FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:             NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
  August 25, 2000                         Michael Balmoris 202-418-0253
                                Email:    mbalmori@fcc.gov
  
  
 ADDITIONAL TELEPHONE TRUTH-IN-BILLING REQUIREMENTS BECOME
                         EFFECTIVE 
                              
Phone Bills Now Must Highlight New Service Providers and Prominently Display 
         Contact Information for Consumer Inquiries
  
  Washington, DC   Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
  announced the effective date of truth-in-billing rules that were modified in a March 2000
  Order on Reconsideration.  Specifically, the requirement that telephone bills highlight any
  change in service providers, including notification of new services, and the requirement
  that bills display contact information for consumer inquiries will go into effect on Monday,
  August 28, 2000.    
  
  Consumer confusion over telephone bills has significantly contributed to
  telecommunications fraud such as slamming (the unauthorized change in a consumer's
  telecommunications carrier) and cramming (the placement of unauthorized charges on a
  consumer's telephone bill).  To address this problem, the FCC adopted in April 1999
  binding principles and guidelines for telephone bills intended to reduce fraud by making
  telephone bills easier for consumers to read and understand.  This, in turn, will make
  slamming and cramming easier to detect and report.
  
  The rules adopted in the April 1999 Truth-in-Billing and Billing Format Order
  required telephone companies:
   
     (1)    to identify the service provider, and to highlight on the bill any new providers that did
     not bill for service in the previous billing cycle for that service provider; 
     (2)    to provide full and non-misleading descriptions of charges that appear on telephone
     bills; 
     (3)    to provide contact information for customers to use in order to lodge a complaint or to
     obtain information about any charge contained on the bill;  
     (4)    to identify on bills charges for which failure to pay will not result in disconnection of
     the customer's basic, local service; and,
     (5)    to use standardized labels on bills when referring to certain line item charges relating
     to federal regulatory action, such as the PICC, local number portability, and subscriber
     line charge.  
  
  Most of these rules took effect in November 1999 and April 2000, although some did
  not because of reconsideration petitions and Y2K concerns.  With the highlighting
  provision and the displaying of contact information becoming effective on August 28,
  2000, the only pending issues remaining from the Truth-in-Billing and Billing
  Format Order are (1) specific, standard labels for line-item charges and (2) the
  application of truth-in-billing rules to Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS)
  carriers.  
  
                           -FCC-
  
  Common Carrier Bureau Contact: Michele Walters, Accounting Policy Division, at 202-
  418-7400
  Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Contact: Peter Wolfe at 202-418-1310
  
  
News about the Federal Communications Commission can also be found
         on the Commission's web site www.fcc.gov.