PUBLIC LAW 102-556—OCT. 28, 1992

106 STAT. 4181

Public Law 102-556
102d Congress

An Act

To protect the public interest and the future development of pay-per-call technology
by providing for the regulation and oversight of the applications and growth
of the pay-per-call industry, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE, FINDINGS.

(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act 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 informa-
tion, 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 partici-
pants, 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 hi avoiding consumer abuse. The obligation
for accuracy should include price-per-call and duration-of-call
information, odds disclosure for lotteries, games, and sweep-
stakes, 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

Oct. 28, 1992
[H.R. 6191]

Telephone
Disclosure and
Dispute
Resolution Act.
15 USC 5701.