TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FCC Authorizes Impounding of 800 Numbers: AT&T; Corp. said the Federal Communications Commission has given it authority to impound the numbers when callers are billed illegally. AT&T; said the move steps up pressure on companies, particularly those offering adult entertainment, to protect the integrity of toll-free 800 numbers and eliminate unauthorized bills to the phone number where the call originated. Some services pay for the call to the 800 number but collect for the service by tracing the call to its origination and billing that number, whether it’s the caller’s home or a public place, such as a hotel or school. By impounding an improperly used 800 number, AT&T; said, it stops the company from deriving any more revenue from the number.