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Consumer Tip for September 2003

Toll Free Number

 800-684-6560

 (PA only)

New long-distance telephone charges

Many consumers will be seeing a new 99-cent charge on their telephone bills. Sprint calls it a "Carrier Cost Recovery Charge". AT&T calls it a "Regulatory Assessment Fee". MCI already has two similar fees - a "Carrier Cost Recovery Charge" and a "Property Tax Surcharge" - which add up to 2.8 percent of a customer's long-distance charges. AT&T also has a charge called an "Intrastate Connection Fee" of $1.95 per month for in-state long distance in Pennsylvania. These fees are in addition to the other federal and state surcharges on the bill.

The new fees show as separate charges. That way, they do not increase the per-minute rate or long-distance plan's monthly fee.

Neither state nor federal regulators require long-distance companies to have their long-distance charges approved. Federal rules require that all long-distance companies give customers at least 30 days notice of any rate changes or new charges.

Visit our Tips to Lower Your Long Distance Telephone Bill section of our website.