Isles seek FCC
order for phone
bill details

Hawaii joins 26 other states
in a bid to make companies
spell everything out

By Harold Morse
Star-Bulletin

Hawaii and 26 other states are asking the Federal Communications Commission to require telephone carriers to provide more thorough, accurate and understandable bills.

They want consumers to know what they're being charged for, so customers can easily dispute any errors.

Jo Ann M. Uchida, executive director of the state Office of Consumer Protection, said her office receives many complaints from consumers who have difficulty figuring out their bills and in determining whether billings are accurate. It's hard to establish what charges are voluntary, which are mandatory, which are new and how to dispute improper charges, Uchida added.

Representatives of two of the largest carriers, AT&T and MCI, could not be reached for comment.

Uchida said people are being charged for items they never agreed to pay for, and that some have had carriers switched without their consent.

Intermediary operators between the larger long-distance carriers and the customers have caused confusion, Uchida said.

For example, people might avail themselves of 10 minutes of "free" psychic readings, keep tabs on the time and hang up after nine minutes. "Bills pop up," Uchida said. They may not mention the word psychic, just the name of an intermediary company.

"Consumers are being bombarded with too many hidden and unauthorized charges on their phone bills and too often do not know where to turn to dispute errors," Uchida said.

The states asking the FCC to bring about billing improvements claim bills that do not clearly list line-item charges allow telephone carriers to practice "slamming" -- which is a carrier taking over a consumer's long-distance or local toll service without authorization.

Such bills also allow "cramming" -- when a consumer is charged for unauthorized services, such as calling cards, voice mail or personal toll-free numbers.

States ask that bills:

Be clearly organized and highlight any new charges or changes to consumer services.

Contain full and accurate descriptions of charges and identify the service provider responsible for each charge.

Disclose information that consumers may need to ask questions about the various charges.

Disclose the identity of the provider of each service being billed for, including the name and business addresses, and a toll-free number of someone who has the authority to issue a credit or refund.

Provide a section listing changes in service.

The other states joining in the request to the FCC are Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.