Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!hellgate.utah.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: chris@com2serv.c2s.mn.org (Chris Johnson) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Strange Charges on Bill Message-ID: <5132@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 14 Mar 90 22:47:51 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Reply-To: Chris Johnson Organization: Com Squared Systems, Mendota Heights, MN Lines: 41 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 170, Message 1 of 9 In article <5084@accuvax.nwu.edu> res@cbnews.ATT.COM (Robert E. Stampfli) writes: X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 167, Message 7 of 8 > >[Moderator's Note: ... (concerning the FCC Toll Access charge) > >... This charge you question, mandated by law, is > >to compensate the local telco for providing access to the long > >distance carrier of your choice. I know the system stinks; much of > >divestiture does; but them's the breaks. ... >OK, then it would seem to me that if I request my second line be for >local calls only, with no long distance access, that I should not be >charged this fee. So far I have been unable to convice my telco that >this is the case, even though it would seem I would be paying for >something I cannot use. Well, what's really stinky about the whole thing is that most phone companies probably bill that charge like US West (nee Northwestern Bell) does: The line on the bill says it is an FCC charge, as if the FCC were getting the money. If you ask for details, the detailed bill says it is an FCC mandated charge. That the FCC specifically set the amount (which as you have noticed I'm sure, has gone up every year since it started -- originally it was "way cheap" at $1 a line or less, and is now pushing past $4 a line here) may be strictly accurate, but it is deceptive "advertising" nonetheless. Most consumers, I'll bet, blame the government/FCC for the charge when they think about it at all. In reality, though, not only does the money go to phone company, but it would be more descriptive to say they are limited to charging only that amount and no more by the FCC. If given a free hand, I'm sure that immediately after divestiture local phone service prices would have gone through the roof in a ballistic sort of way, instead of just growing exponentially at about 7-10% a year. Chris Johnson DOMAIN: chris@c2s.mn.org Com Squared Systems, Inc. VOX: +1 612 452 9522 Mendota Heights, MN USA FAX: +1 612 452 3607