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91_HB2771eng HB2771 Engrossed LRB9101117JSpc 1 AN ACT to amend the Public Utilities Act by changing 2 Section 13-901. 3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 4 represented in the General Assembly: 5 Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by 6 changing Section 13-901 as follows: 7 (220 ILCS 5/13-901) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 13-901) 8 (Section scheduled to be repealed on July 1, 1999) 9 Sec. 13-901. Operator Service Provider. 10 (a) For the purposes of this Section: 11 (1) "Operator service provider" means every 12 telecommunications carrier that provides operator 13 services or any other person or entity that the 14 Commission determines is providing operator services. 15 (2) "Aggregator" means any person or entity that is 16 not an operator service provider and that in the ordinary 17 course of its operations makes telephones available to 18 the public or to transient users of its premises 19 including, but not limited to, a hotel, motel, hospital, 20 or university for telephone calls between points within 21 this State that are specified by the user using an 22 operator service provider. 23 (3) "Operator services" means any 24 telecommunications service that includes, as a component, 25 any automatic or live assistance to a consumer to arrange 26 for billing or completion, or both, of a telephone call 27 between points within this State that are specified by 28 the user through a method other than: 29 (A) automatic completion with billing to the 30 telephone from which the call originated; 31 (B) completion through an access code or a HB2771 Engrossed -2- LRB9101117JSpc 1 proprietory account number used by the consumer, 2 with billing to an account previously established 3 with the carrier by the consumer; or 4 (C) completion in association with directory 5 assistance services. 6 (b) The Commission shall, by rule or order, adopt and 7 enforce operating requirements for the provision of 8 operator-assisted services. The rules shall apply to operator 9 service providers and to aggregators. The rules shall be 10 compatible with the rules adopted by the Federal 11 Communications Commission under the federal Telephone 12 Operator Consumer Services Improvement Act of 1990. These 13 requirements shall address, but not necessarily be limited 14 to, the following: 15 (1) oral and written notification of the identity 16 of the operator service provider and the availability of 17 information regarding operator service provider rates, 18 collection methods, and complaint resolution methods; 19 (2) restrictions on billing and charges for 20 operator services; 21 (3) restrictions on "call splashing" as that term 22 is defined in 47 C.F.R. Section 64.708; 23 (4) access to other telecommunications carriers by 24 the use of access codes including, but not limited to 25 800, 888, 950, and 10XXX numbers; 26 (5) the appropriate routing and handling of 27 emergency calls; 28 (6) the enforcement of these rules through tariffs 29 for operator services and by a requirement that operator 30 service providers withhold payment of compensation to 31 aggregators that have been found to be noncomplying by 32 the Commission. 33 (c) The Commission shall adopt any rule necessary to 34 make rules previously adopted under this Section compatible HB2771 Engrossed -3- LRB9101117JSpc 1 with the rules of the Federal Communications Commission no 2 later than one year after the effective date of this 3 amendatory Act of 1993. 4 (d) A violation of any rule adopted by the Commission 5 under subsection (b) is a business offense subject to a fine 6 of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000. In addition, 7 the Commission may, after notice and hearing, order any 8 telecommunications carrier to terminate service to any 9 aggregator found to have violated any rule. 10(e) This Section is repealed on July 1, 1999.11 (Source: P.A. 90-38, eff. 6-27-97.) 12 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 13 becoming law.