Source: http://law2.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title47-section226&num=0&edition=prelim
Timestamp: 2019-07-17 03:04:49
Document Index: 465555350

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 226', '§226', '§3', '§4', '§207', '§303', '§303', '§304', '§4', '§4', '§4', '§2']

[USC02] 47 USC 226: Telephone operator services
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47 USC 226: Telephone operator services Text contains those laws in effect on July 15, 2019
(1) The term "access code" means a sequence of numbers that, when dialed, connect the caller to the provider of operator services associated with that sequence.
(2) The term "aggregator" means any person that, in the ordinary course of its operations, makes telephones available to the public or to transient users of its premises, for interstate telephone calls using a provider of operator services.
(3) The term "call splashing" means the transfer of a telephone call from one provider of operator services to another such provider in such a manner that the subsequent provider is unable or unwilling to determine the location of the origination of the call and, because of such inability or unwillingness, is prevented from billing the call on the basis of such location.
(4) The term "consumer" means a person initiating any interstate telephone call using operator services.
(5) The term "equal access" has the meaning given that term in Appendix B of the Modification of Final Judgment entered August 24, 1982, in United States v. Western Electric, Civil Action No. 82–0192 (United States District Court, District of Columbia), as amended by the Court in its orders issued prior to October 17, 1990.
(6) The term "equal access code" means an access code that allows the public to obtain an equal access connection to the carrier associated with that code.
(7) The term "operator services" means any interstate telecommunications service initiated from an aggregator location that includes, as a component, any automatic or live assistance to a consumer to arrange for billing or completion, or both, of an interstate telephone call through a method other than-
(8) The term "presubscribed provider of operator services" means the interstate provider of operator services to which the consumer is connected when the consumer places a call using a provider of operator services without dialing an access code.
(9) The term "provider of operator services" means any common carrier that provides operator services or any other person determined by the Commission to be providing operator services.
Beginning not later than 90 days after October 17, 1990, each provider of operator services shall, at a minimum-
(C) disclose immediately to the consumer, upon request and at no charge to the consumer-
(D) ensure, by contract or tariff, that each aggregator for which such provider is the presubscribed provider of operator services is in compliance with the requirements of subsection (c) and, if applicable, subsection (e)(1);
(E) withhold payment (on a location-by-location basis) of any compensation, including commissions, to aggregators if such provider reasonably believes that the aggregator (i) is blocking access by means of "950" or "800" numbers to interstate common carriers in violation of subsection (c)(1)(B) or (ii) is blocking access to equal access codes in violation of rules the Commission may prescribe under subsection (e)(1);
Each aggregator, beginning not later than 90 days after October 17, 1990, shall-
(A) post on or near the telephone instrument, in plain view of consumers-
(B) ensure that each of its telephones presubscribed to a provider of operator services allows the consumer to use "800" and "950" access code numbers to obtain access to the provider of operator services desired by the consumer; and
(C) ensure that no charge by the aggregator to the consumer for using an "800" or "950" access code number, or any other access code number, is greater than the amount the aggregator charges for calls placed using the presubscribed provider of operator services.
The Commission shall conduct a rulemaking proceeding pursuant to this subchapter to prescribe regulations to-
The regulations prescribed under this section shall-
(A) contain provisions to implement each of the requirements of this section, other than the requirements established by the rulemaking under subsection (e) on access and compensation; and
The regulations prescribed under this section shall, at a minimum-
The Commission,1 shall require-
(B) that all providers of operator services, within a reasonable time, make available to their customers a "950" or "800" access code number for use in making operator services calls from anywhere in the United States; or
The Commission may, after 4 years following October 17, 1990, waive the requirements of this paragraph only if-
(i) the findings and conclusions of the Commission in the final report issued under paragraph (3)(B)(iii) state that the regulatory objectives specified in subsection (d)(1)(A) and (B) have been achieved; and
Within 60 days after October 17, 1990, the Commission shall initiate a proceeding to determine whether the regulatory objectives specified in subsection (d)(1)(A) and (B) are being achieved. The proceeding shall-
(June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title II, §226, as added Pub. L. 101–435, §3, Oct. 17, 1990, 104 Stat. 987 ; amended Pub. L. 101–555, §4, Nov. 15, 1990, 104 Stat. 2760 ; Pub. L. 102–538, title II, §207, Oct. 27, 1992, 106 Stat. 3543 ; Pub. L. 103–414, title III, §§303(a)(10), 304(a)(8), Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4294 , 4297.)
This chapter, referred to in subsec. (i), was in the original "this Act", meaning act June 19, 1934, ch. 652, 48 Stat. 1064 , known as the Communications Act of 1934, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 609 of this title and Tables.
1994-Subsec. (d)(2) to (4). Pub. L. 103–414, §303(a)(10), redesignated pars. (3) and (4) as (2) and (3), respectively, and struck out heading and text of former par. (2). Text read as follows: "The Commission shall initiate the proceeding required under paragraph (1) within 60 days after October 17, 1990, and shall prescribe regulations pursuant to the proceeding not later than 210 days after October 17, 1990. Such regulations shall take effect not later than 45 days after the date the regulations are prescribed."
Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 103–414, §304(a)(8), struck out "within 9 months after October 17, 1990," after "The Commission," in introductory provisions.
1992-Subsec. (d)(4)(A). Pub. L. 102–538 inserted "and aggregators" after "operator services".
1990-Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 101–555, §4(a), substituted "90 days" for "30 days".
Subsec. (b)(1)(J). Pub. L. 101–555, §4(b), struck out subpar. (J) which read as follows: "not bill an interexchange telephone call to a billing card number which-
"(i) is issued by another provider of operator services, and
"(ii) permits the identification of the other provider,
unless the call is billed at a rate not greater than the other provider's rate for the call, the consumer requests a special service that is not available under tariff from the other provider, or the consumer expressly consents to a rate greater than the other provider's rate."
Subsecs. (b)(2), (c)(1), (h)(1)(A). Pub. L. 101–555, §4(a), substituted "90 days" for "30 days".
Pub. L. 101–435, §2, Oct. 17, 1990, 104 Stat. 986 , provided that: "The Congress finds that-
"(1) the divestiture of AT&T and decisions allowing open entry for competitors in the telephone marketplace produced a variety of new services and many new providers of existing telephone services;
"(2) the growth of competition in the telecommunications market makes it essential to ensure that safeguards are in place to assure fairness for consumers and service providers alike;
"(3) a variety of providers of operator services now compete to win contracts to provide operator services to hotels, hospitals, airports, and other aggregators of telephone business from consumers;
"(4) the mere existence of a variety of service providers in the operator services marketplace is significant in making that market competitive only when consumers are able to make informed choices from among those service providers;
"(5) however, often consumers have no choices in selecting a provider of operator services, and often attempts by consumers to reach their preferred long distance carrier by using a telephone billing card, credit card, or prearranged access code number are blocked;
"(6) a number of State regulatory authorities have taken action to protect consumers using intrastate operator services;
"(7) from January 1988 through February 1990, the Federal Communications Commission received over 4,000 complaints from consumers about operator services;
"(8) those consumers have complained that they are denied access to the interexchange carrier of their choice, that they are deceived about the identity of the company providing operator services for their calls and the rates being charged, that they lack information on what they can do to complain about unfair treatment by an operator service provider, and that they are, accordingly, being deprived of the free choice essential to the operation of a competitive market;
"(9) the Commission has testified that its actions have been insufficient to correct the problems in the operator services industry to date; and
"(10) a combination of industry self-regulation and government regulation is required to ensure that competitive operator services are provided in a fair and reasonable manner."