Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., blasted wireless cramming Wednesday. ...

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., blasted wireless cramming Wednesday. “These unauthorized and unscrupulous third-party charges -- hidden in bills through vague and deceptive language -- have robbed consumers of billions of dollars,” Blumenthal said in a statement. “Voluntary guidelines have clearly failed to curb this growing nuisance, and phone companies can no longer be trusted to do the right thing without strong federal regulation.” He held a news conference in New Britain, Connecticut, with the state’s Consumer Counsel Elin Swanson Katz and a victim of wireless cramming. The senator intended to call “on phone companies and wireless carriers to stop the unscrupulous practice of ‘cramming’ unauthorized third-party charges onto bills,” said a Blumenthal advisory sent out before the event, which referred to cramming as a “scourge.” Blumenthal also tweeted Wednesday, signing with his initials: “Phone cramming is a billion dollar industry that brings in revenue for major carriers which keep between 30% & 40% of the profits.” He recently led a Senate Commerce Committee hearing focused on the topic.