It is not supported by a government tax, but it is supported by a varying fee that a private company charges and the government requires you to pay. That's a tax wearing a mask.
I support the need for USF, but the situation Marlon describes is crap. I can't get a landline here for $30 (70 miles from Chicago), but BFE can get landline and high speed Internet for $30 because of USF funds. USF should absorb some of the cost, but not to a point where USF services are less expensive than non-USF services. People in rural areas should pay somewhere between urban price and true cost, closer to urban. I would fully expect to pay $50 for a landline in a remote area while the true cost was... $1000 or $10000. I have a MAJOR beef with the fact that I am required to pay into USF as a VoIP provider (though I don't do enough revenue to be required to file), but I am not allowed to be funded by USF. That is crap. ---------- Mike Hammett Intelligent Computing Solutions http://www.ics-il.com -------------------------------------------------- From: "Chuck McCown" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2008 10:28 AM To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [WISPA] gotta love USF!!!! > The USF is solvent, it not supported by tax dollars and does its job in > getting phone service to every last barn and sagebrush that needs it. > I would say it works better than the mortgage banking industry, social > security or the national budget... > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Marlon K. Schafer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2008 8:50 AM > Subject: Re: [WISPA] gotta love USF!!!! > > >> In all honesty, it's turned into quite a scam hasn't it. About is >> rampant >> from what I see. >> marlon >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Chuck McCown - 3" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> >> Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 9:15 PM >> Subject: Re: [WISPA] gotta love USF!!!! >> >> >>> It is a cost recovery mechanism. I got audited by USAC this year to >>> prove >>> that the USF we receive is to cover the costs of providing the service. >>> But >>> think how expensive it is to run a hundred miles of fiber and put in a >>> class >>> 5 switch to serve 30 or 50 customers. >>> >>> You are right, I do love USF!!! >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "Marlon K. Schafer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>> To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> >>> Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 8:29 PM >>> Subject: [WISPA] gotta love USF!!!! >>> >>> >>>> Just had a dilup customer quit. She went to DSL. >>>> >>>> $14.95 for internet and $14.95 for phone line. $29.90 for both! This >>>> was >>>> NOT an introductory rate. Good for life. She called to double check >>>> that >>>> after we warned her. >>>> >>>> Depending on who you listen to Century Tel gets $60 to $109 per month >>>> in >>>> subsidies out here. Per phone line. >>>> >>>> Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't USF supposed to be a cost >>>> recovery >>>> mechanism????? If the telco can drop their drawers that far down it >>>> seems >>>> to me that USF has been kicking in a bit too much of late. >>>> >>>> The older I get the more I hate my government and what it's doing to >>>> us! >>>> marlon >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>>> WISPA Wants You! Join today! >>>> http://signup.wispa.org/ >>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>>> >>>> WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] >>>> >>>> Subscribe/Unsubscribe: >>>> http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless >>>> >>>> Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> WISPA Wants You! Join today! >>> http://signup.wispa.org/ >>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> >>> WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] >>> >>> Subscribe/Unsubscribe: >>> http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless >>> >>> Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ >> >> >> >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> WISPA Wants You! Join today! >> http://signup.wispa.org/ >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] >> >> Subscribe/Unsubscribe: >> http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless >> >> Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ >> > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > WISPA Wants You! Join today! > http://signup.wispa.org/ > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wants You! 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