Bill > H275

This bill amends Chapter 93 of the General Laws by adding a new section that prohibits businesses from engaging in unfair and deceptive practices by misrepresenting their geographic location in local telephone directories. Specifically, it makes it illegal for a business to list a local telephone number if calls to that number are routinely forwarded to a location outside the directory's service area and the true physical address of the business is not disclosed. It also prohibits listing a fictitious or assumed business name if that name misrepresents the business's geographic location and the true physical address is not provided. A "local telephone directory" is defined as a free classified advertising or business section of a telephone directory distributed within a specific local area, and a "local telephone number" is one with a prefix used for phones physically located within that directory's area, excluding long-distance or toll-free numbers.