Lightbridge Inc.’s ProFile subscription fraud prevention product is used by carriers in every state except California because the state’s public utilities code won’t allow it, the company reports.
“The Public Utility Commission has said that cellular carriers are public utilities, therefore they cannot share names with a third party,” said Michelle Wheeler, product manager for Lightbridge.
Wheeler said carriers in California are using Lightbridge’s other subscription fraud products, but cannot use ProFile because it is an online intercarrier file database used to identify people who have a negative history with carriers, either from a write-off or a shut-off.
According to the telephone and telegraph customer privacy code, telephone companies cannot distribute a subscriber’s credit or other personal financial information to a centralized credit check system in order to determine credit worthiness without written consent from the subscriber.
Lightbridge’s counsel is preparing a brief that will ask the commission to make an exception for the ProFile product. The brief will be signed and supported by several carriers in the state and given to the commission for review, said Wheeler.
“We know that the public utilities commission has allowed others to function within the state of California. We certainly have a lot of carriers willing to work with us,” said Wheeler. “There was a provider for long-distance carriers who had a similar product and they were able to get public utility OK.”
The code does provide for exceptions. Telephone companies can share credit information under the supervision of the commission if the information is used only to collect unpaid bills.
Wheeler said the commission is encouraging the petition process.
