Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!ucsd!rutgers!mit-eddie!killer!vector!nobody From: edell%garnet.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Richard Edell) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: PINs and Calling Cards as credit cards Message-ID: Date: 27 Jan 89 00:37:46 GMT Sender: chip@vector.UUCP Lines: 14 Approved: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-Submissions-To: telecom@bu-cs.bu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 32, message 4 According to a copy I have of "Regulation Z - Truth in Lending" (published by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System) public utility credit is exempt from Regulation Z (Section 226.3.c); and it is this regulation (Section 226.12 - Special Credit Card Provisions) that provides the consumer protections we're talking about (card must be requested, $50.00 limitation of cousumer libility, etc.). If Regulation Z is the only source of these protections and if public utility credit is exempt, then these protections do not apply to consumer credit. But, I guess you can call Calling Cards credit cards. (Note: this exemption only applies to public utility services (not equipment) for which the charge are regulated by any government unit.) -Richard Edell