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Background
Consumers who make calls away from home
should be aware that the long distance and local rates charged
from payphones and phones in other public areas like hotels,
motels, hospitals, and airports can vary. Operator Service
Providers (OSPs) provide long distance service (and in some
cases, local telephone service) from public and pay telephones.
When you place a call from a public or pay phone, the OSP
serving the telephone usually handles the call if you dial “0”
before dialing the telephone number.
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Three Simple Rules
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Stop before making the call.
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Look at the printed information on or near the telephone.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules require each public telephone
provider to post on or near each telephone – in plain view of consumers – the
name, address, and toll-free number of the OSP.
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Listen after you dial the number you are calling
to determine which OSP is handling your call. The OSP must verbally identify
itself to you at the beginning of the call before the call is connected and
billed. You will then be told how to learn the total price of a telephone
call – including any surcharges – by simply pressing no more than 2 digits,
such as the pound key (#), or by staying on the line. This gives you the
opportunity to hang up on high rates and to “dial around” the OSP by
following your preferred long distance company’s instructions for placing
calls from public telephones (e.g., dial 1-800-XXX-XXXX to reach your chosen
long distance company; punch in your access code, etc.)
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Be Phone Wise: Know the Rules
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You have the right to place calls from a
public telephone through the long distance company of your
choice by dialing an access code (“dialing around” the OSP).
“Dialing around” may mean dialing an 800 number, a local number
that begins with 950, or a seven digit access number known as a
101-XXXX or 10 10 XXX number. Federal law prohibits blocking
800, 950, or 101-XXXX/10 10 XXX access numbers to long distance
companies from public telephones.
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OSPs must connect an emergency call to the
appropriate emergency service immediately and at no charge.
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OSPs cannot knowingly bill for unanswered
calls.
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Unless you use coins to pay for a call, the
OSP will require you to charge the call to a calling card or
credit card, call collect, or bill the call to a third party.
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No matter what type of calling card you
use, the only way to be sure that your call will be carried by
your preferred long distance company is to follow your long
distance company’s dialing instructions for placing calls from
public telephones. Using your preferred long distance company’s
calling card will not, by itself, guarantee that your long
distance company will carry the call.
What About Calls from Correctional Facilities?
Consumers receiving collect calls from
inmates in prisons, jails, and other correctional institutions
can obtain the price of the call by simply pressing no more than
2 digits or by staying on the line. OSPs providing operator
services for inmates’ phones in correctional facilities are
required to tell the party receiving a collect call
of his or her right to obtain rate quotations before the OSP
connects and bills for the collect call. (Note: FCC rules apply
only to interstate (between states) OSP calls. Most states,
however, have similar requirements for intrastate OSP calls.)
The party receiving the collect call can then decide whether or
not to accept it or limit its length.
Filing a Complaint with the FCC
If you have problems with the rate you are
billed for a call from a public telephone or payphone, first try
to resolve it with the provider or the company billing you for
the call. If you are unable to resolve it directly, you can file
a complaint with the FCC. There is no charge for filing a
complaint. You can file your complaint using an FCC on-line
complaint form found at
http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm. You can also file
your complaint with the FCC’s Consumer Center by e-mailing fccinfo@fcc.gov;
calling 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC
(1-888-835-5322) TTY; faxing 1-866-418-0232; or writing to:
Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Inquiries & Complaints Division
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554.
What to Include in Your Complaint
The best way to provide all the information
needed for the FCC to process your complaint is to complete
fully the on-line complaint form. When you open the on-line
complaint form, you will be asked a series of questions that
will take you to the particular section of the form you need to
complete. If you do not use the on-line complaint form, your
complaint, at a minimum, should indicate:
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your name, address, e-mail address, and phone number where
you can be reached;
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telephone and account numbers that are the subject of
your complaint;
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names and phone numbers of any companies involved with
your complaint;
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amount of any disputed charges, whether you paid them,
whether you received a refund or adjustment to your bill, the
amount of any adjustment or refund you have received, an
explanation if the disputed charges are related to services in
addition to residence or business telephone services; and
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details of your complaint and any additional relevant
information.
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For More Information
For information about other telecommunications
issues, visit the FCC’s Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau Web site at
www.fcc.gov/cgb, or contact the FCC’s Consumer Center using
the information provided for filing a complaint.
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Federal Communications Commission
