[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 131 (Thursday, July 9, 1998)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 37069-37070]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-18237]
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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 64
[CC Docket No. 96-128; DA 98-1101]
Pay Telephone Reclassification and Compensation Provisions
AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.
ACTION: Final rule; petition for waiver.
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SUMMARY: On June 10, 1998, the Common Carrier Bureau (``Bureau'')
granted limited waivers of certain requirements relating to the
provision of payphone-specific coding digits, established earlier in
this proceeding, to Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, Pacific Bell,
and Nevada Bell (collectively, ``SBC''). These limited waivers extend
the waiver period for certain technical problems which were included in
limited waivers previously granted by the Bureau.
EFFECTIVE DATE: June 9, 1998.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Lipscomb, Formal Complaints and
Information Branch, Enforcement Division, Common Carrier Bureau. (202)
418-0960.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A toll-free call transmitted by a local
exchange carrier (LEC) to an interexchange carrier (IXC) carries with
it billing information codes, called automatic number identification
(ANI), supplied by the LEC that assists the IXC in properly billing the
call. Currently, however, not all payphone calls carry the payphone-
specific coding digits necessary to identify the calls as payphone
calls, making per-call tracking and blocking more difficult.
In the Payphone Orders,1 61 FR 52307 (October 7, 1996)
and 61 FR 65341 (December 12, 1996), the Commission imposed a
requirement that LECs provide payphone-specific coding digits to
payphone service providers (PSPs), and that PSPs provide those digits
from their payphones before the PSPs can receive per-call compensation
from IXCs for subscriber 800 and access code calls. The Commission also
stated that, to be eligible for per-call compensation beginning October
7, 1997, payphones were required to transmit specific payphone coding
digits as a part of their
[[Page 37070]]
ANI, which will assist in identifying payphones to compensation payers.
Each payphone must transmit coding digits that specifically identify it
as a payphone, and not merely as a restricted line. The Commission also
clarified that by October 7, 1997, LECs had to make available to PSPs,
on a tariffed basis, such coding digits as a part of the ANI for each
payphone.
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\1\ Implementation of the Pay Telephone Reclassification and
Compensation Provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, CC
Docket No. 96-128, Report and Order, 61 FR 52307 (October 7, 1996),
11 FCC Rcd 20,541 (1996), (``Report and Order''); Order on
Reconsideration, 61 FR 65341 (December 12, 1996), 11 FCC Rcd 21,233
(1996) (''Order on Reconsideration'') (together the ``Payphone
Orders'').
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On October 7, 1997, the Bureau granted, on its own motion, pursuant
to Sec. 1.3 of the Commission's rules, a limited waiver, until March 9,
1998, of the payphone-specific coding requirement for those LECs and
PSPs not yet able to provide transmission of such digits. On March 9,
1998, in the Bureau Coding Digit Waiver Order,2 63 FR 20534
(April 27, 1998), the Bureau again granted certain limited waivers,
some of which expired on June 9, 1998. On May 22, 1998, SBC petitioned
the Commission for extension of certain of the limited waivers that had
been granted on March 9, 1998. On June 10, 1998, the Bureau granted, in
part, SBC's petition. The limited waivers granted SBS on June 10, 1998
are subject to the same requirements as applied to the waivers granted
for these same technical problems in the Bureau Coding Digit Waiver
Order, 63 FR 20534 (April 27, 1998).
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\2\ Implementation of the Pay Telephone Reclassification and
Compensation Provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996,
Memorandum Opinion and Order, 63 FR 20534 (April 27, 1998), 13 FCC
Rcd 4998 (1998) (``Bureau Coding Digit Waiver Order'').
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Specifically, the Bureau's June 10, 1998 order grants SBC limited
waivers, until August 15, 1998, for provision of payphone-specific
coding digits for 0-transfer calls from six DMS 200 traffic operator
position system (``TOPS'') switches; and until December 31, 1998, for
800-type database services calls routing to plain old telephone service
(``POTS'') phone numbers and 800-type database services calls routed to
access tandem switches. The Bureau similarly grants payphone service
providers (``PSPs'') corresponding limited waivers of the requirement
to provide payphone-specific coding digits before they can receive
compensation from interexchange carriers (``IXCs'') for the calls
affected by SBC's technical problems.
The Bureau grants these limited waivers because it finds that
special circumstances exist, and that granting these waivers will
promote the public interest. These waivers are limited in time and
scope, and relate to specific payphone coding digit implementation
problems that SBC states affect a small percentage of the total number
of payphone calls.
Accordingly, pursuant to authority contained in sections 1, 4, 201-
205, 218, 226, and 276 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended,
47 U.S.C. 151, 154, 201-205, 218, 226, and 276, and the authority
delegated pursuant to Sections 0.91, 0.291 and 1.3 of the Commission's
rules, 47 CFR 0.91, 0.291 and 1.3, it is ordered that the waiver
extensions are granted to the extent described herein, and otherwise
are denied.
It is further ordered that this order is effective immediately upon
release thereof, and that the waivers included in this order are
effective June 9, 1998.
List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 64
Communications common carriers, Operator service access, Payphone
compensation, Telephone.
Federal Communications Commission.
Lawrence E. Strickling,
Deputy Bureau Chief, Common Carrier Bureau.
[FR Doc. 98-18237 Filed 7-8-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P
