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                                           ENGROSSED HOUSE BILL NO. 1796

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State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Representatives Padden, Winsley, Brough and D. Sommers

Read first time 1/25/88 and referred to Committee on Energy & Utilities.

AN ACT Relating to telecommunications; adding a new section 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.  A new section is added to chapter 80.36 RCW to read as follows:

          (1) As used in this section:

          (a) "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.

          (b) "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.

          (c) "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.

          (2) 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 accessed 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 unless the subscriber specifically chose the access to the service prefix.  Under this rule, any telecommunications company that makes available information delivery services must also make available to its subscribers the access procedure described in this subsection.  The rule shall take effect on or before December 1, 1988.  The commission may also order a phase-in period for the rule if a telecommunications company is not currently equipped to access the services.

          (3) The costs of complying with the rule shall be borne by the information providers.