Hi List Members: I noticed the subject item and found a reference in following TOURBUS issue. By the way, this is a once a week FREE publication which deals with issues relating to computers.....makes interesting reading. If interested, see how to subscribe at bottom.....Jack ************************************************************************** From: [log in to unmask] Subject: TOURBUS EXTRA -- 9 SEPTEMBER 1998 -- UPDATE ON THE FCC To: [log in to unmask] This post contains inline ASCII graphics which look best in a monospace font like Courier. Text-to-speech readers should turn off punctuation now. _________ ____________ ________ __________ _____________ ___ _ / | / | | / | \ | "Why | Surf When / You Can | Ride The | Bus?" / | \ |__________|__________/__________|__________|___________/ | \ / /______|----\ | Visit the TOURBUS Web site to see the Archives, |//////| | | FAQ, and Subscription Information! |//////| | | http://www.TOURBUS.com |//////| | \________________________________________________________|______|____| / \ / \ / \ \___/ \___/ T h e I n t e r n e t T o u r B u s \___/ TODAY'S TOURBUS STOPS: UPDATE ON THE FCC Yesterday I told you about an urban legend that is floating around the Net that warns you that Many local telephone companies have filed a proposal with the FCC [The United States' Federal Communications Commission] to impose per minute charges for Internet service. They contend that use of Internet has or will hinder the operation of the telephone network. For the record, this story _was_ true a year ago, but on May 7, 1997, the FCC rejected the proposal and decided to leave the existing rate structure in place. According to the FCC, There is no open comment period in this proceeding. If you have recently seen a message on the Internet stating that in response to a request from local telephone companies, the FCC is requesting comments to <[log in to unmask]> by February 1998, be aware that this information is inaccurate. [Quoted from http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/ Factsheets/ispfact.html] Now for the confusing part. The FCC _IS_ currently requesting comments on an unrelated, although somewhat similar, issue. According to a recent article at CNET's news.com, Until January 20, the FCC is collecting public and industry comments regarding, among other things, whether ISPs should be reclassified as "telecommunications services." If the telcos prevail, ISPs will be reclassified, and could as a result have to pay the switch fee already paid by long distance providers. The FCC also is reconsidering which types of companies should have to contribute to universal service. ISPs may be designated as services that should contribute. Either way, ISPs, no doubt, would pass the fees on to their customers. [Quoted from http://news.com/News/Item/0,4,17860,00.html] Let's see if I can explain all of this a little further. Currently, local telephone companies in the United States charge long-distance carriers (like AT&T and MCI) a switching fee for the long-distance traffic that travels over their local lines. If the FCC decides to reclassify Internet Service Providers as "telecommuications services," your local telephone company would then be free to extend these same switching fees to the the high-speed lines that your local Internet Service Provider uses to access the Internet. Also, ISPs are currently exempt from having to pay into the "universal access fund," a federally-mandated fund that helps subsidize rural telephone service and Internet access for libraries and schools. The FCC is currently reevaluating this exemption. It is important to note that the FCC has not made any decision on either of these two issues. They are simply seeking the public's comments. So you can probably ignore the breathless rhetoric that has been floating around the Net recently, such as THE PHONE COMPANIES ARE HOPING YOU DON'T GET INVOLVED, THE LESS OPPOSITION TO THIS BILL THEY ARE TRYING TO PASS, THE QUICKER IT PASSES, AND THE QUICKER THEY REACH INTO YOUR POCKET. The goal of this is to put regular ISP's out of business so they can own the internet market. YOU MUST WRITE, PETITION, FIGHT AND DO WHATEVER IT TAKES IF YOU WANT THIS TO GO AWAY PERMANENTLY. In fact, the local telephone companies don't have much to do with FCC's current request for comments. The United States Congress told the FCC to reevaluate the universal access fund, and that is what opened this whole can of worms. Still, if you are in the United States and would like to comment on these issues [should ISPs be reclassified as telecommunications services and should ISPs be required to pay into the universal service fund?], feel free to exercise your fingers and pop off an e-mail letter to our friends at the FCC. Comments in response to the public notice are due January 20, 1998, and should be sent to <[log in to unmask]>. So, in summary, there are two stories about the FCC floating around the Net right now. The first story [that your local telephone company has filed a proposal with the FCC to change the rate structure to impose per minute charges for Internet service] is simply no longer true. The proposal was presented to the FCC in the Fall of 1996, and the FCC rejected the proposal on May 7, 1997. The second story [that the amount of money that you are going to have to pay your ISP is going to go up unless we stop the evil local telephone companies] is sort of true, but greatly exaggerated. In fact, the FCC is just seeking the public's comments on two questions: 1. Should ISPs be reclassified as telecommunications services? 2. Should ISPs be required to pay into the universal service fund? Of course, the real fear is that if the FCC answers "yes" to either of these two questions, folks in the United States might end up paying more each month for their Internet accounts. =====================[ TOURBUS Rider Information ]=================== The Internet TOURBUS - U.S. Library of Congress ISSN #1094-2238 Copyright 1995-97, Rankin & Crispen - All rights reserved Archives on the Web at http://www.TOURBUS.com Join: Send SUBSCRIBE TOURBUS Your Name to [log in to unmask] Leave: Send SIGNOFF TOURBUS to [log in to unmask] PROMOTE your business on the Internet TOURBUS. 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