Klarinet Archive - Posting 000112.txt from 1999/03

From: David Blumberg <reedman@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Proposed Internet dialup charges - not
Date: Tue, 2 Mar 1999 14:33:32 -0500

I am posting this as there have been rumors about dialup charges to internet
providers being charged for.
D.B.

------------------------------
-@-----.net
[ ] News
[x] PR
[ ] Op/Ed
Source: http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Factsheets/faq_recp.html
ANSWERS FROM FCC CHAIRMAN WILLIAM E. KENNARD
TO QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE ACTION TAKEN BY THE FCC
ON FEBRUARY 25, 1999, CONCERNING RECIPROCAL COMPENSATION
FOR DIAL-UP INTERNET TRAFFIC
Q: Has the FCC opened the door to Internet charges?
A: Absolutely not. The FCC has reconfirmed the Internet's exemption.
Consumers will see no new charges on their Internet
or phone bills.
Q: Are we going to see new long distance charges to connect to the Internet?
A: Rumors have been spread by some people, but these rumors are false. The
FCC will not impose long distance charges for
dialing up the Internet.
Q: Is there any way that local phone companies will be able to start
imposing usage-sensitive access charges to Internet service
providers?
A: No. The exemption from long distance access charges is solid as a rock
and has been upheld in court.
Q: The FCC will not allow long distance charges for local calls to the
internet. But has the FCC made it easier for states to impose
long distance charges for local calls to the Internet?
A: No.States have no power to impose long distance charges. Only the FCC
can do that, and we declared our jurisdiction
over this traffic.
Q: What changes can consumers expect to see as the result of this decision
-- in the short run, and in the long run?
A: Consumers should see no changes in their Internet or phone bills, either
in the short run or long run, as a result of this
Order. The big picture in the long run is very positive -- our continued
"hands off" policy towards the Internet will allow it
to continue growing rapidly, unfettered by regulations.
Q: How will Internet providers react to this Order? Will this be good for
business or bad for business?
A: It's good for business and consumers. We have clarified how companies
pay each other for this traffic and we have done
so in a way that prohibits the assessment of long distance charges. This
can only help consumers.
Q: Why were so many negative rumors spread around?
A: The Internet has become extremely important to a lot of people in the
last few years. We get letters every week from people for whom access to
the Internet has opened up whole new possibilities for business, social
service, and life. The very idea of paying long-distance-type charges for
hours web surfing naturally produces great anxiety. Therefore these rumors
tend to spring up anytime the FCC does anything related to long distance
service.

----------------

David Blumberg - My Tempo Accompaniments for Woodwind Players (150+ pieces,
Playable Demos)
reedman@-----.com
http://www.mytempo.com (new address)
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