bill%gauss@gatech.edu (bill) (02/13/91)
The following article appeared on the United Press International wire.
UPf 02/08 1814 State official offers help to long-distance callers...
State official offers help to long-distance callers to Persian Gulf.
AUSTIN, Texas (UPI) -- Concerned that Saudi Arabia is apparently
making a profit on long-distance calls from the Persian Gulf war zone,
a state official Friday unveiled a plan to lower costs and help
families who have run up large telephone bills.
"We're at war, and no entity in this country or in Saudi Arabia
should be making a profit off our troops calling home," said Marta
Greytok, a member of the Texas Public Utility Commission.
American families calling front-line soldiers in Saudi Arabia are
being billed $1.46 per minute, with 73 cents going to U.S. telephone
and communications companies and 73 cents to the Saudi postal and
telephone system.
Greytok said while the amount collected by American companies
barely covers costs, the Saudi government apparently is making a
profit on its share.
"It appears that the Saudi's portion goes not only to help defray
telephone service but also to subsidize the cost of postal service in
Saudi Arabia," she said.
Greytok said she had heard "horror stories" of U.S. families
running up telephone bills of $800 for calls to loved ones in the gulf
region.
"We do not need our courageous military men and women in the
Persian Gulf, or their families, to be burdened with what appears to
be above-cost charges for telephone calls, she said.
Greytok said she discussed the problem with officials at AT&T,
which has established a temporary toll-free number to help families
who are having trouble paying their long-distance charges. AT&T has
furnished one thousand telephone lines for use in the Persian Gulf.
Individuals also can call the number -- 1-800-323-HELP -- to
contribute money to help pay existing telephone bills. A permanent
line will be in place soon.
In addition, Chairman Andrew Barrett and Commissioner Al Sikes of
the Federal Communications Commission said they were willing to
consider a tariff filing from AT&T that would lower rates for Persian
Gulf calls to a level that would only recover actual costs, Greytok
said.
Rates charged for international telephone traffic are negotiated
between the telephone systems in each country, and Greytok said rate
negotiations between American companies and Saudi Arabia have been
undertaken.
"But they need to be accelerated with an eye toward providing our
troops the ability to call home at rates no higher than the actual
cost of providing the service," she said. "We owe it to our troops."
Bill Berbenich Georgia Tech, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
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