Path: utzoo!telecom-request Date: Sat, 22 Jun 91 19:31:11 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Congressional Panels Okay Bills Against Caller*ID Message-ID: Organization: TELECOM Digest Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 480, Message 10 of 11 Lines: 26 Acting separately, two congressional sub-committees voted Thursday that where Caller*ID is offered by telephone companies, *per-call* blocking must be made available at no charge. The House Commerce Sub-Committee on Telecommunications and the Senate Judiciary Sub-Committee on Technology and Law both voted on similar items, and differences will be ironed out later on. Both groups rejected *per-line* blocking, but said that option could be available in individual states. According to Representative Matthew Rinaldo (R-NJ) "The desire of people to have privacy in their homes and not be intruded on by unwanted calls is not as important as the right of people who wish to make calls anonymously." And Senator Herbert Kohl (D-WI) noted, "People should have a right to make phone calls anonymously and not have to say who they are." The final bill will be presented to Congress for a vote later this year. PAT