ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
clubs: |  Locked in yearly plans....
It will be interesting to see what Sunrocket and Viatalk do with their yearly plans....
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Have you been touched by his noodly appendage? »www.venganza.org/index.htm |
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dcurrey
Premium
join:2004-06-29
 ·ViaTalk
| On new accounts they have two choices. Eat the cost or bill the customer.
Now on accounts they are already prepaid can the government collect the USF fund? The service was already bought and paid for and the voip company will not be getting any more revenue from the user until the next renewal date. Hence no revenue to base the 7% on. |
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Toadman
Hypnotoad
join:2001-11-28
Medina, OH
| reply to ptrowski
We should not be billed for it. Since our agreement and subsequent bill was generated prior to this happening, there should be no "retroactive" USF. Now the new ViaTalk rate will be higher because it would have to include 12 or 24 months of the USF. |
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phattieg
join:2001-04-29
Winter Park, FL
 ·Verizon Wireless B..
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| reply to ptrowski
It will be even more interesting to see how this affects other "information services". I think it's stupid, because VoIP is not a telecom, it's a data service, it requires that your area have some kind of high speed access with low latency, so why should a person pay USF if no copper was ran for the circuit. The USF fund is the biggest rip off in the world, considering how many people have more than one phone line/cell phone, you now have all this money for a technology that has seen minor changes and deployment over the last 5 years. I don't see anyone but Verizon doing major things, and I doubt they're seeing 100% of the USF funding to do what they are doing. I wouldn't doubt the push for this fee on VoIP wasn't kick started by the Bush administration for all the lost money elsewhere in the country. Not to mention all those lawsuits the telecom's have been getting for giving the NSA all that info. Yep, the money is to be made back somehow...
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SIPPhone/Gizmo # 17476200648 / Ran by Asterisk & Slackware 10.1. |
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ftodd
join:2001-04-11
Pittsburgh, PA | reply to ptrowski
Before you know it, we'll be paying as much as copper customers!!
Best wishes. |
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phattieg
join:2001-04-29
Winter Park, FL
·Verizon Wireless B..
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| Well, ironically enough, if you use Vonage, or any major VoIP company, you'll notice you already ARE paying more, you just have no tax on VoIP, and no tax means lesser bill. For example, standard phone service might cost $21, but you have 911 tax, USF, State and Local tax, Long Distance carrier charges, and then the features, turns into $46 real easily. Soon VoIP will be no exception, but I have my own VoIP switch, so all my phones features were made by me. I have no problem paying a tad bit more, considering I have unlimited inbound termination (meaning I have MORE than call waiting, I have que's, lol, $35 paid for the WHOLE YEAR!). I could care less, as long as it remains resonable, then I'll switch to cellphone.
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SIPPhone/Gizmo # 17476200648 / Ran by Asterisk & Slackware 10.1. |
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dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
| reply to ftodd
said by ftodd  :Before you know it, we'll be paying as much as copper customers!! And thats why we went voip originally [to escape all these bullshit fees]
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You can never be too rich, too thin or have too much Bandwidth |
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rwhubert
Bipolar Athlon
Premium
join:2002-07-26
Atlanta, GA
 ·CYBERONIC INTERNET..
| reply to ptrowski
The USF is the biggest rip-off since King George decided to arbitrarily impose a tax stamp on all printed matter, thus goading the colonists into a rebellion! I mean, where does this USF crapola stop, anyway?
It's a legal excuse for information highway robbery. It's arbitrary, exhorbitant and unfair. It should be rescinded, but of course we know our esteemed congresspeople and senators well enough that we're pretty sure that will not happen ... not in this liftime.
Robert in Atlanta |
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cdru
Go Colts
Premium,MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN
| reply to phattieg
My average phone bill was around $85 which included local calling package, long distance, and DSL. Take out the ~32 for DSL and associated fees and I'm down to around $53/month. I just renewed my VT subscription for a year for $99, or 8.25 a month. Even if they start tossing a few fees like a $1.75 USF, I'm still 1/5th my old bill.
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Quis custodiet custodes ipsos? |
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briartech
join:2005-12-23
Stamping Ground, KY
| reply to phattieg
$21???!! I'm moving to Florida if that's true! Here in Kentucky, $21.00 won't even get you dialtone from BellSouth. Much less, 3 way calling, voicemail, caller ID, unlimited long distance, unlimited in state calling, etc. I'll keep my Vonage thank you very much. |
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