[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 151 (Friday, August 4, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47990-47991]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-19298]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION


Public Information Collections Approved by Office of Management 
and Budget

July 25, 2000.
    The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has received Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the following public 
information collections pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, Public Law 104-13. An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a 
person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless 
it displays a currently valid control number. For further information 
contact Shoko B. Hair, Federal Communications Commission, (202) 418-
1379.
Federal Communications Commission
    OMB Control No.: 3060-0854.
    Expiration Date: 01/31/2001.
    Title: Truth-in-Billing Format--CC Docket No. 98-170.
    Form No.: N/A.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 3099 respondents; 505.3 hours per response 
(avg.).; 1,565,775 total annual burden hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: 
$9,000,000.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion; Third Party Disclosure.
    Description: Under Section 201(b) of the Communications Act, the 
charges, practices, and classifications of common carriers must be just 
and reasonable. The Commission believes that the telephone bill is an 
integral part of the relationship between a carrier and its customer. 
The manner in which charges are identified and articulated on the bill 
is essential to the consumer's understanding of the services that have 
been rendered, such that a carrier's provision of misleading or 
deceptive billing information may be an unjust and unreasonable 
practice in violation of Section 201(b). In the Truth-in-Billing and 
Billing Format Order on Reconsideration, the Commission addressed 
several petitions for reconsideration or clarification of the 
principles and guidelines contained in Truth-in-Billing and Billing 
Format, First Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking (TIB Order), 64 FR 34487 (June 25, 1999). In the Order on 
Reconsideration, the Commission modified, as noted below, its 
collections of information to ensure that telephone bills contain 
information necessary for consumers to determine the validity of 
charges assessed on the bills and to combat telecommunications fraud. 
a. Clear identification of service providers. Telephone bills must 
clearly identify the name of the service provider associated with each 
charge. In the Order on Reconsideration, the Commission clarified that, 
where an entity bundles a number of services as a single package 
offered by a single company, such offering may be listed on the 
telephone bill as a single offering, rather than listed as separate 
charges by provider. Carriers providing bundled services in this manner 
must, however, make sure that an inquiry contact number or numbers 
appears on the bill for customer questions or complaints concerning the 
services provided through the bundle, as required by section 6.2401(d). 
The Commission also clarified that the carrier name of the telephone 
bill should be the name by which such company is known to its consumers 
for the provision of the respective service. (No. of respondents: 3099; 
hours per response: 10 hours; total annual burden: 30,990 hours). b. 
Separation of charges by service provider and highlighting new services 
provider information. In the TIB Order, the Commission required that 
all telephone bills containing wireline common carrier service (1) 
separate charges by service provider and (2) clearly and conspicuously 
show any change in service providers by identifying all service 
providers that did not bill for services on the previous billing 
statement and, where applicable, describing any new presubscribed or 
continuing relationship with the customer. In the Order on 
Reconsideration, the Commission modified its rule requiring 
highlighting of new service providers to only apply to providers that 
have a continuing arrangement with the subscriber that results in 
periodic charges on the subscriber's telephone bill. This change will 
ensure that services billed solely on a per-transaction basis, such as 
operator service and directory assistance, are not subject to the 
highlighting requirement. The Commission modified the language in the 
rule concerning when the highlighting requirement is triggered. (No. of 
respondents: 2295; hours per response: 465 hours; total annual burden: 
1,067,175 hours). c. Full and non-misleading bill charges. The TIB 
Order requires that (1) bills for wireline service include for each 
charge a brief, clear, plain-language description of the services 
rendered; and (2) when a bill for local wireline service contains 
additional carrier charges, the bill must differentiate between those 
charges for which non-payment could result in termination of local 
telephone service and those for which it could not. In the Order on 
Reconsideration, the Commission retained its requirement that carriers 
distinguish on telephone bills those charges that consumers may refuse 
to pay without jeopardizing the provision of basic, local service, and 
charges for which non-payment may result in such disconnection. The 
Commission, however, clarified that a carrier need not label every 
charge as either deniable or non-deniable. (No. of respondents: 2295; 
hours per response: 197 hours; total annual burden: 452,115 hours). d. 
Clear and Conspicuous Disclosure of Inquiry Contacts. The TIB Order 
requires that all telephone bills display a toll-free number or numbers 
by which consumers may inquire about or dispute any charge on the bill. 
The

[[Page 47991]]

number(s) must be displayed in a manner that permits a customer to 
identify easily the appropriate number to use to inquire about a 
particular charge. In the Order on Reconsideration, the Commission 
modified the requirement by creating a limited exception where the 
customer does not receive a paper copy of his or her telephone bill, 
but instead accesses that bill only by e-mail or internet. (No. of 
respondents: 3099; hours per response: 5 hours; total annual burden: 
15,495). The information will be used by consumers to help them 
understand their telephone bills. Consumers need this information to 
protect themselves against fraud and to help them resolve billing 
disputes if they wish. Obligation to respond: Required to obtain or 
retain benefits.
    Public reporting burden for the collection of information is as 
noted above. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other 
aspect of the collections of information, including suggestions for 
reducing the burden to Performance Evaluation and Records Management, 
Washington, DC 20554.

Federal Communications Commission.
Magalie Roman Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-19298 Filed 8-3-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P