Alaska § 45.50.473 - Disclosure of costs of certain telephone services.

§ 45.50.473. Disclosure of costs of certain telephone services.

 (a) A person may not provide an alternate operator service without disclosing to the consumer before a charge is incurred the cost of the service provided by the person and the identity of the person providing those services.

 (b) The owner of a place where telephone business from consumers is aggregated, including a hotel, motel, hospital, and pay telephone other than a telephone utility regulated by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, shall disclose a surcharge added to the cost of local or long distance telephone service before the service is provided. Disclosure may be made by posting the amount of the surcharge on or near the telephone instruments subject to the surcharge or by other reasonable written or oral means.

 (c) A violation of this section constitutes an unfair or deceptive act or practice under AS 45.50.471 . It is presumed that actual damages to the consumer under AS 45.50.531 (a) are equal to the cost of the service provided plus $200. Additional damages must be proved.

 (d) In this section, “alternate operator service”        (1) means a connection to intrastate or interstate long-distance telecommunications facilities from a nonresidential location in the state including a hotel, motel, hospital, or customer-owned pay telephone, or from a place where business from consumers is aggregated, by a person that does not own any of the telecommunications facilities being connected through the service;

 (2) does not include an intrastate or interstate long-distance carrier that contracts for operator services and charges rates for those services that are no greater than the rates charged by long-distance carriers regulated by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska or by the Federal Communications Commission.