Hi listers,
This letter from my Congressman was in response to my query regarding long
distance charges using the internet. I hope this letter clears up much of
the misunderstanding and confusion people have.
Joel from sunny southwest Florida
DISTRICT OFFICES:
PORTER GOSS 2000 MAIN STREET
14TH DISTRICT, FLORIDA SUITE 303
FT. MYERS, FL 33901
108 CANNON BUILDING (941)332-4677
WASHINGTON, DC 20515-0913
(202)225-2536 *tateg 3301 TAMIAMI TRAIL EAST
BUILDING F, SUITE 212
NAPLES, FL 34112
COMMITTEES: ouge of Repregentatibeg
CHAIRMAN (941)774-8060
PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE
ON INTELLIGENCE Wagbington, 3X 20515-0914 PUNTA GORDA
(941)639-0051
RULES
CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE
ON LEGISLATIVE AND BUDGET PROCESS January 13, 1999
Mr. Joel Pinkus 5964 Sonnet Court
North Fort Myers, Florida 33903
Dear Mr. Pinkus:
Thanks for contacting me with your concerns regarding a tax on internet
use.
I am not aware of any initiative here in Congress to charge a tax
each time one signs online. However, I have contacted the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), which is currently handling this matter,
and it was able to offer some insight as to why there has been talk of a
new internet tax or fee.
Recently, more and more areas are offering more than one local
telephone carrier for local telephone service. This competition in the
telecommunications market is certainly welcome, since it drives the cost
down and improves quality. However, an issue has arisen as a result of
this which involves carrier-to-carrier payments -- also called reciprocal
compensation. For instance, if a customer of Company A makes a local call
to a customer of Company 13, Company A must compensate Company B for
completing the call. Thus, reciprocal compensation is paid between phone
companies, and not by customers or internet service providers.
This has become a concern recently because there is a dispute within
the telephone industry as to whether local calls to internet service
providers are subject to reciprocal compensation. Currently, most state
regulatory agencies require telephone companies to charge a flat rate for
local service. Therefore, a local telephone company cannot charge a
separate surcharge for internet access. Further, the FCC has already
provided a special exemption for internet service providers so that they
will be considered local phone customers.
Although there are still some issues yet to be resolved as to
whether the FCC or states have regulatory authority over this matter, the
outcome will only affect how telephone companies compensate one another,
and will not directly affect internet users.
Rest assured that I will continue to keep an eye on this issue.
Should this matter come before Congress, I will be certain to keep your
comments in mind.
Kind ds,
Member of Congress
PG:ch
THIS STATIONERY PRINTED ON PAPER MADE OF RECYCLED FIBERS
VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask] In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
|