It’s 10 p.m. Do you know where your children are?

With a new service from Verizon Wireless, you will.

The federal government owes wireless phone subscribers about $9 billion in tax refunds for the 3% federal excise tax charged on their bills, which was ruled illegal by a federal court today; however, the paperwork is likely to put off most people from filing for the refund, according to USA TODAY.

Back in 1898, Congress passed a levy of one cent per telephone call to help raise money to fund the Spanish-American War. The tax, while temporary, has been on-again, off-again throughout the years, and was reinstated in 1990. Now it is three percent (3%) of your overall telephone bill. And some people are refusing to pay it.

Five of the nation’s largest wireless carriers have filed a lawsuit against the state of Kentucky over a wireless phone tax set to go into effect January 1, 2006. The new 1.3% tax on wireless phone revenue was passed last March, and prohibits wireless carriers from disclosing the existence of the tax on customer invoices.

On Wednesday, a University of Wyoming student suffered minor burns when her LG VX6000 wireless phone battery exploded, sending flames 18 inches high.

Verizon Wireless filed a lawsuit against Florida-based Global Information Group, alleging that the company used deceptive and fraudulent practices to attempt to obtain information about Verizon Wireless subscribers. It said Wednesday that it had obtained a temporary injunction against the company.

Call forwarding lets you forward incoming calls to your phone to another telephone number. Most companies offer a wide range of call forwarding options, at varying monthly charges.

A federal judge in Boston on Monday granted an injunction against Boston Communications Group, Inc., which provides customer management solutions for prepaid wireless companies. The injunction says that companies using BCGI’s solutions for their prepaid wireless programs, including Cingular Wireless, must stop accepting new customers and shut down their services within 90 days.

While major wireless carriers report that service in New Orleans has been restored to “normal or near-normal” conditions, owners of wireless phones with New Orleans (504) telephone numbers tell a different story.

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and you can help victims of domestic violence by donating your used wireless phone.