Steve Friedl <friedl@mtndew.tustin.ca.us> (08/08/90)
We just received a letter from Pacific*Bell's Information Services
Group about 900 and 976 numbers, so I'm sending it in for comment.
Note that GTE has a hard time handling 976 numbers out here (I think
Orange County is the only place in the state without 976 service,
reportedly because GTE can't do it).
-------------------------- cut here ------------------------
Dear Service Bureau/Equipment Vendor,
We want to let you know about a tariff change affecting our California
900 and 976 services. The new tariff provision applies only to
information providers with programs on the 900- 303 "harmful matter"
prefix who receive calls from General Telephone company territory.
This letter is being sent to you two days before distribution to our
information providers.
On May 4, 1990, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)
authorized Pacific Bell to disconnect an information provider's
California 900 and 976 service IF:
* The information provider fails to pay another local exchange
telephone company for transporting calls to the information
provider's California 900/976 number
AND
* The other local exchange telephone company does not provide
billing and collection services for those calls.
Since General Telephone currently transports 900-303 calls but does
not provide billing and collection service to them, Pacific Bell can
now disconnect a 900-303 prefix since this is the only prefix for
which the local exchange companies do not provide billing and
collection service.
This change limits the risk to other telephone companies from
information providers who have arranged for call transport only, but
are delinquent in paying transport charges. Without this change, the
other telephone companies would have no recourse with a delinquent
information provider, since they cannot withhold that provider's
program revenue or block calls to the program.
Enclosed is a copy of the CPUC resolution [T-14069] on this issue. If
you have any questions, please call your service representative...
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Stephen J. Friedl, KA8CMY / Software Consultant / Tustin, CA / 3B2-kind-of-guy
+1 714 544 6561 / friedl@mtndew.Tustin.CA.US / {uunet,attmail}!mtndew!friedl