TRACNotes
Vol. 2 # 41 --
October 15, 2004
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BUCKS WATCH
TRAC Compares Rising International Mobile Wireless Termination - Over the past several months, a number of long distance carriers have raised the per-minute surcharge they impose for calls originating in the United States and terminating to an overseas mobile telephone or pager. Consumers overseas, especially in Europe and Asia, are "cutting the cord" and going completely mobile at a higher rate than in the United States. This being the case, international mobile termination surcharges are becoming an important factor for consumer to consider when choosing which long distance carrier they will use for international calling. Click here to compare(i) a full listing of the international mobile termination surcharges for the major "dial-1" long distance carriers. "N/A" denotes countries where the surcharge is either zero or is not listed by the carrier. Countries for which none of the carriers listed surcharges are not listed. Overseas territories and protectorates which have the same surcharge as their parent country are also not listed. Rates are current as of October 15, 2004 except for the Qwest rates, which will become effective on October 25, 2004. The Qwest surcharges are based on the Qwest Choice International plan. The comparison chart is available online at http://trac.policy.net/relatives/appndx_v2i41.pdf.
Tips for Using Enhanced Lifeline and Link-Up for Tribal Lands - This year, the Federal Communications is giving low-income consumers living on tribal lands additional discounts on telephone service. The Enhanced Lifeline Support for Tribal Lands program provides qualified consumers living on Tribal lands with discounts on basic telephone service beyond the traditional Lifeline discounts. According to the FCC, this can enable some low-income consumers on Tribal lands to get phone service for as little as $1 per month, depending on where they live. Additionally, Enhanced Link-Up Support for Tribal Lands provides qualified subscribers living on Tribal lands with additional discounts of up to $100 on initial connection charges. For example, an installation fee of $130 will cost an enhanced Link-Up subscriber only $30. Low-income consumers living on Tribal Lands who qualify under their state's Lifeline guidelines or whose income is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines may qualify for these programs. Consumers living on Tribal lands who qualify for certain federal assistance plans such as Medicaid, Food Stamps, Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, and Head Start. For more information on these programs, click here(ii). Interested consumers can also call the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) at 888-641-8722 to find out if they qualify.
INTERESTING LINKS
FCC Main Page - http://www.fcc.gov
FCC Complaint Form - http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cib/fcc475.cfm
List of State Regulatory Commissions - http://www.naruc.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=15
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©2004 Telecommunications Research and Action Center. TRAC grants unlimited rights to reproduce TRACNotes or any information contained in it provided attribution is given as follows: "Source:Telecommunications Research and Action Center. http://www.trac.org"
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