Consumers getting crank calls from out of state will be able to track them down under new federal regulations, clearing the way for caller ID services to be offered on a nationwide basis.
But consumers will have to wait at least until April 12, 1995, to buy these new services from local phone companies. That's when the regulations, adopted by the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday, take effect.To access the service, consumers need to buy a device that connects to the telephone jack and phone and then subscribe to the service from the local phone company.
The national service will allow a consumer in Texas, for example, to see the number of a person calling, regardless of the state in which the call originated. Currently, consumers with caller ID can identify only in-state calls, said FCC attorney Suzanne Hutchings.
The FCC held off implementing the regulations until April 1995 to give phone companies time to install equipment. Many phone companies already offer some form of local caller ID, which is regulated on a state-by-state basis.
To balance the privacy rights of callers against the identifying technology, the FCC regulations require telephone companies to offer per-call blocking to consumers for free.
Blocking allows the person making a call to stop his or her number from being revealed on a caller ID device.
To block a call, consumers will have to dial star 67 before placing a long-distance call. This command, which applies only to long-distance calls, will work in every state.
For blocking local calls, states have their own blocking commands, but most use star 67, Hutchings said.
Under the new regulations, companies will be able to use caller ID service to track incoming calls nationwide.
Currently, companies rely on 800-number and 900-number providers to track such information, said Kathleen Levitz, acting chief of the FCC's Common Carrier Bureau.
Companies can use caller ID or similar technology for faster routing and processing of calls for services ranging from pay-per-view television, home shopping and banking to emergency dispatch, the FCC said.
Companies can use such technology to reduce fraud or tighten security to databases or company computer systems, the FCC said.
The FCC also made clear that companies providing 800-number and 900-number service cannot reuse or sell callers' telephone numbers to third parties unless callers give their consent.
Phone companies will be required to educate consumers about the availability of caller ID and other identification services, how they work and what consumers' rights are, under the new regulations.