NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 For Immediate Release: News Media Contact: January 14, 2008 Rosemary Kimball at (202) 418-0511 e-mail: rosemary.kimball@fcc.gov QUARTERLY REPORTS ON INFORMAL CONSUMER INQUIRIES AND COMPLAINTS RELEASE Washington, DC – The Commission has released its report on the top subject areas for consumer inquiries and complaints processed by the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) during the first and second quarters of calendar year 2007. First Quarter Consumer Inquiries. During the 1 st quarter of this calendar year there was a 5.4% decrease in the total number of inquiries for all four reported categories from the fourth quarter of calendar year 2006. There was a slight (5%) increase in the number of Wireless inquiries received in the 1 st quarter to 5,847. Amateur License Information and Service Issues related inquiries continue as the top Wireless categories this quarter with 91% (combined) of the inquiries for this category. Wireline inquiries decreased over 23% to 9,802 this quarter. Telephone Consumer Protection Act Issues was the primary contributor to the Wireline category representing 58% of the inquiries in this category. Radio and Television Broadcasting inquiry receipts increased 23% to 5,228. Digital Television and Programming issues were ranked as the top Radio and Television Broadcasting inquiry categories this quarter. Digital Television rose 65% to 553 inquiries while Broadcast Programming issues increased 31% to 4,563 inquiries for this quarter. Cable and Satellite Services inquiries increased 8% to 4,494 this quarter. Cable TV & Satellite issues and Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act Issues continued as the top categories and contributed 88% (combined) of the inquiries for this category. Informal Complaints. Complaints in the categories reported show a 327% increase this quarter. Although most categories show a marginal increase, the major source of this spike was in the category for “Radio and Television Broadcasting” under Programming Indecency/Obscenity. The number of Radio and Television Broadcasting complaints increased this quarter to 151,008, with Programming Indecency/Obscenity representing over 98% of the complaints in this category. Wireless complaints rose 14% in the 1 st quarter of 2007 to 5,242. Billing and Rates was the top Wireless category again this quarter. Wireline complaints also rose in the 1 st quarter to 14,566 with Telephone Consumer Protection Act - Other Issues and Telephone Consumer Protection Act – Unsolicited Fax ranked as the top categories. Cable & Satellite Services related complaints decreased 39% with Programming issues as the top category. Second Quarter Consumer Inquiries. During the 2 nd quarter of this calendar year there was a 20% decrease in the total number of inquiries for all four reported categories from the first quarter of calendar year 2007. There was a 16% decrease in the number of Wireless inquiries received in the 2 nd quarter to 5,082. Amateur License Information and Service Issues related inquiries continue as the top Wireless categories this quarter with 89% (combined) of the inquiries for this category. Wireline inquiries decreased over 35% to 6,296 this quarter. Cramming, Slamming and Telephone Consumer Protection Act each contribute approximately one-third of the inquiries for this category for a combined total of 96% of the inquiries in this category. Radio and Television Broadcasting inquiry receipts decreased 3% to 5,082. Programming issues ranked as the top Radio and Television Broadcasting inquiry category this quarter representing over 84% of the 5,082 inquiries. Cable and Satellite Services inquiries decreased 9% to 4,082 this quarter. Cable TV & Satellite Issues and Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act Issues continued as the top categories and contributed 84% (combined) of the inquiries for this category. Informal Complaints. Complaints in the categories reported reflect a 19.4% decrease this quarter. Although most categories show a marginal change, the major source of this decrease was in the category for “Radio and Television Broadcasting” under Programming Indecency/Obscenity. The number of Radio and Television Broadcasting complaints decreased this quarter to 5,675 from 151,008. Programming Indecency/Obscenity alone decreased from 149,457 last quarter to 4,368 complaints this quarter. Wireless complaints rose 21% in the 2 nd quarter of 2007 from 5,242 to 6,337. Billing and Rates dropped out as the top Wireless category this quarter and was replaced by Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) issues. Wireless TCPA complaints