- Note - The following are answers from
FCC Chairman William E. Kennard to
- questions about the action taken by the
FCC on 2-25-99 concerning
- reciprocal compensation for dial-up internet
traffic.
-
-
- Q: Has the FCC opened the door to Internet
charges?
- A: Absolutely not. The FCC has reconfirmed
the Internet's exemption.
- Consumers will see no new charges on
their Internet or phone bills.
-
-
- Q: Are we going to see new long distance
charges to connect to the
- Internet?
- A: Rumors have been spread by some people,
but these rumors are false. The
- FCC will not impose long distance charges
for dialing up the Internet.
-
-
- Q: Is there any way that local phone
companies will be able to start
- imposing usage-sensitive access charges
to Internet service providers?
-
- A: No. The exemption from long distance
access charges is solid as a rock
- and has been upheld in court.
-
- Q: The FCC will not allow long distance
charges for local calls to the
- internet. But has the FCC made it easier
for states to impose long distance
- charges for local calls to the Internet?
-
- A: No. States have no power to impose
long distance charges. Only the FCC
- can do that, and we declared our jurisdiction
over this traffic.
-
-
- Q: What changes can consumers expect
to see as the result of this decision
- -- in the short run, and in the long
run?
- A: Consumers should see no changes in
their Internet or phone bills,
- either in the short run or long run,
as a result of this Order. The big
- picture in the long run is very positive
-- our continued "hands off"
- policy towards the Internet will allow
it to continue growing rapidly,
- unfettered by regulations.
-
- Q: How will Internet providers react
to this Order? Will this be good for
- business or bad for business?
- A: It's good for business and consumers.
We have clarified how companies
- pay each other for this traffic and we
have done so in a way that prohibits
- the assessment of long distance charges.
This can only help consumers.
-
- Q: Why were so many negative rumors
spread around?
- A: The Internet has become extremely
important to a lot of people in the
- last few years. We get letters every
week from people for whom access to
- the Internet
has opened up whole new
- possibilities for business, social service,
and life. The very idea of
- paying long-distance-type charges for
hours web surfing naturally produces
- great anxiety. Therefore these rumors
tend to spring up anytime the FCC
- does anything related to long distance
service.
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