Okla. Admin. Code § 165:56-10-2

Current through Vol. 42, No. 7, December 16, 2024

Section 165:56-10-2 - Content of bills

(a)Bill organization. Telephone bills shall be clearly organized, and must comply with the following requirements:

(1) The name of the service provider associated with each charge must be clearly and conspicuously identified on the telephone bill.

(2) Where charges for two or more service providers appear on the same telephone bill, the charges must be separated by service provider.

(3) The telephone bill must clearly and conspicuously identify any change in the service provider, including identification of charges from any new service provider.

(4) The telephone bill shall clearly and conspicuously label all fees, surcharges, taxes, and usage rates, associated with the customer's use of the provider's service, including but not limited to, calling plans, universal service fees, access fees, and other separated charges.

(b)Descriptions of billed charges. Charges contained on telephone bills must be accompanied by a brief, clear, non-misleading, plain language description of the service or services rendered. The description must be sufficiently clear in presentation and specific enough in content so that end-users can accurately assess that the services for which they are billed correspond to those that they have requested and received, and that the costs assessed for those services conform to their understanding of the price charged.

(c)Quantification of billed charges. All bills shall also contain the following:

(1) Balance in each billed account at the beginning of the current billing cycle, using a term such as "previous balance";

(2) Amount of the charges debited to each billed account during the current billing cycle, using a term such as "current service";

(3) Amount of payments made to each billed account from the previous billing cycle, using a term such as "payments";

(4) Amount of the charges debited to each billed account during the current billing cycle for untimely payment of past charges, using a term such as "late charge";

(5) A listing of the closing dates of the current billing cycle and the outstanding balance in each billed account on that date, specifying the "current amount due" and the "past due";

(6) A listing of the statement, or payment, due date.

(d)Deniable and non-deniable charges. Where a bill contains charges for basic local service, in addition to other charges, the bill must distinguish between charges for which nonpayment will result in disconnection of basic local service, and charges for which nonpayment will not result in such disconnection. The carrier must explain this distinction to the end-user and must clearly and conspicuously identify on the bill those charges for which nonpayment will not result in disconnection of basic local service. Carriers may also elect to devise other methods of informing end-users on the bill that they may contest charges prior to payment.

(e)Disclosure of inquiry contacts.

(1) Billing agents shall prominently display, a toll-free number or numbers by which end-users may inquire or dispute any charges on each bill. Where the end-user does not receive a paper copy of his or her telephone bill, but instead accesses that bill only by e-mail or internet, the carrier may comply with this requirement by providing an e-mail or web site address on each bill. Each carrier must make a business address available upon request from an end-user.

(2) A reseller may list a toll-free number for itself, a clearinghouse, or other third party, provided such party possesses sufficient information to answer questions concerning the end-user's account and is fully authorized to resolve the end-user's complaints on the service provider's behalf.

Okla. Admin. Code § 165:56-10-2

Added at 15 Ok Reg 3075, eff 7-15-98; Amended at 18 Ok Reg 2437, eff 7-1-01