Bill Seeks to Kill 411 Fee Hike by PacBell

Tapping into an issue that has infuriated Californians, a state lawmaker proposed legislation Friday to kill a near-doubling of Pacific Bell’s local directory assistance fees and restore a monthly allotment of free 411 calls for businesses.

The Caller Information Guarantee Act, sponsored by Assemblyman Wally Knox (D-Los Angeles), would override a controversial November decision by the California Public Utilities Commission that cleared the way for the directory assistance changes.

In a contentious 3-2 vote, the PUC approved an 84% increase in PacBell’s per-call 411 fee to 46 cents from 25 cents. The decision also limits PacBell’s residential customers to three free local directory assistance calls (down from five) and eliminates monthly freebies entirely for business customers.

The PUC’s decision was a surprise to many, given that PacBell’s costs are thought to be well below 46 cents per call and that there were forceful objections from consumer groups, Los Angeles County and more than 42,000 consumers who contacted the PUC to register their opposition to the changes.

PacBell, which has 10 million residential and business customers statewide, began charging the higher 411 fees on Dec. 9.

The phone company believes that the changes should stand. “The PUC conducted an exhaustive review of this, and we believe their decision was correct,” PacBell spokesman Michael Heenan said.

PUC officials are already reviewing the November ruling after an appeal from the consumer group Greenlining Institute. Knox’s bill could help persuade the commission that it should consider rescinding the fee hike.

Last year, an area code bill backed by Knox made it into law and played a key role in overturning a PUC decision to impose an area code overlay on West Los Angeles. The bill helped launch long-overdue changes on how phone numbers are distributed.

“Both are cases where the phone companies tried to do something that the public was dead set against,” Knox said. “This [411 ruling] is a terrible decision, and in case the legal challenge doesn’t work, then we have the bill.”