STOP MISSOULA: STOPTHE FCC LINE CHARGE INCREASE, PHONE RATE HIKES

SEND THIS EMAIL EVERYWHERE! SEND THIS EMAIL EVERYWHERE.

TELETRUTH January 30th, 2007

STOP THE PHONE RATE PRICE HIKES: STOP THE MISSOULA PLAN
PAGE: http://www.teletruth.org/FCCMissoula.htm

1) FILE COMMENTS WITH THE: DEADLINE: FEB. 1st, 2007
2) WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMEN AND SENATOR TO INVESTIGATE!

STOP: FCC's "Missoula" Plan to Increase to $10 FCC Line Charge, New Fees, Increase Universal Service.

Dear Customer, Dear Reporter, Dear Politician, Dear Business owner.

The FCC is involved in a cover-up right before your very eyes. There is a plan called "The Missoula Intercarrier Compensation Plan" that will increase your local phone service greatly. It will:

a) Raises the FCC Line Charge to $10.00 a month (from $6.50 (on local wireline bills)
b) Increases Universal Service *(currently adding 10% to interstate service)
c) Adds a New Additional Charge.
d) Increases your Cell phone bills, Long Distance bills, and more.
e) You've already been charged over $200 in extra fees since 2000.

With a name like "Missoula", you would think that Wyoming is involved or that "intercarrier compensation" is a healthcare issue. But no, the FCC has decided to cover up its plan for a large phone rate hike, taken directly from the phone companies, AT*T, Verizon, etc. who proposed it.

The FCC hasn't made these points clear to customers because in the light of day, outside the Washington DC Beltway, if the FCC had called the plan "Raise phone rates", someone might notice.

And while the FCC claims that this will 'lower' long distance fees', we know
this plan an ugly attempt to pull a fast one on the public --- well, there's a lot of reasons it's a sham.

Let's look at the facts about the FCC Line Charge and this plan.

What is the FCC Line Charge?
On your current local phone bill is a charge called "FCC Line Charge". It is currently on every local wireline bill and it capped at $6.50 a month. It is also taxed and surcharged adding an additional 20+% in taxes. It is supposed to be a fee to connect to the network.

1) THE FCC LINE CHARGE IS A VERY LARGE SLUSH FUND. With 100 million households, and 35 million businesses, it is a very large fund. It is direct revenue to the local phone companies --- billions a month.

2) The name "FCC Line Charge" is a violation of truth in billing because the common belief is that it goes to fund the FCC. It fails the test of: "brief, clear, non-misleading, plain language description of the service or services rendered." Also, it is not a tax or surcharge, even though it is usually in the 'Taxes & Surcharges" part of the bill.

3) Dirty Secret: DON"T CALLS US: In 2000, the FCC had the "CALLS" plan, to raise the FCC Line Charge from $3.50 to $6.50 as well as raise the Universal Service Fund. -The FCC claimed that it would lower long distance rates. It backfired, especially for 'low volume users'.

o See: Harvard Nieman Watchdog: ""For low-volume users, phone costs have risen sharply, January 04, 2007 http://www.niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=background.view&backgroundid=00148

At least 1/3 of the US are low volume users, and they had were hit with a double-whammy -- local and long distance prices continue to raise.

4) And Local Prices:? In New York City they're up 426% since 1980 -- "Local phone charges have soared since the break-up of AT&T" September 18, 2006
http://www.niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ask_this.view&askthisid=00233

5) CALLS Was Never Audited as Promised. In 2000, the FCC has simply made up these numbers with the phone companies as this slush fund was never audited as promised, even though an FCC audit in 1999 found $18.6 billion dollars of missing equipment had been added to rates.

FCC Commissioner Copps in 2002 wrote:
"By failing to undertake the thorough analysis of cost data that was promised in the access reform order, we are neglecting our obligation to consumers."

6) You're Already Owed $211 in Overcharging from CALLS increases. In 2004, Teletruth filed a complaint with the FCC outlining how the charge should never have been increased, but decreased, based on models by economists. Updating the stats shows that every line paid an additional $211.34 (on average) -- about $24 billion extra to date and counting.

See: http://www.teletruth.org/docs/FCCLineChargedataqualityact.pdf

6) Missoula Plan Has Multiple Flaws That Will Cost You Money.

a) The Missoula plan extends the slush fund without any audits. If the starting point is questionable adding new fees with no data is ugly-anti-consumer action.
b) The data presented by the phone companies and the FCC is made up ---simply to raise your rates to a round number --- $10.00.
c) The plan will cost most customers, especially low volume users ---

"The lowest volume users of wireline and wireless services will see some small increases: about $1.50 per month for low volume rural wireline consumers, $2.05 per month for low volume urban wireline consumers, and $0.10 for low wireless customers"

Raise your rates without audits? No guarantee of lower long distance prices, so that the AT&T and Verizon can more of your money?

Shame on the FCC for disguising the raising of phone rates by calling it Missoula. Why is the FCC protecting the interests of AT&T and Verizon before your rights?

:
TAKE ACTION: STOP MISSOULA PLAN PAGE:
http://www.teletruth.org/FCCMissoula.htm

Tell The FCC To Tell the Truth about this charge:
FILE COMMENTS: DEADLINE: FEB. 1st, 2007
WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMEN AND SENATOR

Read Teletruth's official filing:

http://www.teletruth.org/docs/TeletruthMissoula.doc

Read the original Missoula Plan, though it's impossible to understand, even for experts. http://www.teletruth.org/docs/missoulaplancharts.pdf

PS: Teletruth previously filed Complaints with the FCC pertaining to these issues. The FCC simply ignored them. See:
http://www.newnetworks.com/PRFCCLIne.htm

More About Phone Bills Issues:

http://www.newnetworks.com/phonebillissues.htm

More about Teletruth http://www.teletruth.org