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ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 4599
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State of Washington 49th Legislature 1986 Regular Session
By Senate Committee on Energy & Utilities (originally sponsored by Senators Williams, Rasmussen, McManus, Granlund, Bender, Moore, Rinehart and Warnke)
Read first time 2/7/86.
AN ACT Relating to information delivery telephone services; adding new sections to chapter 80.36 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that information delivery services, which are also known as information-access telephone services and more commonly known as "976" services, are in widespread use in the state. These services operate on a charge-per-call basis and provide revenue for both the service provider and the telecommunications companies. The marketing practices for these toll telephone services have at times been misleading to consumers and at other times specifically directed toward children. The result has been the placement of calls by individuals, particularly by children, uninformed about the charges that might apply. Therefore, the legislature finds that residential telephone users in the state are entitled to reasonable protection from telephone services they have no desire to use due to confusion or misinformation about these services.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The definitions in this section apply throughout sections 3 through 7 of this act.
(1) "Information delivery services" means telephone recorded messages, interactive programs, or other information services which are provided for a charge to a caller. These services are usually provided through a "976" telephone number.
(2) "Information providers" means the persons or corporations that provide the information, prerecorded message, or interactive program to the telecommunications company for the information delivery service. The information provider generally receives a portion of the revenue from the calls.
(3) "Interactive program" means a program which allows an information delivery service caller, once connected to the information provider's announcement machine, to use the caller's telephone device to access more specific information.
(4) "Currently equipped" means an existing switch and software that has the current capability of blocking access to information delivery services on an individual customer basis.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The utilities and transportation commission shall by rule require telecommunications companies to offer each residential telephone subscriber the opportunity to have the subscriber's telephone blocked or deleted from access to all information delivery services. This means that the residential telephone subscriber's telephone would not complete a call to any 976 or information delivery service number. Under this rule, any telecommunications company that makes available information delivery services must also make available to its subscribers the blocking service described in this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The utilities and transportation commission shall by rule mandate that information providers who make information available that constitutes lewd matter under RCW 7.48A.010 also provide at their expense for access to their services only through a personal identification number in conjunction with 976.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The telecommunications company shall inform subscribers of the rules adopted under sections 3 and 4 of this act, including the availability of the blocking service, through a bill insert or by publication in the telephone directory.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. The costs of complying with the rules adopted under sections 3 and 4 of this act shall be borne by the information providers.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. The rules under sections 3 through 6 of this act shall take effect on or before December 1, 1986. The commission may also order a phase-in period for the rules if a telecommunications company is not currently equipped to block the services. If a telecommunications company is not so equipped, then the commission shall examine the economic feasibility of installing the blocking system if the newly installed system would be only for the purpose of blocking access to information delivery services.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. Sections 2 through 7 of this act are each added to chapter 80.36 RCW.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.