Washington Administrative Code › Title 480 - Utilities and Transportation Commission › Chapter 480-120 - Telephone companies › Part II - ESTABLISHING SERVICE AND CREDIT › Section 480-120-147 - Changes in local exchange and intrastate toll services

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
For the purpose of this section "subscriber" is any one of
				  the following: The party identified in the account records of a common carrier
				  as responsible for payment of the telephone bill; any adult person authorized
				  by such party to change telecommunications services or to charge services to
				  the account; or any person contractually or otherwise lawfully authorized to
				  represent such party.
(1)
Verification of orders.
A local exchange or intra-state toll
				company that requests on behalf of a subscriber that the subscriber's company
				be changed, and that seeks to provide retail services to the subscriber
				(submitting company), may not submit a change-order for local exchange or
				intra-state toll service until the order is confirmed in accordance with one of
				the procedures in (a) through (c) of this subsection:
(a) The company has obtained the subscriber's
				written or electronic authorization to submit the order (letter of agency). The
				letter of agency must be a separate electronic form, located on a separate
				screen or web page, or a separate written document (or easily separable
				document) containing only the authorizing language described in (i) through
				(vi) of this subsection, having the sole purpose of authorizing a
				telecommunications company to initiate a preferred company change. The letter
				of agency, whether written or electronic, must be signed and dated by the
				subscriber of the telephone line(s) requesting the preferred company change.
				The letter of agency must not be combined on the same document or on the same
				screen or web page with inducements of any kind; however, it may be combined
				with checks that contain only the required letter of agency language as
				prescribed in (i) through (vi) of this subsection, and the necessary
				information to make the check a negotiable instrument. The check may not
				contain any promotional language or material. It must contain, in easily
				readable, boldface type on the front of the check, a notice that the subscriber
				is authorizing a preferred company change by signing the check.
				Letter-of-agency language must be placed near the signature line on the back of
				the check. Any company designated in a letter of agency as a preferred company
				must be the company directly setting the rates for the subscriber. If any
				portion of a letter of agency is translated into another language, then all
				portions must be translated into that language, as well as any promotional
				materials, oral descriptions or instructions provided with the letter of
				agency. The letter of agency must confirm the following information from the
				subscriber:
(i) The subscriber billing name,
				billing telephone number and billing address and each telephone number to be
				covered by the change order;
(ii)
				The decision to change;
(iii) The
				subscriber's understanding of the change fee;
(iv) That the subscriber designates (name of
				company) to act as the subscriber's agent for the preferred company
				change;
(v) That the subscriber
				understands that only one telecommunications company may be designated as the
				subscriber's intraLATA preferred company; that only one telecommunications
				company may be designated as the subscriber's interLATA preferred company; and
				that only one telecommunications company may be designated as the subscriber's
				local exchange provider, for any one telephone number. The letter of agency
				must contain a separate statement regarding the subscriber's choice for each
				preferred company, although a separate letter of agency for each choice is not
				necessary; and
(vi) Letters of
				agency may not suggest or require that a subscriber take some action in order
				to retain the current preferred company.