Limits for 900 and 976 Prefixes Urged

Pacific Bell should be required to offer its proposed 900 and controversial 976 message prefixes only to those telephone customers who sign up for the services in advance, a coalition of consumer groups said Wednesday.

The proposal--immediately criticized by opponents as attempted censorship--was made in a legal document filed with the state Public Utilities Commission by Public Advocates, a law firm representing a dozen groups, including Consumer Action.

The PUC is considering Pacific Bell’s request for a new telephone code that the utility says is aimed at controlling dial-a-porn on the 976 prefix. An administrative law judge held a 10-day hearing on the request and ordered the opposing sides to file briefs by Wednesday. The issue is not expected to be decided until early next year.

If PUC commissioners approve Pacific Bell’s request, the utility will offer three 900-prefix numbers: one for adult, sexually oriented messages; one for so-called “chat lines” and one for general audiences.

The service would be offered to all of Pacific Bell’s 7 million residential customers in California, according to company spokeswoman Charlene Baldwin.

“Our position is that pre-subscription would negate one of the main benefits of 900 service, and that is the convenience of being able to use it on a casual basis,” Baldwin said. “There is so much information out there that once we control pornography there would be more information providers offering services.”

She noted that a new state law requires dial-a-porn to be confined to an identifiable prefix. Eventually, she said, objectionable material on 976 would shift to the special 900 number.

“Consumers want a simple way to protect themselves from unauthorized 976 and 900 charges,” said Ken McEldowney, executive director of Consumer Action. “Pre-subscription is the only fair way.”

San Francisco attorney Nick Selby, representing the Information Providers Assn., said his group of “about 100” information providers, equipment manufacturers and technical magazine publishers supports Pacific Bell and opposes pre-subscription because it violates freedom of speech. They also oppose it on financial grounds.

“We point out that $22 million, which has already been spent by Pacific Bell to provide virtually every subscriber in California (with the capacity) to block 976 and 900 calls would be wasted,” he said.