rose over 370% this quarter to 3,164 from 848. In this regard we note that the introduction of the new “1088” form for TCPA related complaints has allowed a more detailed breakdown of TCPA related complaints. On a related note, there has been a shift from “general” TCPA complaints to more specific TCPA complaint types like “Wireless”. Wireline complaints also rose in the 2 nd quarter to 20,188 from 14,566 in the 1 st quarter. Telephone Consumer Protection Act - Other Issues, Telephone Consumer Protection Act - Do Not Call List and Telephone Consumer Protection Act – Unsolicited Fax ranked as the top categories and totaled over 85% (combined) of the Wireline related complaints in the reported categories. TCPA is now separated into three categories under Wireline to represent the most common complaint types in this area. Cable & Satellite Services related complaints increased 56% from 645 last quarter to 1,010 in the 2 nd quarter. Programming Issues continued as the top category with 645 complaints. The Commission receives many inquiries and complaints that do not involve violations of the Communications Act, or a rule or order of the Commission. The existence of a complaint does not necessarily indicate wrongdoing by the company at issue. The quarterly report on informal consumer inquiries and complaints release can be viewed at: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/quarter/welcome.htm. -FCC - REPORT ON INFORMAL CONSUMER INQUIRIES AND COMPLAINTS 1 st and 2 nd Quarter Calendar Year 2007 Executive Summary This report tracks the top subject areas for consumer inquiries and complaints processed by the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) received during the 1 st and 2 nd quarters of calendar year 2007. 1 Inquiries are defined as correspondence or communications received at the Commission from individuals seeking information on matters under the FCC’s jurisdiction. An informal consumer complaint is defined as a communication received at CGB’s consumer centers either via postal mail, fax, email, internet, or telephone from or on behalf of an individual that: (i) identifies a particular entity under the FCC’s jurisdiction; (ii) alleges harm or injury; and (iii) seeks relief. First Quarter Consumer Inquiries. During the 1 st quarter there was a 5.4% decrease in the total number of inquiries for all four reported categories from the fourth quarter of calendar year 2006. There was a slight (5%) increase in the number of Wireless inquiries received in the 1 st quarter to 5,847. Amateur License Information and Service Issues related inquiries continue as the top Wireless categories this quarter with 91% (combined) of the inquiries for this category. Wireline inquiries decreased over 23% to 9,802 this quarter. Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) issues was the primary contributor to the Wireline category representing 58% of the inquiries in this category. Radio and Television Broadcasting inquiry receipts increased 23% to 5,228. Digital Television and Programming issues were ranked as the top Radio and Television Broadcasting inquiry categories this quarter. Digital Television rose 65% to 553 inquiries while Broadcast Programming issues increased 31% to 4,563 inquiries for this quarter. Cable and Satellite Services inquiries increased 8% to 4,494 this quarter. Cable TV & Satellite issues and Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act (SHVIA) Issues continued as the top categories and contributed 88% (combined) of the inquiries for this category. Informal Complaints. Complaints in the categories reported show a 327% increase this quarter. Although most categories show a marginal increase, the major source of this spike was in the category for “Radio and Television Broadcasting” under Programming Indecency/Obscenity. The number of Radio and Television Broadcasting complaints increased this quarter to 151,008, with Programming Indecency/Obscenity representing over 98% of the complaints in this category. Wireless complaints rose 14% in the 1 st quarter of 2007 to 5,242. Billing and Rates was the top Wireless category again this quarter. Wireline complaints also rose in the 1 st quarter to 14,566 with Telephone Consumer Protection Act - Other Issues and Telephone Consumer Protection Act – Unsolicited Fax ranked as the top categories. Cable & Satellite Services related complaints decreased 39% with Programming issues as the top category. 