California Bill to Ban Phone Fees for Unlisted Numbers Fails

Telephone companies heavily lobbied members of the California legislature to block a bill that would ban fees for having a unlisted telephone number in the state.

Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills)

Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) recognized her bill lacked enough votes, so she put the bill “on hold” for the remainder of this year.  Pavley’s bill would prohibit telephone companies in the state from charging a fee for an unlisted phone number.

Pavley blamed telecommunications industry lobbyists for the bill’s failure, complaining that lobbyists spend a great deal of time with members to keep consumer-friendly bills from becoming law.

California telephone companies routinely charge between $1.25-1.50 a month for an unlisted number.  Pavley claims such fees are unwarranted and inhibit the right for customers to maintain privacy by choosing not to have their contact information published in the White Pages.  She also suggests revenue-hungry telephone companies could follow the trend in some other states to increase the price for the service.  Some phone companies charge up to $5.50 a month for unlisted numbers.

Telephone companies countered that providing free unlisted numbers would lead to more consumers choosing this option, diminishing the value of the White Pages, potentially costing jobs, and a loss in revenue ranging from $50 million a year for AT&T, the largest phone company in the state, to approximately $1 million a year for Frontier Communications, primarily providing service in suburbs around Sacramento.

Pavley promises to launch a public awareness campaign and reintroduce her bill next year.

“To level the playing field,” she said, “you need to get the public to pay attention.”

911 Charge on Phone Bills Extended in Pennsylvania

Residents in Monroe County, Pennsylvania will continue to pay $1.25 a month per telephone line to help defray the costs of providing 911 service in the area.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission regulates the telephone charges customers pay to underwrite the costs of providing emergency notification systems across Pennsylvania.  Residents pay between $1 and $1.50 per month depending on the size of the county they reside in, which accounts for the level of staffing and service the 911 system must provide for each area.

Telephone companies charging the fee in the immediate Monroe County area include Verizon PA, Inc.; Commonwealth (Frontier) Telephone Company; Palmerton Telephone Company, and various cable and other competitive telephone providers serving the county.

Mobile phone companies must also contribute to the 911 fund.