Background
Consumers are sometimes confused by the
various charges and items on their monthly telephone bills. The
FCC's Truth-in-Billing rules require telephone companies to
provide clear, non-misleading, plain language in describing
services for which you are being billed. The company sending you
the bill must identify the service provider associated with each
charge. If a bill contains charges in addition to basic local
service, it must distinguish between charges for which non-payment
will result in disconnection of basic local service, and charges
for which non-payment will not result in disconnection. Telephone
companies must also display, on each bill, one or more toll-free
numbers that you can call to ask about or dispute any charge on
the bill.
Here is a detailed description of some of the
charges or line items that may appear on your traditional wireline
telephone bill, your wireless telephone bill, or both.
Charges on Both Wireline and Wireless
Telephone Bills
Access Charges
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Access charges are fees charged
subscribers or other telephone companies by a local telephone
company for the use of its local network.
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The FCC allows local telephone companies
to bill customers for a portion of the costs of providing
access. These charges are not a government charge or tax.
The maximum allowable access charges per telephone line are
set by the FCC, but local telephone companies are free to
charge less or nothing at all. Access charges for second or
additional lines at the same residence are higher than the
charges for the primary line. These charges can be described
on your telephone bill as "Federal Access Charge,"
"Customer or Subscriber Line Charge,"
"Interstate Access Charge," etc.
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State public service commissions regulate
access charges for intrastate (within a state) calls. In some
states, a state subscriber line charge may appear on customer
bills.
Federal Excise Tax
State & Local Taxes
Universal Service Charges
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The Universal Service Fund (USF) provides
support to promote access to telecommunications services at
reasonable rates for those living in rural and high-cost
areas, income-eligible consumers, rural health care
facilities, and schools and libraries.
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All telecommunications service providers
and certain other providers of telecommunications must
contribute to the federal USF based on a percentage of their
interstate and international end-user telecommunications
revenues. These companies include wireline phone companies,
wireless phone companies, paging service companies, and
certain Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers.
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Some consumers may notice a
"Universal Service" line item on their telephone
bills. This line item appears when a company chooses to
recover its USF contributions directly from its customers by
billing them this charge. The FCC does not require this charge
to be passed on to customers. Each company makes a business
decision about whether and how to assess charges to recover
its Universal Service costs. These charges usually appear as a
percentage of the consumer's phone bill. Companies that choose
to collect Universal Service fees from their customers cannot
collect an amount that exceeds their contribution to the USF.
They also cannot collect any fees from a Lifeline program
participant.
911, LNP, and TRS Charges
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911 - Charge imposed by local
governments to help pay for emergency services such as fire
and rescue.
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Local Number Portability (LNP) -
Telephone number portability allows residential and business
customers to retain, at the same location, their existing
local telephone numbers when switching from one telephone
service provider to another. Companies may assess fees to
recover the costs that they incur in providing number
portability. Fees may vary by company, and some companies may
not charge any fees. These fees are not taxes.
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Telecommunications Relay Service -
Charge to help pay for the relay center that transmits and
translates calls for people with hearing or speech
disabilities.
Other Charges
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Directory Assistance - Any charges
for placing 411 or (area code) 555-1212 directory assistance
calls.
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Monthly Calling Plan Charge -
Charge applicable to any monthly calling plan such as
unlimited long distance calling on your wireline bill or
unlimited minutes on your wireless bill.
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Operator Assisted Calls - Charges
for any calls connected by an operator. Rates for these calls
generally are higher than rates for unassisted calls.
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Features Charges - Both wireline
and wireless telephone companies offer features such as call
forwarding (transferring incoming calls to another telephone
number); three-way calling (holding an incoming call, placing
a call to a second number, and allowing three parties to
participate); call waiting (providing a signal during an
ongoing call to notify that another party is calling the
subscriber); voice mail (message service much like an
answering machine); and Caller Identification (Caller ID)
(allowing the subscriber to view the telephone number of an
incoming call on a display screen). With Caller ID, non-listed
or non-published numbers may be displayed unless the
non-listed or non-published subscriber requests that they not
be.