1 The data reported reflects the complaints and inquiries recorded in CGB’s automated tracking systems for the period January 1, 2007 to June 30, 2007. The information generated for this specific report is information entered into the tracking systems on or before a specific date. In addition, the data within this report account for statistics at the national level as reported by the Commission and, therefore, are not necessarily indicative of corresponding state or local trends. Second Quarter Consumer Inquiries. During the 2 nd quarter there was a 20% decrease in the total number of inquiries for all four reported categories from the first quarter of calendar year 2007. There was a 16% decrease in the number of Wireless inquiries received in the 2 nd quarter to 5,082. Amateur License Information and Service Issues related inquiries continue as the top Wireless categories this quarter with 89% (combined) of the inquiries for this category. Wireline inquiries decreased over 35% to 6,296 this quarter. Cramming, Slamming and TCPA each contribute 30 to 33% of the inquiries for this category for a combined total of 96% of the inquiries in this category. Radio and Television Broadcasting inquiry receipts decreased 3% to 5,082. Programming issues were ranked as the top Radio and Television Broadcasting inquiry category this quarter representing over 84% of the 5,082 inquiries. Cable and Satellite Services inquiries decreased 9% to 4,082 this quarter. Cable TV & Satellite issues and SHVIA Issues continued as the top categories and contributed 84% (combined) of the inquiries for this category. Complaints in the categories reported are 19.4% this quarter of what they were last quarter. Although most categories show a marginal change, the major source of this decrease was in the category for “Radio and Television Broadcasting” under Programming Indecency/Obscenity. The number of Radio and Television Broadcasting complaints decreased this quarter to 5,675 from 151,008. Programming Indecency/Obscenity alone decreased from 149,457 last quarter to 4,368 complaints this quarter. The cause of this decrease was a lack of specific “incident” related complaint volume in this quarter. Wireless complaints rose 21% in the 2 nd quarter of 2007 from 5,242 to 6,337. Billing and Rates dropped out as the top Wireless category this quarter and was replaced by TCPA as the number one category. Wireless TCPA complaints rose over 370% this quarter to 3,164 from 848. The introduction of the new “1088” form for TCPA related complaints has allowed a more detailed breakdown of TCPA related complaints. This has resulted in a shift from “general” TCPA complaints to more specific TCPA complaint types like “Wireless”. Wireline complaints also rose in the 2 nd quarter to 20,188 from 14,566 in the 1 st quarter. Telephone Consumer Protection Act - Other Issues, Telephone Consumer Protection Act - Do Not Call List and Telephone Consumer Protection Act – Unsolicited Fax ranked as the top categories and totaled over 85% (combined) of the Wireline related complaints reported. TCPA is now separated into three categories under Wireline to represent the most common complaint types in this area. Cable & Satellite Services related complaints increased 56% from 645 last quarter to 1,010 in the 2 nd quarter. Programming Issues continued as the top category with 645 complaints. The Commission receives many inquiries and complaints that do not involve violations of the Communications Act, or a rule or order of the Commission. The existence of a complaint does not necessarily indicate wrongdoing by the company at issue. The quarterly report on informal consumer inquiries and complaints release can be viewed at: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/quarter/welcome.htm. Summary of Top Consumer Inquiry * Subjects Processed by the FCC's Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) First Quarter - Calendar Year 2007 January February March Quarter Totals Cable & Satellite Services Digital TV Issues 22 14 27 63 Over the Air Reception Device Issues 134 137 168 439 Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act Issue 619 486 564 1,669 Cable TV & Satellite Issues 823 647 853 2,323 Totals 1,598 1,284 1,612 4,494 January February March Quarter Totals Radio and Television Broadcasting Political Programming Issues 14 9 16 39 EAS 22 25 26 73 Digital Television Issues 215 142 196 553 Broadcast Programming Issues 1,128 2,327 1,108 4,563 Totals 1,379 2,503 1,346 5,228 January February March Quarter Totals Wireless Telecommunications Electrical Interference 54 47 45 146 General Mobile Information 80 82 79 241 Land Mobile Information 53 54 35 142 Amateur License Information 399 352 574 1,325 Service Issues 1,389 1,187 1,417 3,993 Totals 1,975 1,722 2,150 5,847 January February March Quarter Totals Wireline Telecommunications Billing & Rates Information 96 58 67 221 Cramming Information 823 572 630 2,025 Slamming