Consumer Cellular

Article summary

Consumer Cellular, Inc. is an American postpaid mobile virtual network operator founded by John Marick and Greg Pryor in Portland, Oregon, in October 1995. The company offers cellphones, no-contract cellphone plans, and accessories with a focus on users over age 50. Including its corporate headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, Consumer Cellular is completely U.S. based, employing more than 3,100 people in Arizona, Oregon, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Texas. Consumer Cellular provides wireless service using network capacity from AT&T and T-Mobile, with only AT&T being used for new activations as of 2024, and also resells AT&T wholesale wireless services to other virtual operators. The company was included on the Inc 5000 list as one of America's fastest growing companies every year between 2009 and 2020. , when it put itself up for sale, the company had close to 4 million subscribers. In October 2020, Chicago private equity company GTCR purchased Consumer Cellular for about $2.3 billion.

Key claims

1. date of establishment: 2011 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of foundation: 1995 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. date of foundation: 1995 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of establishment is "2011". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of foundation is "1995". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the date of foundation is "1995". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
6. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378510959