From owner-freebsd-isp Mon Nov 11 12:25:45 1996 Return-Path: owner-isp Received: (from root@localhost) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.7.5/8.7.3) id MAA07587 for isp-outgoing; Mon, 11 Nov 1996 12:25:45 -0800 (PST) Received: from avalon.imagixx.net (root@avalon.imagixx.net [206.31.232.1]) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.7.5/8.7.3) with SMTP id MAA07568; Mon, 11 Nov 1996 12:25:33 -0800 (PST) Received: from [206.31.232.10] (mgb.imagixx.net [206.31.232.10]) by avalon.imagixx.net (8.6.12/8.6.9) with SMTP id PAA09627; Mon, 11 Nov 1996 15:18:40 -0500 Date: Mon, 11 Nov 1996 15:18:40 -0500 Message-Id: <199611112018.PAA09627@avalon.imagixx.net> Subject: Telcos Refund Millions to ISPs From: "Martin G. Bayerle" To: "Small Internet Access Providers" , , , Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Sender: owner-isp@FreeBSD.org X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Precedence: bulk IMPORTANT. Check your phone bills for your dedicated modem lines. If you're paying a "Federal Subscriber Line Charge" (or equivalent) on your modem lines, you're telephone company owes you money . . . MGB/IDEA ______________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Telcos Cry Ouch as They Return Millions in Overcharges to ISPs Morgantown, WV - The Internet Development & Exchange Association (IDEA) announced today that they were pursuing the telephone companies for millions of dollars in overcharges collected from Internet Service Providers (ISP) nationwide. "We anticipate that the total overcharges which the RBOCs will return to the ISP industry will be somewhere between 4 and 30 million dollars, and the savings to ISPs, while the exemption remains in place, can be into the hundreds of millions of dollars in the future. Although the small to medium sized ISPs are exempt from certain tariffs - exemptions taken by AT&T, AOL, MSN and Compuserve and others - smaller ISPs are often not aware of their applicable exemptions," said Martin Bayerle, Executive Director of IDEA. In 1983, the U.S. government exempted companies who provide access to the national network of computers from certain fees imposed by the RBOCs. "Unfortunately, the telephone companies' business offices are often unaware of the exemption, and the smaller ISP, as a consequence, gets charged. The larger ISPs and their phalanx of lawyers know about the exemptions; the smaller ones often do not," Mr. Bayerle said. These overcharges came to light in May, when IDEA initiated its member audit program. IDEA has already retrieved thousands of dollars in refunds for its membership. IDEA is the Internet industry's trade association. Exemptions would be retroactive to 1983, with some ISPs collecting as much as $100,000 or more in refunds from the telcos. The Association will assist IDEA members in the refund process. _________ Contact: bayerle@auidea.org For general information on IDEA, and its Audit Programs, visit http://www.auidea.org