Report No. DC 95-71                                              ACTION IN DOCKET CASE                  May 4, 1995
     
     
     FCC FINALIZES RULES FOR CALLER ID;
                        ALLOWS PER LINE BLOCKING WHERE STATES PERMIT;
     PBX CALLER ID RULES PROPOSED
                          (CC DOCKET 91-281)
     
         The Commission today voted to approve national Caller ID rules that will
     protect the privacy of the called and the calling party by mandating that carriers make
     available a free, simple and consistent, per call blocking and unblocking mechanism. 
     Under the rules adopted today, callers dialing *67 before dialing a particular call will,
     for interstate calls, block calling party information for any interstate calls and those
     callers using a blocked line can unblock the line and release that information by
     dialing *82.   The Order permits carriers to provide privacy on all calls dialed from a
     particular line, where state policies provide, and the customer selects, that option.
     
         Today's action came as the Commission reconsidered its original Caller ID
     Order, adopted in March 1994.  The Commission affirmed its original finding that a
     nationwide Caller ID system is in the public interest.  It found that passage of the
     calling party's number, or CPN, could benefit consumers by encouraging the
     introduction of new technologies and services to the public, enabling service providers
     and consumers to conduct transactions more efficiently.
     
         The rules adopted today will take effect December 1, 1995.  Public payphones
     and partylines will be required to be in compliance by January 1, 1997.  The
     Commission also issued a rulemaking proposal concerning PBX and private payphone
     obligations under the Caller ID rules.
     
         In March 1994, the Commission adopted a Report and Order that concluded
     that a nationwide Caller ID system was in the public interest and stated that the
     potential benefits of a Caller ID system  -- efficiency and productivity gains,
     infrastructure development and network utilization, and  new service and employment
     opportunities -- would only be possible if CPN is passed among carrier networks.  It
     noted two areas of concern however  --  compensation issues related to passage of
     CPN for interstate calls and varying state requirements intended to protect the privacy
     rights of calling and called parties on interstate calls.
                                     (over)
     
     
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         In today's action the Commission affirmed its finding that common carriers,
     including Commercial Mobile Radio Service providers, with Signaling System 7 (SS7)
     call set up capability, must transport CPN without charge to interstate connecting
     carriers.  The Commission clarified that carriers without SS7 call set up capability do
     not have to upgrade their networks just to transport CPN to connecting carriers.  The
     Commission noted that local exchange carriers are required to resell interstate access
     for Caller ID to other carriers wishing to compete for end-user business in this
     market. 
     
         The Commission modified its previous decision that only per-call blocking
     would be allowed.  Today's action permits per-line blocking for interstate calls in
     states where it is permitted for intrastate calls, provided the customer elects per line
     blocking. The Commission's original rules required a caller to dial *67 before each
     call in order to block the called party from knowing the caller's number.  The
     Commission has now modified its rules to permit carriers to provide privacy on all
     calls dialed from a particular line, where state policies provide, and the customer
     selects, that option, provided carriers permit callers to unblock calls from that line by
     dialing *82.  Where state policies do not require or permit at the customer's election
     per line blocking, carriers are bound by the federal privacy protection model to
     provide privacy only where *67 is dialed.
     
         The Commission noted that it continues to exempt calls to emergency lines
     from its rules; that is, a carrier's obligation to honor caller privacy requests to
     emergency numbers will be governed by state policies.
     
         As an additional privacy measure, the Commission requires that when a caller
     requests that the calling party number be concealed, a carrier may not reveal the name
     of the subscriber to that line and callers requesting that their number not be revealed
     should be able to block an automatic call return feature.  The Commission continues to
     require that carriers with call set up capability that pass CPN or transmit Automatic
     Number Identification (ANI) educate customers regarding the passage and usage of
     this information.
     
         Finally, the Commission issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing
     that Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems and private payphones capable of
     delivering CPN to the public switched telephone network also be capable of delivering
     a privacy indicator when users dial *67 and be capable of unblocking the line by
     dialing *82.
     
         Action by the Commission May 4, 1995, by MO&O on Reconsideration,
     Second R&O and Third NPRM (FCC 95 - 187). Chairman Hundt, Commissioners
     Quello, Barrett, Ness and Chong.
     
      -FCC-
                                     
         News Media contact: Susan Lewis Sallet at (202) 418-1500.
         Common Carrier Bureau contacts: Marian Gordon at (202) 634-4215.