---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <20180920020521.GA28067@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2018 22:05:21 -0400 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> Subject: Verizon denies allegations that it's degrading mobile data service for Hurricane Florence victims Verizon said Tuesday that it is not slowing down or degrading the wireless services of North Carolina residents who have been affected by Hurricane Florence, after a report surfaced accusing the company of "deprioritiz[ing]" mobile data plans. A hurricane victim identifying himself or herself as a Verizon customer posted to reddit Monday saying that it has been days since it has been possible to check Facebook or email from a mobile device in a small town in eastern North Carolina. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/09/18/verizon-denies-throttling-mobile-data-hurricane-florence-victims/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4a9e8f06c4b8 -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20180919172409.GA26726@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2018 13:24:09 -0400 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> Subject: Universal Service Fund The Universal Service Fund (USF) is a system of telecommunications subsidies and fees managed by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) intended to promote universal access to telecommunications services in the United States. The FCC established the fund in 1997 in compliance with the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The FCC is a government agency that implements and enforces America's communication regulations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and other U.S. territories. The fund reported a total of $7.82 billion in disbursements in 2014, divided among its four programs. The fund is supported by charging telecommunications companies a fee which is set quarterly. As of the third quarter of 2016, the rate is 17.9% of a telecom company's interstate and international end-user revenues. While separate itemization is not required by the FCC, it is common for USF fees to be listed separately from other charges on a consumer's bill. Universal Service charges should not be confused with what are sometimes referred to in telephone company bills as "Federal Subscriber Line" charges, which are access fees charged by telecommunications companies, not the local or federal government. http://www.popflock.com/learn?s=Universal_Service_Fund -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20180919111619.77971glmoqtximo3@webmail.ca.inter.net> Date: 19 Sep 2018 11:16:19 -0400 From: Nigel Allen <ndallen@interlog.com> Subject: High rates for calls from immigration detention centers in the United States Regular readers will be aware that phone calls from prisons in the United States can be extremely expensive, partly because the telecommunications carrier in many cases is required to make payments to the prison. The issue also exists with immigration detention centers, although parents in immigration detention are sometimes allowed free calls to children who are also in immigration detention. I do not know whether telecommunications carriers providing services to immigration detention centers are required to make payments to the centers that would push rates higher. A BuzzFeed article from July 2018: Democratic Lawmakers Say ICE Charging Parents To Call Their Kids Violates Immigration Standards https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/briannasacks/detained-migrant-parents-pay-call-kids A petition at ThePetitionSite.com based on the BuzzFeed article: "We sign this petition to demand that ICE ensure that all phone calls between separated parents and children be free of charge." https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/456/497/148/ The petition's page incorrectly states that the high fees are being charged by the federal government rather than by a telecommunications carrier. Nigel Allen ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Thu, 20 Sep 2018