Missouri – House Bill 1779 Overview

Missouri Phone companies recently cited House Bill 1779 to opt out of Government regulation…  But what is house bill 1779?

Under current law, gas distribution lines, electric lines, telecommunications facilities, cable T.V. facilities, water lines, storm drainage, and sewer lines located on private property and owned by the landowner are not considered “underground facilities” for purposes of the Underground Facility Safety and Damage Prevention Act. This act modifies this definition by requiring that if any of the above-mentioned lines are used for vehicular traffic control, the lighting of streets and highways, or communications for emergency response, they shall be considered an “underground facility.” The lines shall also be considered an “underground facility” if they cross or lie within a public easement, public right-of-way, or another person’s property.

Read the full Bill

Missouri Phone Companies Say NO to Government Intervention

CenturyTel was first, then came Embarq followed by AT&T and two other phone companies, all telling the Missouri Public Service Commission that their rules don’t apply anymore.

The companies cite House Bill 1779 as reason why they can they can “opt out” of oversight.

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What is the SMSGOV?

SMSGOV.com is home to the Toll Free Advisory Committee (TAC). The Toll Free Advisory Committee (TAC) is a self regulated association of telecom companies. We work as an external layer within the toll free industry. We aggregate news and information involving Responsible Organizations and regulatory agencies including the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and the Service Management System (SMS800.)

We provide a public resource on the topics of telecom and 800 numbers that are accessible to the general public.

SMSGOV is not affiliated or endorsed by the United States Government.
See:About Us

Industry Compliance

One Purpose of the Tollfree Advisory Committee (TAC) is to assist in arbitrating disputes between subscribers/Responsible Organizations/the Government/and end users of telephone and communications services.

See: Compliance

Contacts

inquiries should be sent to: domain(at)sms-gov.us

800 Numbers for Personal Use?

Toll free service has gone through several incarnations over the past four decades. First, 800 numbers were primarily used by big business. This is still the case—almost all of the Fortune 500 companies have an 800 number. Then, toll free service became more affordable and easy to obtain, causing a surge in use by small businesses, online companies, and not-for-profits. Now, personal use is all the rage.

Continue the story…

.TEL Domain Names

The latest top level domain extension – .tel – opens for business today with a new twist on the DNS.

Rather than merely act as a memorable address for a website, a .tel domain is designed to serve as a repository for contact data. By listing phone numbers, websites, Google keywords, physical addresses and email addresses in their .tel entry, the registry’s operators have it, companies and individuals can make themselves much easier to get hold of.

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How to Contact SMSGOV With Any Questions

Please see our Contacts page for our email address.

Thank You

https://smsgov.com/contacts/

How-to Become an Approved Toll Free Resporg

The application process consists of three main steps:

1. Fill out and submit the 10 page Service Establishment Form.
2. Send your deposit to the SMS800 Help Desk. (about $4000)
3. Study for and pass the certification test

You can begin the application process by clicking here


A Bailout for the BIG 3 Phone Companies?

Talks on capitial hill today turned to the forecast that the United States’ Biggest 3 telecommunications companies (AT&T, VERIZON, and SPRINT) may be requesting an economic bailout as early as December 15th 2008.

Toll Free Numbers Disappearing Faster Everyday

More than two-thirds of the available supply of 800, 888, 877, and 866 numbers are taken and millions of new subscribers are registering every year. Business owners who wait much longer to obtain a number might find themselves out of luck. In a competitive market, a toll free number is a valuable commodity for every business.

Continue the Story

“Triggerfish” technology is used to pinpoint cell phones without involving providers.

Triggerfish, also known as cell-site simulators or digital analyzers, are nothing new: the technology was used in the 1990s to hunt down renowned hacker Kevin Mitnick. By posing as a cell tower, triggerfish trick nearby cell phones into transmitting their serial numbers, phone numbers, and other data to law enforcement. Most previous descriptions of the technology, however, suggested that because of range limitations, triggerfish were only useful for zeroing in on a phone’s precise location once cooperative cell providers had given a general location.

more on this