Marseilles, IL-2020-Archive

Rights & Responsibilities

FRAUD For your protection, new equipment and procedures enable the Telephone Company to detect and investigate fraudulent calls. State law provides that no person shall defraud or attempt to defraud the Telephone Company of its lawful charges. Violators, upon conviction, are subject to imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of up to $1000, or both. Any person who charges services to your number or calling card without your permission are subject to prosecution for violating both federal and state laws. OBSCENE & HARASSING CALLERS It is a criminal offense for anyone to make an obscene, harassing or threatening phone call. Anyone convicted of such an offense is subject to a fine of up to $500 or six months in prison or both. If you receive such a call: • Hang up immediately. Nothing is gained by staying on the line after the first obscene word or if silence lasts past your second “hello.” • Give no personal information such as your name or address. • Advise your children to give no information to strangers. If you’re not at home, they should say “Mother/Father can’t come to the phone right now.” • If the calls persist, contact the State’s Attorney and/or MTCO to file a complaint. • You may want to consider initiating a customer originated trace which will be needed if legal action is to be taken. Please contact our office for further information (see p. 17) about initiating this trace. 900 AND 976 CHARGES Though 900 and 976 numbers do offer a wide variety of information, there is a charge for every call placed. In addition, some 800 numbers can lead to billable charges. Residence and business customers can block all 900 and 976 numbers through an optional service. For further information, please contact our business office. UNLAWFUL WIRETAPPING It is a criminal offense to intercept a phone conversation unless you get prior permission from one of the people participating in the call. Law enforcement officers with court orders can wiretap without prior consent.

RECORDING OF CONVERSATIONS Recording a conversation is not legally permitted unless: • All parties consent verbally or in writing, or • A distinctive tone is heard every 15 seconds during the recording, or • The party which is intending to record the conversation notifies the other party at the beginning of the conversation that the call is being recorded. Law enforcement officers with court orders and broadcast stations who are recording for broadcast purpose are exempted from these restrictions. CUSTOMER PROVIDED EQUIPMENT Customers may connect customer-owned equipment to the Telephone Company’s facilities under certain conditions specified by the Federal Commerce Commission. Generally, these conditions require that the connection be made through FCC approved jacks or other connecting arrangements. The Telephone Company does not repair customer-provided equipment. The customer will be billed a service charge for each repair visit made by the Company, if it is determined that the service difficulty resulted from the use of customer-provided equipment. BURIED CABLE LOCATIONS Before you (or your contractors) do any digging, trenching or landscaping on or near your property, please call JULIE (Joint Utility Locating Information for Excavators) for cable locations in the area. You are legally responsible to call the JULIE toll free number 800-892-0123 to contact utility companies in the area. This call should be placed at least 48 hours before the digging begins, but even short notice is better than neglecting to call at all. Customers will be held responsible for the repair or replacement of damaged telephone cable and other MTCO property. FAIR RESOLUTION OF COMPLAINTS We believe that our customers deserve to be treated with respect, courtesy & honesty. If you have a complaint or grievance about our telephone services, billing or other policies and procedures, we want to hear from you so that the matter can be settled fairly. Our service representatives have the responsibility to answer your questions in a professional manner. If you’re not satisfied with the Company’s position, you may contact the Illinois Commerce Commission in Chicago at 800-524-0795.

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