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9.0 |
Standards
for Accuracy of Charging and Metering Devices
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9.1
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In the context of the relevant
Licence Condition (22.1 in the case of SLTL and 20.1 in
the case of Suntel and Lanka Bell), the Committee of
Inquiry orders each fixed-access operator to submit to the
Commission a proposed set of standards it is willing to be
held to with regard to ensuring the accuracy and
reliability of charging and metering devices. The
standards may be foreign standards or adaptations thereof.
Each standard must include specific measurements, targets
and schedules for the achievement of targets. The
operators are required to submit these standards for
approval to the Commission by December 31, 1999. At its
discretion, the Commission may require modifications or
approve the standards as submitted. |
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9.2 |
Reasons for the Order on
Standards for Accuracy of Charging and Metering Devices
Considerable concern was
expressed during the Hearing about the possibilities of
malfunctions on metering and charging equipment that could
result in unfair treatment of subscribers. Formulating and
enforcing proper standards for metering and charging
equipment can reduce the chances for error and improve the
credibility of the operators in their dealings with
subscribers. The Committee believes that the wide
differences among the networks preclude the imposition of
one standard for all fixed-access operators. The Committee
considers it to be in the interest of the operators to
cooperate with the Commission in establishing a viable
self-regulatory arrangement for the enforcement of the
relevant licence condition in order to reduce the
unproductive levels of distrust that currently exist among
subscribers. In the event that operator cooperation is not
forthcoming, the Commission has the option of taking
action to directly enforce the licence condition. |
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10.0 |
Dispute Resolution |
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10.1 |
The Committee of Inquiry makes
the following order on billing related dispute resolution. |
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10.1.1 |
Operators should establish
procedures for the handling of billing related complaints.
These procedures must be compiled in easily understandable
form in all three official languages and must be given due
publicity. |
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10.1.2 |
Each operator must establish
an internal billing-dispute committee that is independent
of the department with responsibility for billing. This
committee must render a decision within 3 months of
complaint, or the completion of the compilation of
evidence. |
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10.1.3 |
All information which may be
helpful in the investigation of billing-related complaints
must be collected and made available to the billing
dispute committee. |
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10.1.4 |
Operators shall retain in
archives for verification purposes meter readings, records
of test calls made on a subscriber’s service, faults
affecting a subscriber’s service and repairs made and
equipment replacements which could affect the subscriber’s
charging. The records kept should be sufficient to enable
an Operator to make restitution to subscribers in case of
an overcharging error. These records should be retained
for a period of at least two years and for a longer period
in the case of unresolved disputes. |
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10.1.5 |
Collect calls form a special
category of dispute because not all the information
necessary for their resolution is available to the
operator. The operators are ordered to give as much
information as possible to subscribers and also to explore
mechanisms for blocking collect calls as has been done in
some other countries. SLTL is ordered to submit a report
on solutions for collect-calls disputes to the Commission
by December 31, 1999. |
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10.1.6 |
While the operator may ask a
subscriber to pay the undisputed portions of the bill, it
must not compel the subscriber to pay the disputed parts
before the billing-disputes committee has delivered its
decision on that subscriber’s dispute. In the event the
subscriber chooses to appeal that decision to the
Commission, the operator may not disconnect the
subscriber’s telephone without the Commission’s permission. |
