FLINTON@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Fred E.J. Linton) (11/09/90)
The Business section of the {New Haven Register} of Tuesday,
Oct. 30, had the following brief take (reproduced here, *with*
permission, in its entirety) in column one of page 2:
Those obscure companies that often levy sky-high charges for
long-distance calls made at airports, hotels and other public
places are going to have to become a little more user-friendly
beginning next month. Starting Nov. 17, the operator companies
will be required to clearly identify themselves during calls,
provide rates and billing procedures on demand, stop charging
for unanswered calls and allow some access to the interstate
long-distance company that callers wish to use.
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It turns out, though neither my local operating company (SNET)
nor the business editor at the {Register} were the ones to know, that a
bill passed the Senate October 3, was signed into law October 17, and
therefore takes effect November 17, having essentially the effects
described. This I learned from a nameless but helpful AT&T rep at one
of AT&T's many corporate 800 numbers, which I had called originally on
quite a different matter (10XXX and 950 assistance and information).
The bill is S. 1660, sponsored by Sen. Braux of Louisiana,
hence known to the AT&T rep who described it to me as the Braux bill;
it apparently prohibits blocking of 800 and 950 calls at phones in
hotels, motels, and universities (and maybe more). Said rep went on
to explain that, while the bill "goes into effect" November 17, it
begins *really* only after a 210-day period the FCC has thereafter in
which to implement a compliance schedule.
So in fact there's an FCC docket # relevant here -- # 90313,
if that rep and my typing are not mistaken -- which is still open for
comments on the part of the interested public.
If someone with easy access to the Congressional Record could
share with TELECOM Digest the salient features of S.1660, we might
know a little better just what comments, if any, might still need to
get offered :-) . Such comments, in any event, should be sent to:
Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, Washington
DC 20554.
Fred <flinton@eagle.Wesleyan.EDU> <fejlinton@{att|mci}mail.com>