H. Bill Format

(1) Telephone bills containing non-communications charges must be clearly organized, readily understandable, and provide sufficient information to enable subscribers to verify whether the charges they were billed for are the charges they authorized. They must satisfy all of the applicable requirements set forth in Sections 2889.9 and 2890.

(2) Non-communications charges must be placed in a separate section of the telephone bill clearly labeled "Non-communications-related charges." Within this section, each vendor's charges must be placed in a separate sub-section, and the name of the vendor and billing agent associated with each charge must be clearly identified. If the vendor or billing agent used a name different from its legal name in marketing the product or service sold to the subscriber, that name must also appear next to the charge, so that subscribers can verify the source of the charge.

(a) Upon request, billing telephone companies shall provide Commission staff with separate lists of the communications-related and non-communications-related products and services they bill, and the names of the vendors and billing agents on whose behalf they bill for these charges. Billing telephone companies shall require the entities on whose behalf they bill, including billing agents, to provide this underlying information about the charges they have forwarded to the billing telephone company. This requirement must be included in billing telephone companies' contracts to provide third-party billing services, and/or in their billing and collection tariffs, where applicable.

(3) Each bill must provide a clear, concise, non-misleading description of the product or service for which a charge has been imposed. The description of the product or service must be sufficiently clear and specific to enable subscribers to determine whether the products or services for which they are being billed are the products or services that they have requested and received.

(4) If the telephone bill includes charges for local exchange service, the section of the bill containing non-communications charges must include a notice that states:

"The telephone company is not allowed to disconnect your basic local service for failure to pay this portion of your bill. It may, however, take steps other than disconnection, as permitted by law, to collect legitimate charges."