The five-member board of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has collectively voted to open a wide-ranging inquiry for a sweeping appraisal of the state of wireless communications in the country. The proposed inquiry will also take a peep at the possible ways in which the agency can change its rules to provide consumers complete information about charges on their phone and cable television bills.

The inquiry will be a comprehensive assessment divided into three broad categories: competition, innovation and consumer access to precise information about wireless services.

The agency's inquiries on innovation would involve questions about the kind of "metrics and data sources" need to be adopted to spark innovation in the wireless industry; and the ways in which the FCC can open up new spectrum, along with optimizing the present spectrum.

Inquiring into the competitive aspect, the FCC intends looking into new metrics that would give it a fair idea about the competitive state of the wireless market - the agency will assess the wireless providers operating in a given area, the affect of new network technologies on competition and the difference in wireless technologies in rural and urban areas.

Furthermore, the agency has reinforced the need for revamping the 'truth-in-billing' rules, so that customers can get a clearer picture about the cost of phone, cable or Internet services, before they sign specific contracts; as this information would help them make cost comparisons.