(a) Except as
provided in (c) of this section, an interexchange carrier that offers a prepaid
calling card service is not required to include those services in its tariff if
the prepaid service is available for sale to the general public.
(b) Except for cards provided at no charge to
the final customer, prepaid calling cards may not be limited to a single
customer or group of customers.
(c)
Prepaid calling card services sold to inmates in a correctional facility are
not eligible for detariffing under this section.
(d) Each rate, term, condition, and
limitation of service must be clearly posted at the point of sale, and the
following information must be
(1) placed on
the card:
(A) the name of the service
provider;
(B) the access telephone
number;
(C) the customer's personal
identification number (PIN);
(D) a
toll-free customer service telephone number;
(2) placed on the card or card packaging:
(A) the expiration policy, if any;
(B) the recharge policy, if any;
(C) the policy for rounding of billing
increments;
(D) either the total
number of billing units or the rate per billing unit;
(3) placed on the card packaging:
(A) the name of the service
provider;
(B) a toll-free customer
service telephone number; and
(4) posted at the point of sale:
(A) the name of the service
provider;
(B) a toll-free customer
service telephone number;
(C) a
list of each surcharge and surcharge amount, expressed in minutes or in billing
units if the billing unit is not a minute;
(D) the expiration policy, if any;
(E) the recharge policy, if any;
(F) the policy for rounding of billing
increments;
(G) the card's total
number of billing units;
(H) the
rate per billing unit;
(I)
sufficient information for the customer to easily determine the maximum rate
per minute.
(e) An interexchange carrier shall refund the
purchase price or provide a replacement prepaid calling card to a customer if
the card does not work as represented or the requirements of (d) of this
section are not met. The commission may direct that a refund be provided to a
customer for good cause.
(f) In
this section,
(1) "prepaid calling card"
means a card
(A) that enables a purchaser to
make domestic or international long distance telephone calls by
(i) dialing the toll-free number on the
carrier's connecting switch; and
(ii) using a personal identification number
(PIN) placed on the card;
(B) for which the purchaser prepays a
specific dollar amount;
(C) that
provides minutes of long distance service, or units per minute, that
(i) are based upon the specific rates set by
the carrier; and
(ii) as a call is
made, are automatically deducted from the card balance of usable minutes or
units, with the balance being recorded either on the card itself or on a
central computer through which the calls are routed; and
(D) that may be rechargeable, allowing the
purchaser to add more minutes, or units per minute, of calling time by
(i) dialing a toll-free telephone number or
visiting an Internet web site; and
(ii) using a credit card;
(2) "long distance
service" has the meaning given in
AS
42.05.890.
