BOR%OLYMPS@engvax.scg.hac.COM (Alexis Bor - VLSInet/GMnet - 213-816-6460) (08/14/87)
SUBJECT: FCC PROPOSED RULE (MODEM) CHARGES!
Following excerpt is taken from MICROTIMES Sept, 87 issue.
"TELECOMMUNICATIONS"
On June 10, 1987 the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making
(NPRM) that will, on January 1, 1988, push the cost of information
access into the stratosphere and guarantee the creation of a new
class: the 'information poor!'
The FCC proposal calls for assessing an additional charge of
about $5 an hour for computer telecommunications services that offer
enhanced services, such as those provided by U.S. Sprint's Telent and
Tymnet. These enhanced service companies are currently exempt from
access charges. The FCC proposes to eliminate this exemption.
If the exemption is eliminated, you can take the price you pay
for every hour of connect time and jack it up by at least five bucks,
and probably much more. (Five dollars would likely be the charge if
these services just passed on the increase to their users; in reality,
they will probably raise charges even more to cover administrative
charges.)
A MATTER OF EQUITY
FCC attorney Ruth Milkman told the Commission at the June 10
meeting that the basic theory behind the removal of the current access
charge exemption is that if enhanced service providers use local
network to provide interstate services, they should pay for the same
access and contribute to cost of facilities in the same way as
providers of voice services.
Milkman adds that the commission realizes that imposing the fee
on computer services would not offset the charges on long distance
carriers. Rather, she says, the FCC merely wants all carriers to pay
an equal share for use of the local telephone exchange.
The FCC is accepting comments on the ruling. Write to them now.
Tell them what you think of the ruling. You can file your comments by
writing to:
Federal Communication Commission
Office of Opinion and Review
The Secretary
1919 M. Street, N. W.
Room 222
Washington, D.C. 20554
"Refer to "Amendments of Part 69 of the Commission's Rule
relating to Enhanced Service Providers cc Docket 87-215." For more
information you can call the FCC at (202) 632-7000.
The rest of the article goes into how to write comments.
Alexis Bor
Hughes Aircraft Company
bor@athena.hac.com