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Privacy Policy
Obtaining & Understanding AMA Records From SBC/Ameritech
Automatic Message Accounting (AMA) is the method used by all SBC/Ameritech
Central Office switches to record billing records. These records are collected
on magnetic tapes in the central offices and then forwarded to various data
centers where the information is stored for 60 days. The primary use of the 4 to
5 million calls stored per data tapes are to produce customer bills based on
billing dates. Other uses include responding to billing inquiries and challenges
by inter-exchange carriers (IXC) and customers where the originating and
terminating numbers are known.
SBC Ameritech Asset Protection's AMA Technology group handles AMA legal process
requests. Legal process for AMA's should be faxed to the SBC Services Subpoena
Center at (888) 635-6615. The AMA Technology group is located at:
2000 W. Ameritech Center Dr, Rm. 2i94
Hoffman Estates, IL. 60196.
Main number (847) 248-6961
Fax number (888) 635-6615
Terminating AMA Reports:
This report identifies the originating numbers for specific call made to a known
terminating number.
Requests may have a narrow timeframe to search. Examples would include bomb
threats, kidnapping, extortion, and fugitive apprehension.
Requests for all incoming calls to a known terminating number with broad time
frame.
Request all incoming calls with no time frame provided.
A subpoena requiring a terminating AMA scan will usually use the words incoming
calls, special computer study, AMA scan or AMA Study
A recommended narrative for legal process requesting incoming calls for a narrow
time frame within the 60-day retention period is as follows:
Example a subpoena dated February 15, 2001: Please conduct an AMA Study to
identify all calls terminating to telephone number
214 464-XXXX for the dates February 5, 2001 through February 8, 2001, such
information to include the names and address of the
subscribers to and locations for all incoming calls.
Originating AMA Reports:
This report identifies outgoing calls from a known number. Types of calls
identified include local calls, (regardless if the customer is billed for local
usage), DDD (define) long distance, and 800 calls. Originating scans will not

identify operator-assisted calls. Like terminating scans these requests can be
requested for various time frames.
A subpoena requiring an originating AMA scan will usually contain the words,
outgoing calls, special computer study, local calls or AMA Scan.
A recommended narrative for legal process requesting originating calls for a
narrow time frame within the 60-day retention period is as follows:
Example a subpoena dated February 15, 2001: Please conduct an AMA Study to
identify all calls originating from telephone number
214 464-XXXX for the dates February 5, 2001 through February 8, 2001. Such
information to include the names and address of the
subscribers to and locations for outgoing calls.
Combining AMA Reports:
Reports can be created which includes both originating and terminating records.
These reports appear as a single report and are chronological.
A recommended narrative for legal process requesting both originating and
terminating calls for a narrow time frame within the 60-day retention period is
as follows:
Example a subpoena dated February 15, 2001: Please conduct an AMA Study to
identify all calls originating and terminating from telephone number
214 464-XXXX for the dates February 5, 2001 through February 8, 2001. Such
information to include the names and address of the
subscribers to and locations for incoming and outgoing calls.
Understanding the AMA Reports
Unedited Data
Prior to releasing an AMA report to law enforcement significant editing is
required to put the data in an understanding format. As an example, the
following is the "raw data" of a phone call from 309-671-3080 to 217-524-8079:
AA00625C110C036C0692568C013C0924698C50405C00000C0200000C0C0
C0C012C309C6713080C0C00217C5248079C1007445C000001357C02881C
50405C1007390C000001411C010C3034C0C1C3C. This message contains 157 characters
Edited Data
Originating Report:
Call Type Media Date Orig. NPA Originat Number Term NPA Termin Number Connect
Time Elapsed Time Carrier IX
006
006
006
006
006
006

00/10/28
00/10/28
00/10/28
00/10/28
00/10/28
00/10/28

312
312
312
312
312
312

342-16xx
342-16xx
342-16xx
342-16xx
342-16xx
342-16xx

414
414
414
614
314
972

264-01xx
264-0xxx
264-12xx
555-32xx
364-xx25
265-12xx

08:46:08
09:25:59
10:46:23
10:47:06
11:00:58
11:39:23

1:23:09
5:30:00
0:40:00
12:00:00
6:36:00
1:01:37:00

Terminating Report:
Call Type Media Date Orig. NPA Originat Number Term NPA Termin Number Connect
Time Elapsed Time Carrier IX
006
006
006
006
006

00/11/13
00/11/13
00/11/13
00/11/13
00/11/13

312
217
214
608
608

263-xx30
345-67xx
721-99xx
263-72xx
263-99xx

608
608
608
608
608

848-59xx
848-59xx
848-59xx
848-59xx
848-59xx

13:40:50
15:12:16
15:13:58
15:22:17
17:17:28

3:29:01
0:31:22
0:05:33
1:24:06:01
0:25:33

Call Type - numeric code that identifies how a call will be billed. This is used
primarily for internal billing purposes
Date Media- date of the call by year/month/day
NPA & Number (originating) - displays the area code and telephone number where a
call was placed from.
NPA & Number (terminating) - displays the area code and telephone number where a
call was placed to.
Time Connect - time the call was answered. All times are in military hr/min/sec
Elapsed Time - duration of the call hr/min/sec/hundredth sec
Ix Carrier - on the AMA report is an indication of the other carrier or
telecommunications company that participated in the processing of the call.
Sometimes the other company does not pass the telephone number to us. If the
call you are looking for appears as all zeros or without a telephone number you
may send legal process to the other company to try to obtain the telephone
number.
To determine the other company, see the last column for the carrier code.
Click on Ix Carrier for the carrier code list.
All AMA Reports are sorted by DATE and then by TIME order when the calls were
placed.
Emergency Requests for AMA reports
SBC Ameritech Asset Protection responds to requests for emergency AMA's. These
requests typically involve incidents of bomb threats, kidnappings, extortion and
homicide, which the requesting law enforcement agency has identified as an
imminent threat to life.
Legal process is not required for these requests if the following conditions
exist:
Law Enforcement has the permission of the subscriber for originating number
searches
If the time of the call, or a narrow time frame is known
Emergency requests are normally available within a 6 to 24 hour time period

Emergency requests must be initiated by contacting SBC Asset Protection Client
Services at 800 832-2998. This number can be contacted 24 hours per day 7 days a
week.
Timeframe for processing AMA legal process
AMA results for requests involving two weeks of data, or less, are normally
available within 7 business days after the request is received.
AMA results for request involving more than two weeks of data are normally
available within 14 business days after the request is received.
Records are returned via U.S. Mail, Fax, and/or E-Mail.