part one ---Fake Phone Company Consumer Group --- Increase Universal Service, Tax VOIP, Influence the FCC.

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Bruce Kushnick <bruce () NEWNETWORKS COM>
Reply-To: Telecom Regulation & the Internet
<CYBERTELECOM-L () LISTSERV AOL COM>
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2005 05:06:34 -0500
To: <CYBERTELECOM-L () LISTSERV AOL COM>
Subject: part one ---Fake Phone Company Consumer Group --- Increase
Universal Service, Tax VOIP, Influence the FCC.

TELETRUTH ALERT April 25th, 2005

For more info: http://www.teletruth.org/USF.html


FAKE PHONE COMPANY CONSUMER GROUP ---  INCREASE
UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND (USF) TAX, PLACE IT ON VOIP,
INFLUENCE THE FCC.

A few weeks ago,  the "Keep Universal Service Fund (USF) Fair" Coalition
congratulated FCC Commissioner Martin on his  new appointment to Chairman
and suggested increasing Universal Service Fund up to 40% and adding new
taxes
to Voice-over-the-Internet" (VOIP). They claim that this would be good for
Seniors, Hispanics, families with disabilities, and consumers.

The USF charge is currently an 11+% tax  you pay on every  long distance,
wireless and DSL bill, and is even applied to parts of your local phone bill
--- Do
you want your taxes raised 40%? Aren't you paying enough? Is that "fair"?

The hidden secret is that the "KeepUSFFair" coalition is another Bell
(SBC, Verizon and BellSouth) skunkworks campaign.  The group is mainly
comprised of astroturf and co-opted groups funded by the Bell companies and
are being coordinated by Washington-DC based  Issue Dynamics and Sam Simon,
to push the Bell monopoly agenda --- not your agenda. This group includes
TRAC,
Alliance for Public Technology (APT), American Association of People With
Disabilities, World Institute on Disability, League of United Latin American
Citizens, the Gray Panthers, and others.

And these actions are even more insidious when you realize that APT,
and other phone company funded-related groups, are trying to influence the
FCC. 
APT, in fact, is on the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee --- as a "consumer
group".

Below is Teletruth's Letter to Chairman Martin outlining the situation as we
see it. We believe the USF has become a massive corporate subsidy. It has
increased 185% since 1999, even though the costs to offer service continues
to decline. 
Also,  the largest part goes back to the phone companies.and no one has
audited the money.
Worse, various states have added additional USF taxes -- double-quadruple
taxation.

Teletruth believes that these non-profits groups should be investigated for
being nothing but a front for phone companies to control the broadband,
Internet, 
wireless, municipality-deployment, competitive markets.

TAKE ACTION: To see the KeepUSFFair press release, links to learn more
about skunkworks, astroturf groups,  or about the Universal Service Fund,
or to write  your own letter to the FCC Chairman and Commissioners
denouncing this 
fake group and calling to investigate Universal Service, go to:

http://www.teletruth.org/USF.html

Bruce Kushnick, Teletruth
Tom Allibone, Teletruth

------ End of Forwarded Message


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