because the company cannot provide you with the coverage you paid for, we can help."

The actual process for terminating one's data plan is simple, explained Myers. A phone call from a service member to the data carrier's customer support line is all that is needed to terminate the contract thanks to federal laws put into place protecting military personnel.

"The Service Member's Civil Relief Act protects military members from a variety of issues that can affect life while serving," said Myers. "If someone bought a car today and deployed tomorrow, the act can help get them out of their car lease. If they had debt before joining the service, the act can help reduce their interest rates, and the civil relief act can help get them out of data contracts without fees, and the cell companies know it."

When speaking to a customer service representative, service members must explain that they are an active duty military member who has transferred to an area with marginal data coverage and need to cancel their current plan and want the early termination fee waived.

If more documentation is required by the company to waive the termination fees, a letter is available from the legal office which explains in full the laws governing the request, explained Myers.

"There are a lot of things we can do to help our airmen, and this is just one of them," said Myers.

For additional assistance, contact the Laughlin Legal Office at 298-5172 or visit the office during walk-in hours Tuesdays 3 to 4 p.m. and Thursdays 8 to 9 a.m.