Information 676 614 621 1,911 Telephone Consumer Protection Act Issues 2,078 1,869 1,698 5,645 Totals 3,673 3,113 3,016 9,802 Notes: *An inquiry is defined as any correspondence or communication received at CGB’s Consumer Center from individuals seeking information on matters under the FCC’s jurisdiction. **The data within this report account for statistics at the national level as reported to the Commission, and therefore are not necessarily indicative of corresponding state and local trends. Summary of Top Consumer Inquiry * Subjects Processed by the FCC's Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) Second Quarter - Calendar Year 2007 April May June Quarter Totals Cable & Satellite Services Digital TV Issues 26 33 16 75 Over-the-Air Reception Device Issues 210 195 145 550 Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act Issue 601 417 264 1,282 Cable TV & Satellite Issues 939 667 569 2,175 Totals 1,776 1,312 994 4,082 April May June Quarter Totals Radio and Television Broadcasting Political Programming Issues 12 18 13 43 EAS 34 25 30 89 Digital Television Issues 203 296 152 651 Broadcast Programming Issues 2,466 1,109 724 4,299 Totals 2,715 1,448 919 5,082 April May June Quarter Totals Wireless Telecommunications Land Mobile Information 50 47 52 149 Electrical Interference 62 63 54 179 General Mobile Information 103 87 28 218 Amateur License Information 462 340 94 896 Service Issues 1,488 1,065 915 3,468 Totals 2,165 1,602 1,143 4,910 April May June Quarter Totals Wireline Telecommunications Billing & Rates Information 67 94 85 246 Telephone Consumer Protection Act Issues 926 772 228 1,926 Slamming Information 636 660 757 2,053 Cramming Information 634 666 771 2,071 Totals 2,263 2,192 1,841 6,296 Notes: *An inquiry is defined as any correspondence or communication received at CGB’s Consumer Centers from individuals seeking information on matters under the FCC’s jurisdiction. **The data within this report account for statistics at the national level as reported to the Commission, and therefore are not necessarily indicative of corresponding state and local trends. January February March Quarter Totals Cable & Satellite Services Cable Modem Services 25 27 52 104 Billing & Rates 56 38 49 143 Service Related Issues 53 40 47 140 Programming Issues 136 65 57 258 Totals 270 170 205 645 January February March Quarter Totals Radio and Television Broadcasting Accessibility Issues 7 7 5 19 Programming - General Criticism 619 301 237 1,157 Other Programming Issues 146 114 115 375 Programming - Indecency/Obscenity** 148,281 1,000 176 149,457 Totals 149,053 1,422 533 151,008 January February March Quarter Totals Wireless Telecommunications Carrier Marketing & Advertising 160 122 222 504 Contract - Early Termination 210 142 161 513 Service Quality 210 169 492 871 Telephone Consumer Protection Act 207 272 369 848 Billing & Rates 892 692 922 2,506 Totals 1,679 1,397 2,166 5,242 January February March Quarter Totals Wireline Telecommunications Service Quality 127 113 170 410 Slamming 133 131 131 395 Billing & Rates 747 668 735 2,150 Telephone Consumer Protection Act -Other Issues 1,151 1,495 1,501 4,147 Telephone Consumer Protection Act-Unsolicited Fax 2,651 2,511 2,302 7,464 Totals 4,809 4,918 4,839 14,566 *** The data within this report account for statistics at the national level as reported to the Commission, and therefore are not necessarily indicative of corresponding state or local trends. Processed by the FCC's Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) Summary of Top Complaint * Subjects First Quarter - Calendar Year 2007 Notes: (1) See attachment for brief description of subject categories. ** Complaints regarding alleged indecency/obscenity during specific programs are forwarded to the Enforcement Bureau (EB) for appropriate handling. The reported counts reflect complaints received by CGB, complaints received separately by EB, and complaints emailed directly to the offices of the FCC Chairman and the respective offices of the Commissioners. The reported counts may also include duplicate complaints or contacts that subsequently are determined insufficient to constitute actionable complaints. * An informal consumer complaint is defined as any correspondence or communication received at CGB’s Consumer Center either via postal mail, fax, electronic mail (email) or telephone from or on behalf of an individual that : (i) identifies a particular entity under the FCC’s jurisdiction; (ii) alleges harm or injury; and (iii) requests relief. April May June Quarter Totals Cable & Satellite Services Cable Modem Services 33 30 26 89 Billing & Rates 49 34 46 129 Service Related Issues 50 58 39 147 Programming Issues 494 