In the item on bill shock, FCC staffers reported that all carriers represented by CTIA that had entered into an agreement to issue notices to consumers warning that they were on track to incur overage charges had fulfilled the first part of their commitment. Under that agreement, reached with the public-interest group Consumers Union, the participating carriers had pledged to provide notices in two of the four areas of voice, text, data and international roaming by Oct. 17, and to deliver warnings about all four by April 2013.

The bill shock initiative is part of a broader "consumer empowerment agenda" underway at the FCC, and comes in response to complaints and confusion about wireless billing practices.

"[I]t is frighteningly easy to misunderstand your plan, surpass plan limits and wind up paying the price," said Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel.

The FCC on Wednesday also approved a report and order to establish a do-not-call registry to exclude telephone lines dedicated to public-safety purposes from autodialed calls, which the commissioners noted can overwhelm emergency networks and prevent vital communications from getting through without delay. Congress directed the FCC to establish the do-not-call registry to shield public-safety answering points, or PSAPs, from robocalls in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012.