Foltman_dh.doc

February 9, 2001

Brad Foltman, Bureau Chief
Budget Bureau
Division of Financial Management
Statehouse
Boise, ID 83720

Re: Proposed and Temporary Administrative Slamming Rules

Dear Brad,

Pursuant to our telephone conversation of February 7, 2001, I have enclosed for your review several documents concerning the Public Utilities Commission’s desire to adopt the Federal Communication Commission’s new rules to prohibit “slamming.” Slamming is a fraudulent activity involving the unauthorized change of a telephone customer’s long-distance or local telephone carrier. The Commission desires to implement these new federal rules as soon as practical.

Rather than simply provide you with the Proposed Administrative Rules Form, I have also included for your information the Commission’s recent Order regarding this matter. On December 4, 2000, the Commission issued a Notice to more than 500 long-distance companies and all of Idaho’s local exchange companies requesting public comment whether to adopt and administer the FCC’s new slamming rules. In the slamming rules, which became effective November 28, 2000, the FCC encouraged States to administer these rules rather than forwarding interstate slamming complaints to the FCC in Washington. The Commission did not receive any comments opposing adoption of the FCC rules. In fact, the Idaho Attorney General, Qwest Corporation, and WorldCom all supported adoption of the new rules.

The Commission is hoping to issue temporary rules and proposed rules on April 4, 2001. I will be out of the office this week but will return on February 19, 2001. If you have questions during the interim, you could contact Ron Law at 334-0330 or Beverly Barker at 334-0302.

Sincerely yours,

Donald L. Howell, II
Deputy Attorney General

Enclosures

cc: Ron Law
Beverly Barker