United States 113th Congress Status: Died 1 D cosponsors

S 1144 — Fair Telephone Billing Act of 2013

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text of measure as introduced: CR S4408-4409)

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. Died in session

This bill died with 113th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Fair Telephone Billing Act of 2013 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit local exchange carriers or providers of interconnected VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service from placing, or causing to be placed, a third-party charge that is not directly related to the provision of telephone services on the bill of a customer, unless: (1) the third-party charge is from a contracted third-party vendor and for a product or service that the carrier or provider markets or sells jointly with its own service, (2) the customer provided affirmative consent for the charge, (3) the customer was provided with a disclosure of material terms and conditions prior to such consent, and (4) the charge is implemented with reasonable procedures to ensure that the customer has requested the product or service. Defines: (1) a "third-party charge" as a charge for a product or service not provided by a local exchange carrier or a provider of interconnected VoIP service, and (2) a "contracted third-party vendor" as a person with a contractual right to receive billing and collection services from such a carrier or provider for a product or service the person provides directly to a customer. Subjects violators to civil forfeiture and specified penalties and refund requirements. Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promulgate rules to: (1) define how local exchange carriers and providers of interconnected VoIP service will obtain affirmative consent from a consumer for a third-party charge, (2) ensure that consumers are fully aware of the charges to which they are consenting, and (3) impose recordkeeping requirements on such carriers and providers related to any grants of affirmative consent by consumers.

Bill Text

We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.

Read S 1144 on the official United States source →

Action History

  1. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text of measure as introduced: CR S4408-4409)

  2. Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4407-4408)

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 546 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (546)

546 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

technology
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Frequently asked questions

What does S 1144 do?
Fair Telephone Billing Act of 2013 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit local exchange carriers or providers of interconnected VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service from placing, or causing to be placed, a third-party charge that is not directly related to the provision of telephone services on the bill of a customer, unless: (1) the third-party charge is from a contracted third-party vendor and for a product or service that the carrier or provider markets or sells jointly with its own service, (2) the customer provided affirmative consent for the charge, (3) the customer was provided with a disclosure of material terms and conditions prior to such consent, and (4) the charge is implemented with reasonable procedures to ensure that the customer has requested the product or service. Defines: (1) a "third-party charge" as a charge for a product or service not provided by a local exchange carrier or a provider of interconnected VoIP service, and (2) a "contracted third-party vendor" as a person with a contractual right to receive billing and collection services from such a carrier or provider for a product or service the person provides directly to a customer. Subjects violators to civil forfeiture and specified penalties and refund requirements. Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promulgate rules to: (1) define how local exchange carriers and providers of interconnected VoIP service will obtain affirmative consent from a consumer for a third-party charge, (2) ensure that consumers are fully aware of the charges to which they are consenting, and (3) impose recordkeeping requirements on such carriers and providers related to any grants of affirmative consent by consumers.
Who sponsors S 1144?
S 1144 is sponsored by John Rockefeller (Democrat).
What is the current status of S 1144?
This bill died with 113th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track S 1144?
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