77 74 645 Totals 626 199 185 1,010 April May June Quarter Totals Radio and Television Broadcasting Accessibility Issues 13 41 6 60 Other Programming Issues 335 88 100 523 Programming - General Criticism 355 236 133 724 Programming - Indecency/Obscenity** 4,055 212 101 4,368 Totals 4,758 577 340 5,675 April May June Quarter Totals Wireless Telecommunications Carrier Marketing & Advertising 97 107 89 293 Contract - Early Termination 116 103 101 320 Service Quality 190 160 158 508 Billing & Rates 763 723 567 2,053 Telephone Consumer Protection Act 437 1,144 1,583 3,164 Totals 1,603 2,237 2,498 6,338 April May June Quarter Totals Wireline Telecommunications Slamming 131 131 130 392 Service Quality 147 130 124 401 Billing & Rates 729 756 611 2,096 Telephone Consumer Protection Act - Do Not Call List 937 1,169 1,316 3,422 Telephone Consumer Protection Act -Other Issues 1,033 1,335 1,787 4,155 Telephone Consumer Protection Act-Unsolicited Fax 2,756 3,793 3,173 9,722 Totals 5,733 7,314 7,141 20,188 ***The data within this report account for statistics at the national level as reported to the Commission, and therefore are not necessarily indicative of corresponding state or local trends. Processed by the FCC's Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) Summary of Top Complaint * Subjects Second Quarter - Calendar Year 2007 Notes: (1) See attachment for brief description of subject categories. ** Complaints regarding alleged indecency/obscenity during specific programs are forwarded to the Enforcement Bureau (EB) for appropriate handling. The reported counts reflect complaints received by CGB, complaints received separately by EB, and complaints emailed directly to the offices of the FCC Chairman and the respective offices of the Commissioners. The reported counts may also include duplicate complaints or contacts that subsequently are determined insufficient to constitute actionable complaints. * An informal consumer complaint is defined as any correspondence or communication received at CGB’s Consumer Centers either via postal mail, fax, electronic mail (e-mail) or telephone from or on behalf of an individual that : (I) identifies a particular entity under the FCC’s jurisdiction; (ii) alleges harm or injury; and (iii) requests relief. Top Consumer Issues – Subject Category Reference Guide CABLE & SATELLITE SERVICES Accessibility Issues: Complaints/inquiries regarding video description, closed captioning, and emergency access to video programming Billing & Rates: Complaints/inquiries concerning billing matters and the rates charged for cable programming service (or expanded basic) tier on a cable system or satellite services Cable Modem Service: Complaints/inquiries regarding cable modem service Connections to Cable Systems: Complaints/inquiries regarding availability or quality of connections to cable systems Over-The-Air Reception Devices (OTARD) Issues: Complaints/inquiries regarding the installation, maintenance or use of antennas -- including direct-to-home satellite dishes that are less than one meter (39.37") in diameter (or of any size in Alaska), TV antennas, and wireless cable antennas -- to receive video programming Programming Issues: Complaints/inquiries regarding program content or the choice of channels or programs available to subscribers Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act (SHVIA): Complaints/inquiries regarding SHVIA issues Service Related Issues: Complaints/inquiries about the quality of service provided by cable operators or satellite programming distributors RADIO & TELEVISION BROADCASTING Accessibility Issues: Complaints/inquiries regarding video description, closed captioning, and emergency access to video programming Commercial Advertisement Issues: Complaints/inquiries regarding commercial advertisements General Broadcast Information: Inquiries regarding general broadcast requirements, licenses, and community obligations How to Start Broadcast Station: Inquiries regarding starting a broadcast station Programming Issues • Obscenity/ Indecency/Profanity: Complaints/inquiries regarding programs that allegedly contain obscene, indecent or profane material • Loud Commercials: Complaints/inquiries regarding abrupt changes in volume during transition from regular programming to commercials • Religious: Complaints/inquiries regarding religious programs • Violence: Complaints/inquiries regarding violence in programs • General Content Criticism: generalized concerns regarding the content of programs WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS Amateur License Information: Inquiries regarding Amateur license acquisition, requirements, eligibility, and replacement Billing and