§ 5701. — Short title; findings.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 15USC5701]
TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND TRADE
CHAPTER 83--TELEPHONE DISCLOSURE AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Sec. 5701. Short title; findings
(a) Short title
This chapter may be cited as the ``Telephone Disclosure and Dispute
Resolution Act''.
(b) Findings
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The use of pay-per-call services, most commonly through the
use of 900 telephone numbers, has grown exponentially in the past
few years into a national, billion-dollar industry as a result of
recent technological innovations. Such services are convenient to
consumers, cost-effective to vendors, and profitable to
communications common carriers.
(2) Many pay-per-call businesses provide valuable information,
increase consumer choices, and stimulate innovative and responsive
services that benefit the public.
(3) The interstate nature of the pay-per-call industry means
that its activities are beyond the reach of individual States and
therefore requires Federal regulatory treatment to protect the
public interest.
(4) The lack of nationally uniform regulatory guidelines has led
to confusion for callers, subscribers, industry participants, and
regulatory agencies as to the rights of callers and the oversight
responsibilities of regulatory authorities, and has allowed some
pay-per-call businesses to engage in practices that abuse the rights
of consumers.
(5) Some interstate pay-per-call businesses have engaged in
practices which are misleading to the consumer, harmful to the
public interest, or contrary to accepted standards of business
practices and thus cause harm to the many reputable businesses that
are serving the public.
(6) Because the consumer most often incurs a financial
obligation as soon as a pay-per-call transaction is completed, the
accuracy and descriptiveness of vendor advertisements become crucial
in avoiding consumer abuse. The obligation for accuracy should
include price-per-call and duration-of-call information, odds
disclosure for lotteries, games, and sweepstakes, and obligations
for obtaining parental consent from callers under 18.
(7) The continued growth of the legitimate pay-per-call industry
is dependent upon consumer confidence that unfair and deceptive
behavior will be effectively curtailed and that consumers will have
adequate rights of redress.
(8) Vendors of telephone-billed goods and services must also
feel confident in their rights and obligations for resolving billing
disputes if they are to use this new marketplace for the sale of
products of more than nominal value.
(Pub. L. 102-556, Sec. 1, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4181.)
References in Text
This chapter, referred to in subsec. (a), was in the original ``this
Act'', meaning Pub. L. 102-556, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4181, which
enacted this chapter and section 228 of Title 47, Telegraphs,
Telephones, and Radiotelegraphs, amended sections 227 and 302a of Title
47, enacted provisions set out as a note under section 302a of Title 47,
and amended provisions set out as a note under section 227 of Title 47.
For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.
