truth in billing
The Federal Communications Commission has adopted Truth-in-Billing rules to improve consumers' understanding of their telephone bills and to help consumers detect and prevent unauthorized charges (such as cramming). Section 64.2401 of the rules require that a telephone company's bill must:
- Provide a brief, clear, non-misleading, plain language description of the service or services rendered to accompany each charge;
- Identify the service provider associated with each charge
- Clearly and conspicuously identify any change in service provider
- Contain full and non-misleading descriptions of charges
- Identify those charges for which failure to pay will not result in disconnection of the customer's basic local service
- Provide a toll-free number for customers to call in order to lodge a complaint or obtain information
- Place charges from third parties that are not telephone companies in a distinct section of the bill, separate from telephone company charges
- Provide a separate subtotal for third-party charges in the separate bill section and on the payment page.
