Sec. 3.52  Complaint/inquiry resolution procedures.

    (a) Accounting authorities must maintain procedures for resolving 
complaints and/or inquiries from its contractual customers (vessels for 
which it performs settlements), the FCC, the ITU, and foreign 
administrations or their agents. These procedures must be available to 
the Commission upon request.
    (b) If a foreign administration requests assistance in collection of 
accounts from ships licensed by the FCC, the appropriate accounting 
authority will provide all information requested by the Commission in a 
timely manner to enable the Commission to determine the cause of the 
complaint and to resolve the issue. If accounts are in dispute, the 
Commission will determine the amount due the foreign administration, 
accounting authority or ROA, and may direct the accounting authority to 
pay the accounts to the foreign administration. If the accounting 
authority does not pay the disputed accounts within a reasonable 
timeframe, the Commission may take action to levy a forfeiture, cancel 
the AAIC privilege and/or to revoke any operating authority or licenses 
held by that accounting authority. (See also Sec. 3.72).