Telephone Information
Office of Consumer Advocate's Testimony of Susan M.Baldwin, in the Petition of the North American Numbering Plan Administrator, on Behalf of the Pennsylvania Telecommunications Industry for Approval of Numbering Plan Area Relief Planning for the 814 NPA, Docket # P-2009-2112925 (pdf)
Verizon to Cease Delivering Paper Copies of Residential White Pages. Beginning in January, 2011, Verizon will no longer deliver a paper copy of the residential white page listings to every customer. Free copies of the residential white page listings, however, can be obtained by calling 1-800-888-8448. There will be no shipping and handling charges applied either. Customers can also receive the residential white pages on CD-ROM by calling the same number. All white page listings will also be available on the internet at www.verizon.com/whitepages. For more information, please click here.
Telephone Carriers by County - This is an excel document that you can click on any Incumbent Carrier that serves within your county and it will take you to a list of local exchange carriers that competes within the incumbent's territory including the incumbent.
National Lifeline Awareness Week
The Office of Consumer Advocate recently joined with the Public Utility Commission and other agencies and industry representatives to help Pennsylvanian’s
“Stay Connected” as part of the
National Lifeline Awareness Week. The event was designed to promote the Lifeline and Link-up Assistance Programs which offer discounts to help residents gain and maintain access to basic local telephone service. For more information about Lifeline,
Click Here for the PUC’s brochure or call the PUC at 1-800-692-7380.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a
technology for communicating using “Internet protocol” instead of
traditional analog systems. Some VoIP services need only a regular
phone connection, while others allow you to make telephone calls
using an Internet connection instead. Some VoIP services may allow
you only to call other people using the same service, but others may
allow you to call any telephone number - including local, long
distance, wireless, and international numbers. Not all VoIP
services, however, have the existing regulatory protections afforded
to traditional wireline telephone service. For more information
about VoIP,
click here.
Questions and Answers About the Bona Fide Retail Request (BFRR) Program -- The BFRR program allows customers of Verizon, Verizon North, Embarq and Windstream to obtain high-speed internet service sooner then they may otherwise receive it, if service is currently not available in their area.
Charges on Your Phone Bill (pdf) - A quick reference that describes some of the charges and items on your monthly telephone bills.
What to Think About When Comparing Your Landline Phone to a Wireless Phone
Warning To Senior Citizens Or Anyone With Elderly Parents (Click here for more information). The Office of Consumer Advocate is urging consumers to beware of phone calls offering a “senior discount” on their telephone service.
Special Consumer Advisory from the Attorney General on long distance service
Utility Choice - Has information to help you choose the Local Service Provider (LSP) in your county.
Do Not Call List
Avoid Telemarketing Calls by registering your phone number on either the Pennsylvania Do Not Call List or the National Do Not Call Registry.
Lifeline
Lifeline - There are low income assistance programs for telephone service. Click here for specific information for most local telephone company customers.
For more information about Lifeline, Click Here for the PUC’s brochure or call the PUC at 1-800-692-7380.
Recent Telephone Related Items
OCA Answer - Petition of Windstream Pennsylvania, LLC for BFRR Deployment Extensions Relating to Carrier Servicing Areas in the Albion, Coalport, Conneautville, Rimbersburg, Rockland, Rural Valley, Shippenville, and Sigel Exchanges, Docket No. P-2011-2248534 (pdf), July 13, 2011.
Petition of the Pennsylvania Telephone Association for Order to Expand the Base of Contributing Carriers to the Pennsylvania Universal Service Fund to Include Wireless Carriers and VoIP Providers, Docket Number: P-2010-2217748, January 20, 2011.
FCC Broadband Speed Tip Sheet, June 1, 2010.
Comments of the Office of Consumer Advocate, filed in the Global NAPS Petition for Declaratory Ruling and Alternative Petition for Preemption to the Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Maryland State Commissions, Docket # 10-60 (pdf), Tuesday, April 2, 2010.
Comments of the Office of Consumer Advocate, filed in the Relief Plan for the 717 NPA proceeding, Docket No. P-2009-2136951 before the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (pdf), Tuesday, February 23, 2010.