Rates-Related – Includes the Following Subcategories: Billing/Rates - Airtime Charges: Complaints/inquiries regarding charges to subscriber for actual time spent talking on a wireless phone Billing/Rates-Credit/Refunds/Adjustments: Complaints/inquiries regarding credits, refunds, or bill adjustments Billing/Rates - Line Items: Complaints/inquiries regarding surcharges and taxes appearing on a phone bill • Access Charge: Complaints/inquiries regarding miscellaneous line items charges • E-911: Complaints/inquiries regarding provision of automatic location information and automatic number identification via a wireless phone used to contact a 911 call center • Taxes: Complaints/inquiries regarding taxes appearing on wireless bill • Universal Service: Complaints/inquiries about the availability and affordability of phone service for low income consumers in geographic areas where the costs of providing telephone service is high Billing/Rates – Recurring Charges: Complaints/inquiries over recurring monthly charges that appear on a customer’s bill Billing/Rates – Roaming Rates: Complaints/inquiries about charges assessed to the subscriber for wireless calls made while roaming in another carrier’s territory Billing/Rates – Rounding: Complaints/inquiries about the practice of rounding calls to a full minute Billing/Rates – Service Plan Rate: Complaints/inquiries about the terms and conditions of service: • Activation Fee: usually one time charge to initiate service • Off-Peak: specified time where per-minute rate is lower • Optional Services: including caller-id, voice mail, road-rescue, etc. • Peak: specified time where per-minute rate is higher • Prepaid Service: subscriber pays for service in advance • Promo Plan: including minute allowances • Security Deposit: usually one time charge that is held by the carrier for a specified timeframe in order for subscriber to acquire service Carrier Marketing & Advertising: Complaints/inquiries regarding advertising and marketing practices of carriers including alleged misrepresentations Commercial License Issues: Inquiries regarding commercial licenses. Contract – Early Termination: Complaints/inquiries regarding termination of a subscriber’s service prior to end of specified contract term • Termination of Service by subscriber: subscriber’s liability for terminating service prior to specified contract term • Termination of Service by carrier: carrier’s right to disconnect a subscriber’s service prior to end of a specified contract term Electrical Interference Issue: Inquiries regarding unwanted signals from nearby transmitters to home entertainment electronic equipment General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) License Issue: Inquiries regarding GMRS license acquisition, requirements, eligibility, and replacement Land Mobile (LM) License Issue: Inquiries regarding LM license acquisition, requirements, eligibility, and replacement Service – Quality/Coverage: Complaints/inquiries regarding quality of service or the lack of coverage within a geographic area served by a wireless provider: • Dead Spots: inability to receive service within certain areas • Dropped Calls: premature termination of calls • Home Area Service: overall quality of service within the subscriber’s local calling area • Network Busy Signal: involving calls that do not go through because of overcrowding of the service frequencies • Roaming Availability: availability of service outside the subscriber’s local calling area • Roaming Service: overall quality of service while roaming • Service Interruption: inability to use cellular phone because service was interrupted by service provider WIRELINE TELECOMMUNICATIONS Billing and Rates-Related – Includes the Following Subcategories: Billing/Rates Credit/Refunds/Adjustments: Complaints/inquiries about credits, refunds, or adjustments allegedly owed to the subscriber Billing/Rates – Line Item: Complaints/inquiries about the line items appearing on telephone bills: • Access – Subscriber Line Charge: questions regarding subscriber local-loop line charges for maintaining residential and business and telephone access to the network • Access – Universal Service: questions regarding the FCC’s universal service fund-affordable access to basic telephone service for low-income consumers and consumers in high-cost areas, and communications services for schools and libraries and health care facilities • Interstate Directory Assistance: questions about charges assessed for access to directory assistance information • Taxes on Telephone Bill: questions about local, state, or federal taxes appearing on a telephone bill • Truth in Billing - No Service Provider ID: Complaints/inquiries