Montana Code Annotated 2023

TITLE 69. PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS

CHAPTER 3. REGULATION OF UTILITIES

Part 11. Intrastate Consumer Protection

Definitions

69-3-1102. Definitions. As used in this part, the following definitions apply:

(1) "Aggregator surcharge" means a charge to a customer by an entity that, in the ordinary course of its operations, makes telephones available to the public or to transient users of its premises for intrastate telephone calls using an operator service provider.

(2) "Customer" means a person who makes an intrastate telephone call through an operator service provider or the person accepting a collect telephone call made through an operator service provider.

(3) "Exorbitant rate" means a rate for an intrastate telephone call completed by an operator service provider that is greater than the allowable rate established by the commission. The allowable rate is inclusive of the call rate and any aggregator surcharge or other calling fee collected from a customer by the operator service provider.

(4) "Operator service provider" means any person, company, or entity that provides automated or live assistance to a customer to arrange for billing or completion, or both, of an intrastate telephone call through a method other than:

(a) automatic completion, with billing to the telephone from which the call originated; or

(b) completion through an access code used by the customer, with billing to an account previously established with a telecommunications carrier by the customer.

(5) "Telecommunications carrier" means the same as provided in 69-3-1302.

History: En. Sec. 2, Ch. 155, L. 1999.