Telephone/Universal Service
Long Distance Fee Fuss (WP)
FCC Asks AT&T, MCI and Sprint to Respond to Congressional
Inquiries About Access Charge Savings (TelecomAM)
Furchtgott-Roth Tells FCC to Shed Light on the
"Hidden Tax" (FCC)
Open Commission Meeting Agenda (FCC)
Philanthropy
Soros to Fund Grants for Public-Interest Lawyers (WP)
Privacy
Firms On Web Faulted on Privacy (WP)
** Telephone/Universal Service **
Title: Long Distance Fee Fuss
Source: Washington Post (D4)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-06/03/152l-060398-idx.html
Author: Don Oldenburg
Issue: Long Distance
Description: "In January, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began
requiring long-distance carriers to pay the "Presubscribed Interexchange
Carrier Charge," a flat-rate monthly fee of 53 cents per phone line paid to
local phone companies for access to their telephone networks. The FCC did
not require long-distance carriers to add this fee to customers' phone bills
because they previously had been paying inflated access fees and already
were including those costs in their monthly rates." But long distance
companies are not charging just $0.53: MCI added a "national access fee" of
$1.07, AT&T added a 95-cents "carrier line charge." Sprint passed along an
80-cents "presubscribed line charge." "We're doing all we can to make sure
that the long-distance companies don't take advantage of consumers during
this transition," says FCC Chairman Bill Kennard, adding that the FCC
notified long-distance carriers that the blended or estimated fees aren't
fair to consumers.
Title: FCC Asks AT&T, MCI and Sprint to Respond to Congressional
Inquiries About Access Charge Savings
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Telephone Regulation
Description: Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Minority Leader Thomas Daschle
(D-SD) sent a letter to the FCC asking if long distance companies would pass
cost reductions on to customers if universal service fees were shifted to
local phone bills and access charges were lowered. FCC Common Carrier Bureau
Chief Richard Metzger has asked AT&T, MCI and Sprint to reply since they are
in the best position to answer the senators. Mr. Metzger asked that the
companies reply by June 3.
Title: Furchtgott-Roth Tells FCC to Shed Light on the "Hidden Tax"
Source: Telecom AM
http://www.telecommunications.com/am/
Issue: Universal Service
Description: "Some will say that the new hidden tax will be used for a
worthy cause, to support schools and libraries," FCC Commissioner
Furchtgott-Roth said. "If the cause is good, surely that is all the more
reason to let the public know about the tax." In a press release yesterday,
Commissioner Furchtgott-Roth 1) said the FCC should remove the "hidden tax"
from phone bills and make universal service fees explicit, 2) attacked the
"e-rate" program,
which he said is over-funded, and 3) praised AT&T's decision to add
line-item charges on residential bills to fund universal service. The
Commissioner said the FCC should be focusing on rural universal service
instead of the school and library program. He suggested that only $700
million needs to be collected to fund telecommunications services and $1.3
billion could be saved by not funding inside wiring which he believes was
not mandated by the Telecom Act of 1996.
Title: Open Commission Meeting Agenda
Source: FCC
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Miscellaneous/Public_Notices/Agenda/1998/ag98060
9.html
Issue: Universal Service
Description: The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting
on Tuesday, June 9, 1998, which is scheduled to commence at 3:00 p.m. in
Room 856, at 1919 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. The Commission will
consider action concerning proposals to ensure the accuracy and completeness
of billing disclosures made by telecommunications carriers. The Commission
will consider action concerning the collection levels for the schools and
libraries and rural health care universal service support mechanisms for the
third and fourth quarters of 1998. Finally, the Commission will consider
action concerning issues related to local exchange carrier recovery of
universal service contribution obligations. The audio portion of the meeting
will be available at http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/.
** Philanthropy **
Title: Soros to Fund Grants for Public-Interest Lawyers
Source: Washington Post (C17)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-06/03/039l-060398-idx.html
Author: David Segal
Issue: Philanthropy
Description: Billionaire investor George Soros announced a new program that
will make $9 million available to fund the salaries of public interest
lawyers. The funds will be matching grants and Mr. Soros challenged law
firms and corporations to ante up and pay the other half of the lawyers'
salaries. There will be ~70 fellowships per year for three years and pay
lawyers $44,000 plus help them repay student loans. Financial help has
already been pledged by New York's Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Washington's
Arnold & Porter. Corporate sponsors include Ford Motor Co., AT&T Corp. and
Mobil Corp.
** Privacy **
Title: Firms On Web Faulted on Privacy
Source: Washington Post (C15)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-06/03/032l-060398-idx.html
Author: Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Issue: Privacy
Description: In a survey of 1,400 websites, the Federal Trade Commission has
found that few companies tell website users how personal information is
collected and used. The report is to be the first major assessment of how
corporations are responding to the Clinton Administration's call for
self-regulation nearly a year ago. "Kathryn Montgomery, president of the
Center for Media Education, said the number of marketers who seek personal
details from children online is growing rapidly. She said such Web sites
routinely offer prizes and other rewards to children who share their names,
ages and family information. Some companies send children e-mail in the
guise of cartoon characters, asking the children to return to their Web site."
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