BUCKS WATCH
Local Service Fee Increases on the Way for Some AT&T Subscribers - In last week’s edition of TRACNotes, we reported on a number of AT&T rate and fee increases set to take effect July 1. This week, AT&T announced a new batch of fee increases, also set to take effect in July. These fee increases will affect local service subscribers in Iowa, Oregon, and Montana. In general, these increases affect consumers who subscribed to AT&T local service prior to the company’s merger with SBC. Iowa will be the hardest hit by these increases. Effective July 1, the Local Connectivity Charge will increase to $1.40 per month. Also in Iowa, as well as in Montana and Oregon the costs for AT&T local and long distance bundled service plans will be increasing. Please see below for details:
Iowa
- AT&T One Rate State - Monthly Service Fee (MSF) will increase by $3.00 $42.95
- AT&T One Rate Advantage - MSF’s will increase by $2.00 to $61.95.
- AT&T One Rate USA - MSF will increase by $2.00 to $56.95
- AT&T One Rate Local - MSF will increase to $27.95
Montana
- One Rate State – MSF will increase by $3.00 to $57.59
- One Rate USA – MSF will increase by $2.00 to $65.95
- One Rate Advantage – MSF will increase by $2.00 to $70.95
Oregon
- AT&T One Rate Local - MSF will increase to $26.95
- AT&T One Rate State - MSF will increase by $3.00 to $38.95
- AT&T One Rate USA - MSF will increase by $2.00 to $49.95
- AT&T One Rate Advantage - MSF will increase by $2.00 to $54.95
For more information on these fee increases, click here.
WASHINGTON WATCH
Senate Telecom Reform Could Help Wireless Consumers – On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee’s markup of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens’ telecommunications reform bill took an intriguing turn for consumers of wireless services. On a voice vote, the committee voted to approve tougher truth-in-billing measures which would, among other things, prohibit wireless carriers from charging administrative fees to process federal, state and local mandates and taxes. The amendment also aims to end the early-termination fees that have long been a bugaboo for consumers. In addition, the Commerce Committee voted to place a three-year moratorium on new state and local wireless-specific taxes and a permanent moratorium on Internet access taxes. “We are cautiously optimistic about the proposed language,” said TRAC Research Associate John Breyault. “That said, we still have a long way to go before the Senate’s consumer-friendly language becomes law.” TRAC has long campaigned to have the ever-expanding number of line-item fees that plague wireless and wireline service bills rolled into the monthly service fee so that consumers have a better idea of what the true cost of a telecommunications service will be prior to beginning service. For more information on this issue, click here.
TRAC AND YOU
Parker Event 2006 Profile: Amy Goodman – (Note: This is the first in a short series of profiles of the speaker and honorees that will be appearing at the Everett C. Parker Ethics in Telecommunications Lecture and Awards Luncheon that TRAC and the Office of Communication, Inc. of the United Church of Church are organizing on September 12, 2006 in Washington, DC.) TRAC and the Office of Communication, Inc. of the United Church of Christ are very proud to be able to have Amy Goodman, the award-winning journalist, host, and executive producer of Democracy Now! as this year’s Distinguished Parker Lecturer. Amy Goodman began her career in community radio in 1985 at Pacifica Radio's New York Station, WBAI. She produced WBAI's Evening News for 10 years. In 1990 and 1991, Goodman traveled to East Timor to report on the Indonesian occupation there, a harrowing assignment (Goodman and a colleague were severely beaten by Indonesian soldiers) which served as the basis for the multiple award-winning documentary "Massacre: The Story of East Timor." In addition to her work in East Timor, she has been lauded for her coverage on underreported conflicts in countries such as Nigeria, Peru, and Haiti. Thanks to Goodman’s tireless efforts, Democracy Now! is now a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program airing on over 300 stations in North America. Pioneering the largest public media collaboration in the U.S., Democracy Now! is broadcast on Pacifica, community, and National Public Radio stations, public access cable television stations, satellite television (on Free Speech TV, channel 9415 of the DISH Network), short-wave radio and the Internet. Amy Goodman exemplifies the spirit of independent media and we are extremely fortunate to be able to host her as the Distinguished Parker Lecturer. To read more about Amy Goodman, click here or visit www.democracynow.org. For information on attending the 24th Annual Everett C. Parker Ethics in Telecommunications Lecture and Awards Luncheon, click here or visit www.trac.org/events.
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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©2006 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"
