Telephone Operator Consumer Services Improvement Act of 1990
Public Law 101-435 · H.R. 971 · 101st Congress · began in the House
Signed by George H. W. Bush (R) on Oct 17, 1990 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN-4)
Cosponsors (33): Rep. Allan Swift, Rep. Mickey Leland,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Telephone Operator Consumer Services Improvement Act of 1990 - Requires each provider of telephone operator services to: (1) identify itself to the telephone user at the beginning of each telephone call and before the user is charged for such call; (2) permit the customer to terminate the call at no charge before the call is connected; (3) make certain disclosures immediately to the customer concerning rates and charges; (4) ensure that persons that make telephones available to customers on business premises for interstate telephone calls using a provider of operator services (aggregators) are in compliance with certain requirements concerning the posting of notice and information relating to such provider; (5) withhold payments of compensation to aggregators that block access by an 800 or 950 number to interstate common carriers or that block access to equal access codes; (6) not bill for unanswered telephone calls or calls that do not reflect the origin of the call; and (7) not engage in "call splashing" (the transfer of telephone calls between providers of telephone services in such a way that the subsequent provider of the service is unable or unwilling to determine the location of the origin of the call). Outlines additional requirements to be followed by providers of telephone operator services for the first three years after enactment of this Act, as well as requirements for aggregators.
Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to prescribe regulations to: (1) protect consumers from unfair and deceptive practices relating to their use of operator services to place interstate telephone calls; and (2) ensure that consumers have the opportunity to make informed choices in making such calls.
Requires the FCC to require: (1) each aggregator to ensure that each such telephone allows the consumer to obtain access to the provider of operator services desired by the customer through the use of an equal access code; or (2) providers of operator services to make available to their customers an 800 or 950 access code number for use in making operator service calls from anywhere in the United States. Requires the FCC to consider the need to prescribe compensation for owners of competitive public pay telephones for calls routed to providers of operator services other than the presubscribed provider of operator services for such telephone. Requires any telephone equipment manufactured or imported and installed more than 18 months after enactment of this Act to be technologically capable of providing consumers with access to providers of telephone operator services through the use of equal access codes.
Requires providers of telephone operator services to file and update regularly an informational tariff specifying rates charged to customers for telephone access and use. Allows the FCC to waive such requirements after four years after enactment of this Act under certain conditions. Authorizes the FCC to review such informational tariffs and initiate appropriate proceedings to determine whether regulatory objectives are being achieved in specific cases. Requires the FCC to: (1) submit reports on its findings; and (2) establish implementing regulations unless it determines that market forces are securing just and reasonable charges.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Energy and Commerce Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 21 actions.
- Oct 17, 1990Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 101-435.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 5, 1990PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 3, 1990Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Markey asked unanimous consent that the House agree to the Senate amendment.
- Oct 1, 1990FloorFloor · Passed Senate in lieu of S. 1660 with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Sep 26, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Sep 25, 1989FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Markey moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Aug 3, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Jun 27, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Energy and Commerce Committee
- May 24, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Apr 5, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Feb 27, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Feb 9, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Energy and Commerce Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.