Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

["Lyman Green" <daerid AT io.com>]

> I just got this lovely letter from BS.  I am primarily concerned with the
> first part of the letter.  Although we're talking about less than $3 per
> month, I was skeptical.  My analysis of it follows the letter:
>

<snip>

>
> We are writing to inform you that BellSouth will begin charging a
> regulatory cost recovery fee of $2.97 per month for your FastAccess
> Service.  This fee is intended to offset the cost BellSouth incurs in
> complying with regulatory obligations and includes the recovery of the
> Federal Universal Service Charge.  This regulatory cost recovery fee is
> not a tax or a charge imposed by a government entity.  Please be aware
> that this new line item will appear on your monthly FastAccess bill
> effective March 26, 2004.

<snip>

>
> [1] In the second paragraph they contradict themselves by saying it's a
> cost incurred by complying with regulatory obligations, yet it's not
> "imposed by a government entity".
>
> [2] I did some online searching and finally called the Federal
> Communications Commission's Consumer Information Bureau, at
> 1-888-225-5322.  I had to listen to a lengthy, but informative, spiel
> about the Universal Service Fund, but ...
> http://bellsouth.broaddaylight.com/bellsouth/FAQ_41_389.shtm
> http://www.fcc.gov/wcb/universal_service/welcome.html
> http://ftp.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/usfincrease.html
>
> [3] ...she had some interesting comments on my query:
>     [a] $2.97 seemed high to her, and
>     [b] when I mentioned it being applied to my DSL bill, she said that
> was the first time she'd ever heard of that.
>


interesting.  Here's a portion of one of my invoices from Speakeasy for my
IDSL service: