‘Resolve, To Direct the Public Utilities Commission To Adopt Rules Regarding Disclosure of the Cost of Certain Public Telephone Calls’
| HP0041 LD 48 |
First Regular Session - 125th Maine Legislature C "A", Filing Number H-38, Sponsored by
|
LR 216 Item 2 |
|
| Bill Tracking, Additional Documents | Chamber Status | ||
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘Resolve, To Direct the Public Utilities Commission To Adopt Rules Regarding Disclosure of the Cost of Certain Public Telephone Calls’
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the title and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1. Adoption of rules regarding disclosure of the cost of certain public telephone calls. Resolved: That the Public Utilities Commission shall by rule adopt the consumer information provisions of the rules of the Federal Communications Commission, 47 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 64.703(a) (2011), including the definitions in 47 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 64.708(b), (i) and (l) (2011), with appropriate changes to make those provisions applicable to intrastate telephone service. Rules adopted under this section are major substantive rules, as defined in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A, and the commission shall submit the provisionally adopted rules to the Legislature for review by January 15, 2012.’
summary
This amendment, which is the minority report of the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, strikes the bill and directs the Public Utilities Commission to adopt major substantive rules that establish oral notice requirements for providers of intrastate telecommunications service initiated from public telephones. The provisions the commission is directed to adopt are the same provisions that are established in rules of the Federal Communications Commission that apply to providers of interstate telecommunications service. The federal rules require, among other things, that the provider audibly identify itself, disclose upon request a quotation of its charges for the call and instruct the caller how to obtain applicable rate and surcharge quotations. The provider is given 2 options for how it instructs the caller to obtain the rate and surcharge information: instructing the customer to dial no more than 2 digits or instructing the customer to remain on the line.