Smartphones and dumbphones are not smartprice

How much are consumers willing to pay to be constantly connected to whomever they want? Enough to have cell phone bills as the second largest bill in the house, according to an NBC News article.

“At one point, we were against cell phones, then we got them and had conservative plans, and then the bill grows and grows,” T.J. Pinales, a cell phone owner, told NBC News.

He represents millions of Americans who pay hundreds of dollars a year for cell phone service. His monthly bill rings in at $325.

With the rise of smartphones, so comes the rise of cell phone bills.

Eighty-seven percent of Americans own at least one cell phone, according to a Pew Research Center study, and 35 percent of all American adults own a smart phone.

The cell phone trade group CTIA said a family of four would have a monthly bill of $188 on average. In a poll done by NBC News, readers responses showed a higher average of $199 to $210.

EMAIL: alovell@deseretnews.com