about whether the name of the service provider and/or contact information for the service provider is easily identifiable on the bill • Truth in Billing - Bundled Charges: Complaints/inquiries about whether bills contain plain language description and breakdown of charges for each carrier when multiple carriers appear on the bill • Truth in Billing - No Payment Solution: Complaints/inquiries about whether a bill clearly distinguishes charges for which nonpayment will result in disconnection from those that will not result in disconnection Billing/Rates – Rates: Miscellaneous complaints/inquiries about the rates and charges billed by telephone companies: • Casual Call Billing: rates billed for calls placed from non-public phones through a carrier who is not the presubscribed carrier for the telephone (or which does not recognize a telephone number as that of a subscriber) • Double Billing: dispute involving alleged double billing for calls or services • DSL Rate Problem: DSL promotion plan rates allegedly altered or unspecified to consumer • International Internet Dial-up: international calls (routed to places like Chad, Madagascar or other countries) that were billed to consumers as a result of using local (domestic) Internet service providers to access websites • International Calls – Rates: international calls, rates and/or service that either originate or terminate in the U.S. • International 809# Billing: 809 area code collect call and consumer dialing scam • 900 Pay-Per-Call Billing: commercially provided interstate 900 number information or entertainment services • OSP Rates: rates charged for interstate calls placed from public phones • Rates for Interstate Telecommunications Services – Billing: disputes about interstate rates and charges Billing/Rates – Recurring Charges: Complaints/inquiries about recurring charges that appear on a customer’s bill Cramming: Complaints/inquiries about allegedly unauthorized, misleading, or deceptive charges appearing on a telephone bill Digital Service Line (DSL) Issues: Complaints/inquiries regarding DSL issues Service Quality: Complaints/inquiries regarding the quality of service provided by telephone companies: • DSL Service Inadequate: poor quality of service or service outage • Interstate Telecommunications: poor call reception, service outage, service disconnects, or carrier’s failure to release telephone line (and no charges are associated) • Long Distance Service Treatment: inadequate customer service treatment by long distance carrier including, but not limited to, additional services being added without the consumer’s knowledge or approval, etc. Slamming: Complaints/inquiries regarding the practice of changing a subscriber’s telecommunications service provider (or a calling plan) without the subscriber’s permission • International slam: changing a subscriber’s international long distance service without permission • Local Service slammed: changing a subscriber’s local or regional intrastate long distance service without permission • Local and Long Distance slammed: changing a subscriber’s local and long distance service without permission • Long Distance slammed: changing a subscriber’s interstate telephone company service without permission • Slamming w/Problem LOA: changing a subscriber’s interstate telephone company based on fraudulent signed documents or illegal format, such as sweepstake Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA): Complaints/inquiries regarding compliance with the TCPA: • Artificial or Prerecorded Message and/or ATDS: calls to a residence using an artificial or prerecorded voice to deliver a message without prior consent of the called party prohibited unless an emergency exists • Do Not Call List Request Not Honored: no person or entity may initiate any telephone solicitation to a residential telephone subscriber, unless such person or entity has instituted procedures for maintaining a list of persons who have requested not to receive telephone solicitations • Fax Complaint: unsolicited (“junk”) faxes or the use of a computer or other device to send any messages via a telephone facsimile prohibited unless such message clearly contains the date and time it is sent and an identification of the business, other entity or individual sending the message • TCPA General Solicitations: the initiation of a call or message for the purpose of encouraging the purchase or rental of, or investment in property, goods, or services • Time of Day violation: no person or entity may initiate any telephone solicitation to a residential telephone subscriber before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. (local time based on the called party’s location)