It sounds to me like you have metered service. It doesn't matter whether you
are on a modem or talking to Mom, you get billed by the minute. Some areas
of the US now have metered service, you can probably buy unlimited local
service for a price, but the default plan is probably the meter.
This was discussed in Georgia a few years ago and rejected by the Public
Service Comm. A "lifesaver" rate is made available that is metered but is
intended as cheap service for the elderly as a lifeline. The PSC rigidly
requires BellSouth to maintain Atlanta as the largest local toll free area
in the country. Basic no frills service begins at about $20.00 per month.
ISDN lines are now metered, but you can buy unlimited service for a price.
I get unlimited at the old rate of $65.00 per month, but am grandfathered
under the old tariff. I can make no changes to my service or I will lose my
grandfather status and become metered.
Jim Altman jaltman@altlaw.com non illegitimus carborundum
http://www.altlaw.com/ 69-TR6#CC28754L W4UCK
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-triumphs@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-triumphs@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of DSpoff2660
Sent: Sunday, January 18, 1998 10:55 AM
To: triumphs@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: local phone Co. info NO LBC CONTENT BUT VERY IMPORTANT
PLEASE READ!!
To those involved in this conversation:
Where do you all live? Up here in Vermont we get charged for local calls so
even connecting to a close server will add up. For example during peak
hours
(9am to 9pm) Bell Atlantic charges $0.022 a minute and off peak hours $0.005
a
minute. You are given a usage allowance and the final bill is equal to the
total local call bill minus the allowance...not to exceed $18.75. A friend
of
mine in the Huntington area doesn't even get an allowance with his local
calls, he pays for all of them. This way the phone companies don't have to
distinguish if you are online or not, you just get charged for everything.
So eventhough I have unlimited use through AOL I still have to look at my
time
online. I don't know if it is like this anywhere else but I certainly don't
recall this system in Mass. where I used to live.
My question is does any one else go through this, especially the ones
writing
about possible (whether a hoax or not) online charges through the phone
company.
Doug
75 TR6 (once encased in a protective layer of ice)
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