As an ex-Cingular subscriber myself, this is of particular interest ... InformationWeek's Eric Zeman reports that former Cingular subscribers in California will be getting $160 each as the result of a settlement with the California PUC -- the company, Zeman says, "will pay out the reimbursements within 60 days."

"Sometimes growth is a bad thing," Zeman writes. "The number of Cingular subscribers grew so fast in California between January 2000 and April 2002 that the surge wreaked havoc on its network. Tens of thousands of customers were often unable to make or receive calls, and if they did, were disconnected frequently. Dissatisfied with the service they were receiving, customers left in droves, only to be slapped with early contract termination fees. California regulators took Cingular to task, saying it didn't give customers a reasonable amount of time to assess their service and cancel their contracts. That two-year period saw Cingular's subscribers double from 1.5 million to 3 million in that area, straining the networks. The $160 refunds will be provided to cover the fees that the former customers were charged for ending their contracts early."

More here from CNET News ... more here from TechNewsWorld ... and more here from The Register.