Telecommunication - 900 Numbers Laws Thesis

Amendments to the 900-Number Rule - brought in three major improvements. First of all, it obliged vendors to get the direct permission of the person who would be billed for the conversation and/or the order. Then, increased billing for pay-per-call services would only be possible after signing an agreement and informing the customer of the conditions of the agreement. Finally, customers would be given the right to contest their bills and have the unauthorized charges removed from the phone bill. The amendments were voted with unanimity (Federal Trade Commission, 1998).

Other specifications relative to this matter include the fact that the cost information cannot be hidden in small print; the first thing to hear when calling a 900 number is a message that tells the caller where he has called, the services offered by the organization and the charged price of the phone call; the message will also tell children to hang up if they do not have the permission of their parents or if the service is not an educational one (Bureau of Consumer Protection).The vital recommendation is for DWI to follow all implemented regulations. Finally, if despite these regulations, DWI customers have become victims of 900 calls and unauthorized phone billings, the company should advise them to contact the Federal Trade Commissions and have the bill disputed. Also, if parents or grandparents suspect that their offspring of placing such calls and being illegally exposed to obscene material, they are to contact the Federal Communications Commission, the Common Carrier Bureau, the Complaints and Investigation Branch (Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission).

References

October 23, 1998, Commission to Seek Public Comment on 900-Number Rule Revisions, Federal Trade Commission, http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1998/10/ninerule.shtml. Ast accessed on November 26, 2008

900 Calls: How to Handle and Avoid Pay-Per-Call Charges, Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, http://www.wutc.wa.gov/webdocs.nsf/de53b07997d108ea882563b50072c5b3/5a831c3ddb95e9f788256666005712af!OpenDocumentlast accessed on November 26, 2008

900 Telephone Numbers, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Retrieved at http://www.datcp.state.wi.us/cp/consumerinfo/cp/factsheets/pdf/Nine-900-HundredNumbers156.pdfon November 26, 2008.....