Fair Telephone Billing Act of 2013
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text of measure as introduced: continuing resolutionA stopgap law funding the government at existing levels when the annual appropriations bills are not done by October 1.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) S4408-4409)
Fair Telephone Billing Act of 2013 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit local exchange carriers or providers of interconnected VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service from placing, or causing to be placed, a third-party charge that is not directly related to the provision of telephone services on the bill of a customer, unless: (1) the third-party charge is from a contracted third-party vendor and for a product or service that the carrier or provider markets or sells jointly with its own service, (2) the customer provided affirmative consent for the charge, (3) the customer was provided with a disclosure of material terms and conditions prior to such consent, and (4) the charge is implemented with reasonable procedures to ensure that the customer has requested the product or service.
Defines: (1) a "third-party charge" as a charge for a product or service not provided by a local exchange carrier or a provider of interconnected VoIP service, and (2) a "contracted third-party vendor" as a person with a contractual right to receive billing and collection services from such a carrier or provider for a product or service the person provides directly to a customer.
Subjects violators to civil forfeiture and specified penalties and refund requirements.
Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promulgate rules to: (1) define how local exchange carriers and providers of interconnected VoIP service will obtain affirmative consent from a consumer for a third-party charge, (2) ensure that consumers are fully aware of the charges to which they are consenting, and (3) impose recordkeeping requirements on such carriers and providers related to any grants of affirmative consent by consumers.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on June 12, 2013. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on June 12, 2013: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text of measure as introduced: CR S4408-4409)
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 113th Congress (2013-14), 296 of the 9,091 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.3 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV) introduced it on June 12, 2013, and 2 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 2 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on June 12, 2013, 4838 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4838 days ago, on June 12, 2013.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 113th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2015 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIntroduced, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers