25th Annual TRAC/UCC Parker Lecture Attracts More than 200 - The annual Everett C. Parker Ethics in Telecommunications Lecture and Awards Luncheon took place on September 18 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The event was a great success, attracting more than 200 attendees who were on hand to help TRAC and the United Church of Christ’s Office of Communication, Inc. (OC Inc.) honor the legacy of Dr. Parker. One of the highlights of the event was Senator Olympia Snowe’s (R-ME), call for great representation by people of color in the media. "We know we need more locally tailored media," Snowe said. “If we diminish diversity, we diminish democracy." Reverend Bob Chase was the Distinguished Parker Lecturer at the event. His speech, entitled “A New Ethic for New Media,” called for a renewed commitment to defending the public interest in an ever-growing, pervasive, and unequal media environment. "We need to dispel the myth of the level playing field," Chase said. "In contemporary American society, with its huge disparities in wealth, playing fields are inherently uneven. We need an ethic that tilts toward the small." Also honored at the event were Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary, who received the TRAC Consumer Education Leadership Award. Phyllis A. Eagle-Oldson, president and CEO of the Emma Bowen Foundation, who received the McGannon Award, which recognizes special contributions to advancing the role of people of color in the media.. The 2007 event marked the 25th anniversary of the Parker event and we are very much looking forward to another 25 successful years. If you are interested in attending the 2008 event, please contact John Breyault , TRAC Research Associate, via e-mail at johnb@trac.org. To read more about the Parker event, please click here. To read the full text of Reverend Chase’s speech, click here.
TRAC State-by-State Local Phone Plan Comparison: Wyoming - (Note: This is the fiftieth in a series of articles comparing local telephone rates in each of the 50 states.). Basic local telephone users in Wyoming generally pay $35-$45 per month for service. However, prices vary greatly between providers. In other states we have surveyed, independent and rural providers tended to have lower rates that the large incumbent carriers. In Wyoming, however, the estimated $36.49 price for the most basic local phone plan from Qwest (Choice Home) is $5-$10 cheaper than comparable plans from rural carriers like All West Communications ($51.03 for local service in the Cokeville exchange), Chugwater Telephone Company ($47.87 for “Basic Phone Service” plan), or Union Telephone Company ($57.10 for “Residential Line”). This trend did not hold true for all rural carriers, however. Companies like CenturyTel ($31.31 for “Residential Line”), DuBois Telephone Exchange ($36.28 for “Local Residential Service”) and Project Telephone Company ($27.66 for “Residential Line”) offered significant savings versus Qwest. In areas of the state with broadband, third-party VoIP providers are cheaper than most wireline providers and generally include unlimited long distance and more calling features. Qwest DSL subscribers may find it useful to compare the price of getting unbundled DSL service (that is, DSL service without local and long distance telephone service included) and adding a third-party VoIP service versus traditional phone service.
A note on methodology: TRAC’s local phone plan survey takes in to account the prices for monthly service, the federal subscriber line charge, and the two most popular calling options – Caller ID and call waiting. Note that some local phone service plans are only offered as a bundle with long distance service, which skews the total cost comparison somewhat. TRAC’s survey covered plans being offered in a variety of local service areas. Plans surveyed may not be available in every area of the state
| TRAC Local Phone Plan Comparison: Wyoming |
| Carrier |
Plan |
Monthly Service Fee |
Caller ID |
Call Waiting |
Federal Subscriber Line Charge |
Broadband Fee* |
Total |
| All West Communications |
Local Service (Evanston and Anschultz exchanges) |
$22.00 |
$4.00 |
$1.00 |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$33.50 |
| All West Communications |
Local Service (Cokeville exchange) |
$39.53 |
$4.00 |
$1.00 |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$51.03 |
| AT&T |
Call Plan Unlimited |
$22.95 |
Included |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$29.45 |
| AT&T |
One Rate Local |
$36.95 |
Included |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$43.45 |
| Bresnan Communications |
Digital Phone (with high-speed Internet) |
$39.99 |
Included |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$46.49 |
| Bresnan Communications |
Digital Phone (without high-speed Internet) |
$49.99 |
Included |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$56.49 |
| CenturyTel |
Residential Line |
$21.86 |
$7.95 |
$1.50 |
Included |
N/A |
$31.31 |
| CenturyTel |
Simple Choice |
$34.95 - $47.95 |
Included |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$41.45 - $54.45 |
| Chugwter Telephone Community |
Basic Phone Service |
$42.87 |
$3.00 |
$2.00 |
Included |
N/A |
$47.87 |
| DuBois Telephone Exchange |
Local Residential Service |
$28.78 |
$5.00 |
$2.50 |
Included |
N/A |
$36.28 |
| Embarq |
Basic Home Phone (with voicemail) |
$29.95 |
Included |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$36.45 |
| Golden West Telephone (West Edgemont, WY) |
Local Phone |
$10.95 |
$4.95 - $7.95 |
$1.50 |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$23.90 - $26.90 |
| OrbitCom |
Local Phone Service |
$26.95 |
$7.50 |
$6.00 |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$46.95 |
| Packet8 |
Freedom Unlimited |
$19.99 |
Included |
N/A |
$39.45 |
$59.44 |
| Packet8 |
Freedom Unlimited (without broadband fee) |
$19.99 |
Included |
N/A |
N/A |
$19.99 |
| Project Telephone Company |
Residential Line (Clark, WY) |
$21.16 |
Included |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$27.66 |
| Qwest |
Basic Phone Service |
$23.10 - $28.09 |
$7.50 |
$6.00 |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$43.10 - $48.09 |
| Qwest |
Choice Home |
$29.99 |
Included |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$36.49 |
| RT Communications |
Basic Phone Service |
$25.00 - $34.90,/td>
| $5.50 - $7.50 |
$1.00 |
Included |
N/A |
$31.50 - $43.40 |
| Range Telephone Cooperative |
Residential line |
$25.50 |
$5.75 |
$1.00 |
Included |
N/A |
$32.25 |
| Silver Star Communications |
Local Telephone |
$23.80 - $24.50 |
$4.00 - $6.00 |
$1.50 - $5.00 |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$35.81 - $42.00 |
| Trinsic |
Unlimited (included local and U.S. and Canada long distance) |
$85.89 |
Included |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$92.39 |
| Tri-County Telephone Association |
Basic Phone |
$16.69 - $27.31 |
$3.50 - $4.50 |
$2.00 |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$28.69 - $40.31 |
| Union Telephone Company |
$40.95 |
$4.95 |
$4.70 |
$6.50 |
N/A |
$57.10 |
| Vonage |
Premium Unlimited Plan |
$24.99 |
Included |
N/A |
$39.45 |
$64.44 |
| Vonage |
Residential Basic 500 Minutes Plan |
$14.99 |
Included |
N/A |
$39.45 |
$54.44 |
| Vonage |
Premium Unlimited Plan (without broadband fee) |
$24.99 |
Included |
N/A |
N/A |
$24.99 |
| Vonage |
Residential Basic 500 Minutes Plan (without broadband fee) |
$14.99 |
Included |
N/A |
N/A |
$14.99 |
* Average of nationwide cable modem prices as defined by Kagan Research - 7/6/06.
Watch Out for Fine Print in AT&T’s Wireless Contract - AT&T’s terms and conditions statement for its cell phone policy is over 7,700 words long. The length of the agreement is likely to deter the average consumer from attempting to read the entire document. For example, although AT&T advertises many calling plans without roaming charges, the company does not alert customers of its lengthy, and unclear “Off-net Usage” policy. When condensed and reworded, this policy says that AT&T may terminate the service of users who spend more than 40% of their minutes “roaming” off of the AT&T network. Other notable conditions of AT&T’s cell phone policy include:
- “Unanswered outgoing calls of 30 seconds or longer incurs airtime.” In other words, AT&T may charge users for unanswered calls even if they do not leave a voice message.
- The possibility of users being charged twice for making one call if an incoming call is routed to voicemail, even if no message is left.
- AT&T’s advertises its “unlimited” data plan, yet retains the right the right to limit the amount of data transferred and/or terminate service of anyone whose usage AT&T believes adversely affect the wireless network.
These hard-to-find terms and conditions are important for consumers to understand as they show how much a phone service will cost and what users can expect from the service. Consumers should do lots of research before choosing a particular phone service. The best forms of research may involve asking neighbors about their phone service and asking the telephone companies whether there are any restrictions on their phone plans. Kudos to the great Mouseprint.org consumer blog for alerting us to these details.
New Technology Combines Cell Phones and Wi-Fi - T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel have developed a VoIP-like technology for cell phones compatible with Wi-Fi Internet hot spots, strengthening cellular signals and increasing users’ calling areas. Although the plans are slightly more expensive, with T-Mobile adding an additional $10 and Sprint an additional $15 to $30 to subscribers’ existing phone plans, some customers may be able to save money since both carriers offer free, unlimited calling in the designated Wi-Fi hotspot (usually within the subscriber’s home or office). With these “free” minutes, it becomes more feasible for customers to switch to cheaper wireline local and long distance phone plans with fewer minutes or even terminate their landline service altogether. Both T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel provide the hardware to turn users’ residences into Wi-Fi hot spots. T-Mobile’s HotSpot @Home service provides users with a free wireless router after a $50 rebate. The router is attached to a home broadband modem (generally cable or DSL). Sprint Nextel’s Airave service charges customers $50 for a fermtocell compact base station, dubbed the “Airave,” which will connect to an existing home router. There are two major differences between T-Mobile and Sprint’s service. T-Mobile can provide customers with nationwide service, because its phones can access 8,349 public hotspot locations (such as most Starbucks). In contrast, Sprint’s service area is limited, since its phones are only compatible with the Airave station, and currently only service limited areas of Denver, Colorado and parts of Indianapolis, Indiana (though Airave is planned to be available in other areas soon). Sprint Nextel’s handsets, however, are all compatible with Airave, whereas only two T-Mobile phones (Samsung T409 & Nokia 6086) can connect to Wi-Fi hot spots. Although there are potential cost-saving benefits with these services, calls made outside of hot spots continue to be billed by the minute. To read more about T-Mobile’s HotSpot @ Home Plan, click here. To read more about Sprint’s Airave service, click here or here.
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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