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My QUILTNET has had several threads on the subject of being charged by the minute for email. I am forwarding this for those of you who can't access some of these URl's. I have already been notified that my phone bill will rise $1.50 per month because we have 2 or more phone lines. This is to supplement school access to the Internet, according to the info. they sent. I just hope it really gets spent for that, then I won't have a complaint. As Ever, Marjorie Moorefield just another librarian with PD 65/9 _______________________________________________________________________ Date: Thu, 8 Jan 1998 14:56:39 -0500 From: ghunter <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Hoax??maybe not(long!) FYI...It just looks like we're a little late finding out about this. This information taken directly from the FCC's Web Site. Much more info there....http://www.fcc.gov (go to the ISP Factsheet section) (ISP = Internet Service Provider) Frequently Asked Questions on Internet Services and Access Charges Q: Does the FCC regulate the rates charged by Internet Service Providers (ISPs)? A: No. ISPs are considered "enhanced service providers" under FCC rules. The FCC does not regulate the rates that enhanced service providers charge to their subscribers. Q: How does the FCC regulate the rates that local telephone companies charge to ISPs? A: ISPs purchase local phone lines so that customers can call them. Under FCC rules, enhanced service providers ISPs are considered "end users" when they purchase services from local telephone companies. Thus, ISPs pay the same rates as any other business customer, and these rates are set separately in each state. By contrast, long-distance companies are considered "carriers," and they pay interstate access charges regulated by the FCC. Q: How are access charges different from the rates ISPs pay now? A: Today, ISPs typically purchase "business lines" from local phone companies. Business lines usually include a flat monthly charge, and a per-minute charge for making outgoing calls. Because ISPs receive calls from their subscribers rather than making outgoing calls, ISPs generally do not pay any per-minute charges for their lines, which is one reason many ISPs do not charge per-minute rates for Internet access. Access charges, by contrast, include per-minute fees for both outgoing and incoming calls. The rate levels of interstate access charges are also in many cases higher than the flat business line rates ISPs pay today. Q: Have local phone companies requested authority from the FCC to charge per-minute rates to ISPs? A: Since 1983, there has been an ongoing debate about whether enhanced service providers should be required to pay access charges, based on the contention that these companies use local networks in the same manner as long-distance carriers. In June 1996, four local telephone companies (Pacific Bell, Bell Atlantic, US West, and NYNEX) submitted studies to the FCC concerning the effects of Internet usage on these carriers' networks. The companies argued that the existing rate structure did not reflect the costs imposed on local telephone companies to support Internet access, and that Internet usage was causing congestion in part of the local network. In connection with these studies and other pleadings, several local phone companies have asked the FCC for authority to charge interstate access charges to ISPs, although they have not filed a formal petition for rulemaking. Q: Is the FCC considering allowing local phone companies to impose access charges on ISPs? A: The FCC requested public comment in December 1996 on whether ISPs should pay current access charges, and more generally on how Internet and interstate information services that use local telephone networks should be treated. The Commission concluded on May 7, 1997 that ISPs should not be subject to interstate access charges. There is currently no open comment period on this issue. georgia hunter