JakeToday
@Dial1.Atl
| reply to kingofdsl
Re: [Services] My DSL going up $2.97
Re: your DSL bill. You might like this news. This week I found the site below as to wireless options being tested by companies (BellSouth is one of the companies). Maybe this new wireless, non-line-of-sight technology will help rural residents like me who have no DSL or cable options, and will help you price-wise by making the bandwidth market more competitive. Maybe the price for residential broadband wireless access (BWA) will be cheaper than the BellSouth DSL price you pay, even if BellSouth is the one selling the service.
Check out the Business Communications Review's article about BWA at »www.bcr.com/bcrmag/2003/11/p18s1.asp
Re: carrier cost recovery fee (CCRF), I found thelinks below concerning CCRF as to BellSouth's long-distance (LD) service, the "Dollar Value Plan" and its other long-distance plans. Perhaps you can find CCRF info. online re: BS DSL.
»www.tariffs.net/bsld/index.mv?co···93858381 or go directly to the "Residential Services Pricing and Service Guide" at »www.tariffs.net/tariffs/481/Res_···uide.pdf.
A portion of the paragraph about changes to the Carrier Cost Recovery Fee states that the CCR "fee will apply in full for any portion of a billing period in which the Customer has applicable interstate or international charges.".... (Read the full content at the link above.)
The BellSouth representative I spoke with today, April Fool's Day 2004, said the CCR fee of 99 cents/month per line is charged every month whether I make a LD call or not and whether or not I call out of state. Is it that the $1 base charge is considered the "applicable" charge that triggers the CCR fee, so that, in essence, it is the potential for action, for placing a state-to-state or international call, that triggers it? Maybe so.
Maybe finding the CCRF disclosure appropriate to DSL will help you when you look into it further; I know $2.97 extra per month bites, even a "legal" $2.97 charge.
I have always appreciated BellSouth--its telephone service and its representatives (although I've been long tired of the 26.4 Kpbs dial-up speed); but, perhaps discontinuing BellSouth entirely and using only my cell phone is an option. Hmm, a nice savings plan.
The airlines in the recent past were required to disclose their fees with their promotions, to avoid the sticker shock to their travelers (not to mention the animus). The same requirement of BellSouth would be appropriate: "...you will pay $2.19 per month per phone line if you sign up for Bell South's 10-cents-per-minute long-distance plan, whether you call intrastate, state-to-state or internationally.
From whom did BellSouth learn to charge cost recovery fees? Note the $6.50/month FCC charge [TAX] (plus $7.00/month FCC charge per additional line) to "recover costs associated with connecting to a telecommunication service provider's interstate network."
Best wishes.
Jake |
