Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!noao!ncar!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Telephone Surcharges for Deaf, Poor Anger IBT Customers Message-ID: Date: 23 Feb 91 05:28:00 GMT Sender: news@casbah.acns.nwu.edu Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Lines: 34 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 152, Message 3 of 7 Originator: telecom@delta.eecs.nwu.edu Will Martin writes: > Can anyone explain why there is such a brouhaha, what with > class-action suits and vast publicity, over this lousy *15-cent* > surcharge, when the $3.50-a-line "FCC-mandated-access-charge", which > would better be termed a "Fancier-cars-and-better-country-club- > memberships-for-telco-executives-charge", gets imposed with > practically *no* public outcry? Well, how about the "higher rates for everyone that can't go anywhere else than the local phone company so that those big businesses who COULD bypass won't because the rates are kept low"? What, you say? In a recent bill insert Pac*Bell announced that rates for residence and small business would have to go up. (Actually, the "rate surcharge" will be diddled with.) Why? So that rates could be REDUCED for big customers. The reasoning is that big customers have the ability to go elsewhere for telephone service (known as "bypass"). So to keep that from happening, Pac*Bell will offer deals they cannot refuse. But to keep revenues flat, Pac*Bell will have to charge the rest of us more. Of course we cannot go elsewhere for OUR telephone service so we are just stuck. This is supposed to be a GOOD THING (tm) since "it keeps overall rates lower for everyone". You heard right. Only Pac*Bell could say with a straight face, "Your rates are going up so that your telephone costs can remain low." I know it gives me a warm feeling inside to know that I am helping to subsidize the telephone service of customers such as the City of San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !