Dear Customer :

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of several changes that Bell Atlantic is making to the Unlawful Call Center process (UCC). It updates a letter sent to you in June of 1999.

Effective April 3, 2000 the Unlawful Call Centers in the north and south will consolidate into one Center. The new telephone number to reach the UCC throughout the Bell Atlantic region is 1-800-518-5507.

Office hours for the UCC are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. When urgent, life-threatening situations occur outside office hours a CLEC should call the police who will in turn contact Bell Atlantic as appropriate.

When a CLEC refers an unlawful call to the UCC, please do not bridge on the End User or the police. The UCC will only handle calls from CLECs.

Unlawful Calls are defined as:

• Obscene/Harassing Calls*
• Bomb Threats
• Threats to Life
• Kidnapping
• Bodily Harm

* The UCC will handle obscene or harassing calls as Unlawful Calls when they exceed five per day a day and if the End User will prosecute the caller.

In addition, there is a change within the communication process when CLECs provide requests for assistance or when CLECs provide additional information to the UCC. Bell Atlantic requests that the CLECs communicate via telephone calls rather than through faxing the information as stated in the June 1999.

Annoyance Call Procedures for CLECs handling Unlawful Calls

1. Advise End User of the procedure for activating Call Trace.
2. Advise the End User to call the police to file a formal complaint. Police will provide End User with a case number
3. Request that the End User provide CLEC with the case number
4. If the End User activates Call Trace and the process is unsuccessful, the CLEC needs to arrange to set up a Call Trap
5. When the CLEC obtains the case number, the CLEC provides the number to the UCC via this number 1 800 518-5507:

CLECs handle End User contacts regarding Unwanted Calls.

Unwanted Calls are defined as:

• Fax Calls
• Telemarketing Calls
• Computer Calls
• Debt Collection Calls
• Hang Up Calls**
• Obscene/Harassing Calls ***

* *The UCC will handle hang up calls as Unlawful Calls when they exceed five a day and if the End User is willing to prosecute or testify against the caller.
***The UCC will handle Obscene/Harassing calls when they exceed five per day and the End User is willing to prosecute or testify against the caller.

Most Unwanted Calls are not made with the intent to harass or annoy. They are either errors or an intention to communicate some information.

Outlined below are some suggestions regarding how to help End Users to deal with and to deter Unwanted Calls.

Annoyance Call Procedures for Unwanted Calls

Hang Ups, Fax or Computer Calls	Determine type and frequency. Discuss deterrent methods such as call blocking and hanging up the phone
Debt Collection	Determine nature of complaint. Debt collectors may not contact customer at unreasonable times or places such as before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. A Debt Collector may not contact a customer at work if the employer disapproves.
Telemarketing	Advise customer that they can remove their name from the national telemarketing list by writing to: Telephone Preference Service Direct Marketing Association P.O. Box 9014 Farmingdale, New York 11735-9014

Using Call Trace (*57) to handle Unlawful Calls

• Call Trace traces an incoming call and stores it in a UCC database for use by law enforcement agencies.
• End User calls the CLEC to report an Unlawful Call. If Call Trace is a viable option, the CLEC can recommend its use.
• CLEC advises End User to call the police to report the Unlawful Call, to obtain the case number and to refer that number along with the police officer's name back to the CLEC.
• CLEC advises the End User that in order to proceed by using Call Trace, the End User must be willing to prosecute or testify against the Caller.
• CLEC also advises the End User to keep a log of all Unlawful Calls
• When an Unlawful Call occurs, the End User should hang up the telephone, pick it up again immediately and press *57. Rotary telephone users dial 1157. There is a charge for the use of each Call Trace.
• The End User hears one of two recordings. The call traced; the call did not trace.
• A recorded message refers the End User to 1-877-Trace 4 u (1- 877-872-2348) This number provides a message that directs the End User to contact the CLEC and to hand off the police complaint number. The CLEC provides the information to the UCC by calling 1 800 518-5507.
• CLECs may call 1-800 518-5507 with urgent requests.
• Within the next 30 days, if two or more Call Traces trace to the same number, there is sufficient data to proceed. The End User then contacts the police who will process the complaint.
• The UCC only provides the Call Trace information to the police; it does not furnish this information to the End User or the CLEC.
• At this point, the CLEC is no longer involved in the process. Bell Atlantic continues to work with the police until they close the case. The law enforcement agency advises the End User of the steps needed for legal resolution of the problem.

Establishing a "Call Trap" for Unlawful Calls

• End User contacts CLEC to file a complaint regarding an Unlawful Call and to request a "Call Trap."
• CLEC advises the End User to call and report the unlawful situation to the police and to obtain the case number the police will assign and to call the CLEC back with the information.
• The CLEC then calls the information over to the UCC on 1 800 518-5507. Include the End User's telephone number and the BA CLLI code.
• The UCC will place a trap on the End User's telephone number within 24 hours for 14 calendar days. The system automatically logs the calls.
• The End User must log and report all annoying calls including the dates and times within 48 hours by calling 1 800 227-1169 using a touch tone pad to enter the information Establishing a "Call Trap" for Unlawful Calls cont.
• At the end of 14 days, the UCC provides a case status to the CLEC. If the trap is unsuccessful, the case is closed.
• If the trap was successful, the UCC contacts the police and releases the "Call Trap" information. The UCC will only furnish suspect information to the police. If the suspect is a CLEC End User, the UCC will refer the police to the appropriate CLEC.
• If the suspect is not a CLEC End User, the CLEC is no longer involved in the process. Bell Atlantic and the police will work together until they close the case.

Helpful Products for handling Unwanted Calls
Bell Atlantic offers several resale products that are useful in managing Unwanted Calls. Please Note: Not all products are available in all states.

The products are:

• Caller ID - displays calling numbers for all calls, not just Unwanted Calls, allowing an End User to manage its calls. The End User decides when and with whom to speak.
• Caller ID with name - displays the caller's name in addition to its calling number.
• Voice Mail - takes messages from Unwanted Calls that are screened out by Caller ID or Caller ID with name.
• Call Manager - Call Waiting, Call Forwarding and Caller ID in a package.
• Distinctive Ring - (formerly Ringmate) allows customers to have a "secret" number to give wanted callers so they can ignore callers who don't know the number
• Anonymous Call Rejection - by dialing * 77 the End User prevents callers who block their own calls from ringing the End User.

If you have any questions about the UCC, the services it provides and any other products of Bell Atlantic, please contact your Account Manager.