Agenda Date:  March 28, 2001
Item Number:  2J

Docket:  UT-001090
Company Name:  One Call Communications, Inc.

Staff:  Vicki Elliott, Assistant Director, Consumer Affairs
 Carlene Hughes, Program Coordinator
 Mark Halliday, Compliance Manager
 John Foster, Investigator
 Bruce Grimm, Investigator
 Alan Dickson, Investigator
 Foster Hernandez, Investigator

Recommendation:
Issue a Complaint against One Call Communications, Inc.  Accept the proposed 
Agreement to Penalties to resolve the Complaint.

Discussion:
The proposed Complaint and Agreement to Penalties in this matter comes from a 
staff investigation into the business, billing, and disclosure practices of One 
Call Communications, Inc.( One Call).  The investigation was prompted by staff 
inspections which indicated that One Call operators did not properly identify 
itself to pay phone consumers and that One Call did not properly offer rate 
quotes to pay phone consumers at locations where One Call is the operator 
services provider.  

Staff notified One Call, by letter dated July 18, 2000, that Staff opened an 
investigation.  In the same letter, Staff requested specific pay phone 
locations.  By letter dated July 31, 2000, One Call transmitted the information 
requested by Staff.  Staff then began test calls from specific pay phone 
locations.  During the ensuing investigation, Staff found the following 
violations of Commission rule:

Improper Branding:
WAC 480-120-141(4) requires operator services providers to identify the company 
name at the outset of all consumer calls.  During its investigation, Staff 
noted 28 instances where operators did not properly identify the company name 
at the outset of the call.  

Noncompliance with Verbal Disclosure Requirements:  
RCW 80.36.520 directs the Commission to adopt rules to assure appropriate 
disclosure to consumers of the rates, charges, and fees for services provided 
by an operator services provider.   The Commission adopted such rules in WAC 
480-120-141(2) on December 29, 1998.  During its investigation, Staff noted 31 
instances where the operators did not properly offer a rate quote to pay phone 
consumers.


On February 2, 2001, Staff notified One Call of its findings and invited the 
company to enter into discussions to resolve these issues.  Over the next 
several weeks, Commission Staff and One Call shared information and discussed a 
possible resolution.  These discussions resulted in the proposed Agreement to 
Penalties presented today.

Briefly, in the Agreement, One Call has admitted to violation of Commission 
rules and has agreed to the following sanctions:  $11,400 in penalties; 
reimbursement of $4,400 to the Commission for the cost of the investigation; 
and immediate and continued compliance with all state laws and rules.  

Recommendation
Staff recommends the Commission issue a Complaint against One Call 
Communications, Inc., and accept the proposed Agreement to Penalties to resolve 
the Complaint.