Charges Only on Your Wireline Telephone
Bill
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Minimum Monthly Charge - A minimum
monthly charge assessed by some long distance companies even
if you don't make long distance calls.
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"Single Bill" Fee -
Charge for combining local and long distance charges onto one
bill. This fee is not mandated by the FCC and is not an FCC
charge. Some companies waive the fee for customers who pay
bills online or by credit card. Customers can avoid the charge
by arranging for separate billing from their long distance
telephone company.
Charges Only on Your Wireless Telephone
Bill
Airtime Charges
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Airtime charges are per-minute charges for
the time you spend talking on your wireless telephone. Some
wireless providers round fractions of minutes to the next
highest one, two, or three minutes. For example, if you talk 22
minutes and 28 seconds, it will be counted as 23 minutes for a
1-minute increment plan and 24 minutes for a 2-minute increment
plan.
Roaming Charges
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Roaming charges require you to pay for
using your wireless telephone outside of the "home"
service area as defined by your service provider in your
service plan or contract.
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Wireless providers typically charge
higher per-minute rates for calls made or received while
roaming. They may also apply additional fees, such as a daily
access fee.
911 Charges
Text Messaging
Downloading Fees
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These are fees charged for downloading
options offered by your wireless service provider, such as ring
tones, or, if your service plan includes Internet access, any
fees for downloading data from the Internet.
Detailed Billing
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This service provides detailed information
such as date, time, duration, type of call (incoming or
outgoing), number called, or calling party, for each call.
Filing a Complaint
If neither the company sending you the bill
nor the company that provided the service in question will remove
charges from your telephone bill that you consider to be
incorrect, you can file a complaint as follows:
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with the FCC for charges related to
telephone services between states or internationally;
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with your state public service commission
for telephone services within your state; and
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with the FTC for non-telephone services
on your telephone bill.
Filing a Complaint with the FCC
You can file a complaint using an FCC on-line
complaint form found at esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm.
You can also file your complaint with the FCC's Consumer Center by
e-mailing fccinfo@fcc.gov;
calling 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC
(1-888-835-5322) TTY; faxing 1-866-418-0232; or writing to:
Federal Communications
Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554.
What to Include in Your Complaint
The best way to provide all the information
needed for the FCC to process your complaint is to complete fully
the on-line complaint form. When you open the on-line complaint
form, you will be asked a series of questions that will take you
to the particular section of the form you need to complete. If you
do not use the on-line complaint form, your complaint, at a
minimum, should indicate:
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your name, address, e-mail address, and
phone number where you can be reached;
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telephone and account numbers that are
the subject your complaint;
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names and phone numbers of any companies
involved with your complaint;
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amount of any disputed charges, whether
you paid them, whether you received a refund or adjustment to
your bill, the amount of any adjustment or refund you have
received, an explanation if the disputed charges are related
to services in addition to residential or business telephone
services; and
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details of your complaint and any
additional relevant information.
Filing a Complaint with Your State Public
Service Commission or the FTC
For charges for telephone services provided
within your state, you should contact your state public service
commission. Contact information for your state public service
commission can be found at www.naruc.org/commissions.cfm,
or in the blue pages or government section of your local telephone
directory.
For charges on your telephone bill for
non-telephone services, file your complaint with the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC). You can file a complaint with the FTC on-line at
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.
You can also submit a complaint by calling the FTC toll-free at
1-877-382-4357 (voice) or 1-866-653-4261 (TTY), or writing to:
Federal Trade Commission
CRC-240
600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20580.
For More Information
For information about other telecommunications
issues, visit the FCC’s Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau Web site at
www.fcc.gov/cgb, or contact the FCC’s Consumer Center using
the information provided for filing a complaint. |
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