TELEMARKETING: PROHIBIT BLOCKING CALLER ID

House Bill 4126

Sponsor: Rep. Chris Kolb

Committee: Energy and Technology

Complete to 2-13-01

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4126 AS INTRODUCED 1-31-01

The bill would amend Public Act 227 of 1971, which governs home solicitation sales, to prohibit telemarketers from blocking the caller ID function on residential telephones and to prohibit long-distance or local telephone companies from providing caller ID blocking services to telemarketers.

More specifically, telephone solicitors would be prohibited from using telephone equipment ("or telecommunication network elements") that blocked or otherwise interfered with the caller ID function on a residential telephone so that the solicitor's number wasn't displayed when he or she called a residential telephone. The bill also would prohibit local exchange providers or interexchange toll providers from providing any network elements or services to telephone solicitors that would block or otherwise interfere with, on a per line basis, the display of the telephone solicitor's name and telephone number on a residential subscriber's caller ID equipment. Local exchange providers and interexchange providers also would be required to modify their tariffs to reflect he bill's requirements within 60 days after the bill took effect.

The bill would define a number of terms, including "caller identification service" or "caller ID" (a telephone service that notifies telephone subscribers of the telephone number of incoming telephone calls), "interexchange provider" (a company that is authorized by the Michigan Public Service Commission to provide long distance toll telephone service), "residential telephone subscriber," "telephone solicitor" and "telephone solicitation."

MCL 445.111a

Analyst: S. Ekstrom

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.