July 21, 2003

As competition in the phone industry grows, the Maine Public Utilities Commission reminds consumers that they may “freeze” their selection of the company or companies that provide them with local and long-distance telephone service. “Freezing” your providers means locking in your preferred carriers, which helps prevent unauthorized switching or “slamming” of your phone service from your carriers to their competitors. Although slamming is illegal, it sometimes occurs, and a carrier freeze is the most effective way to prevent it.

You may “freeze” all four of your telephone service providers – your local, in-state toll, out-of-state toll, and international carriers. The process is simple, and free!

As a rule, your local phone company will automatically change any of your carriers when notified by a provider that you have switched to it. By freezing your service, it will not be switched unless you give your express consent to your local company.

To freeze your service, simply notify your local phone company that you want a carrier freeze, which instructs them that you do not want your service changed unless you give them your express authorization.

Carriers typically provide correct switching orders. Sometimes, however, carriers submit carrier change requests without customer authorization. While this is illegal, the local phone company implementing the change cannot tell when the change is unauthorized and will process it, unless the customer has a carrier freeze on that service. In that case, the freeze stops the carrier change.

According to Tom Welch, PUC Chairman, “Carrier freezes are an important tool for consumers to consider using to avoid slamming problems. While we aggressively prosecute companies that slam Maine consumers, carrier freezes help prevent that problem in the first place.”

The only downside of carrier freezes is that when you are ready to change carriers, there is an extra step in the process. You will need to give your permission twice – once to the carrier to whom you are changing, to change your service, and once to your local phone company, to lift the freeze, so it can process the carrier change.

Each carrier handles changes for customers with freezes differently. Some ask you to remove the freeze from your line. Others ask you to teleconference with them and your local phone company to lift the freeze. Others give you their identifying code (known as a PIC code) and ask you to notify your local phone company to switch you to the new code. Check with your new carrier regarding its procedure for changing carriers when you have a freeze in place.

If you have questions about carrier freezes or slamming, or you think you have been slammed, please contact the Maine PUC toll-free at 800-452-4699.