The basics of Caller ID

 

Caller Identification or "Caller ID" enables a person receiving a phone call to identify who is calling before answering the phone. It is part of your local phone service package.  A caller’s number and/or name can be displayed either on your phone (presuming your phone has this feature) or on a stand alone display unit that you generally purchase separately. The number and/or name will appear on the display unit or on your phone between the first ring and second ring. As the caller, this service lets you identify yourself to the person you are calling.

 

Caller ID is an optional service offered by all local telephone service companies for an additional monthly fee. Of course these fees vary by Phone Company. More recently, Caller ID has been expanded to offer Caller ID on Call Waiting (CIDCW) as well. With CIDCW the call waiting tone is heard and the identification of the second call is seen on the display unit or telephone.

 

Local telephone service provider Caller ID rules protect the privacy of the person called and the person calling by requiring telephone companies to make available free, simple, and uniform per-line blocking and unblocking processes. These rules give a caller the choice of delivering or blocking their telephone number for calls they make.

 

To block your phone number and name from appearing on a recipient’s Caller ID unit on a single phone call, dial *67 before dialing the phone number. Your number will not be sent to the other party. You must redial *67 each time you place a new call.

 

 Some states allow customers to select per-line blocking. With this option, your telephone number will be blocked for every call you make on a specific line – unless you use the per-line unblocking option. If you want your number to be transmitted to the called party, dial *82 before you dial the number you are calling. You must re-dial *82 each time you place a call.

 

When you call 800, 888, 877 and 866 numbers you may or may not prevent the display of your telephone number. Typically, when you dial a toll-free number, the called party is able to identify your telephone number using a telephone network technology called Automatic Number Identification. FCC rules limit parties that own toll-free numbers from distributing and using this information, and require phone companies to inform customers that their telephone numbers are being transmitted to toll-free numbers in this way.

Calls to emergency lines are exempted from federal Caller ID rules. State rules and policies govern carriers’ obligations to honor caller privacy requests to emergency numbers.

 

Some Caller ID services also transmit the name of the calling party. The FCC’s Caller ID rules require that when a caller requests his/her number be concealed, a carrier may not reveal the caller’s name, either.

 

To learn more about Caller ID or the availability of this service in your area, contact your local telephone services provider.