The moves, by Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, are meant to turn cellphone use into an activity covered by a single predictable fee, like watching cable television.
It was popularized with dating sites and LinkedIn, but now is popping up with many services, like Zipcar for car-sharing, BeatsMusic for music sharing, and WhatsApp for international messaging for a low predictable fee.
The transaction was orchestrated by Robert Wiesenthal, chief financial officer of the Sony Corporation of America, demonstrating that in this age of digital media uncertainty, the predictable fee stream of a homely business like music publishing has a higher value than an ego-driven trophy asset like music recording.
A practical approach to college is now more important than ever as family incomes become less predictable, fees keep rising, and competition for fewer slots is a long-term reality.
A few small American firms are already trying to run themselves more like modern businesses, and are delighting clients with quick, high-quality work and predictable fees.
The gist of the findings is that users do not like some of the fees associated with prepaid cards, but seem to prefer them over higher and, from their perspective, less predictable fees that come along with traditional checking accounts.
Now it has suffered a predictable fate.
Emitters just pay a predictable (and gradually rising) fee for each ton of carbon dioxide they emit, not unlike the tax on a pack of cigarettes.
Mr. Roth's desire to charge beneficiaries a fee for home health services provoked a predictable outcry from the industry.
But these cannot offer a predictable income and are more likely to carry high fees.
