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My last AT&T landline phone bill amounts to $32.81, of which $19.40 is for the residential line. Everything else is taxes, fees, and surcharges. The highest of those is $8.17 for a "Federal Subscriber Line Charge".
This FCC page says:
I have only a single line. So I'm wondering why my charge is more than $6.50. Does anyone else out there have a landline phone bill for a single line, with a monthly Subscriber Line Charge of higher than $6.50? I'm thinking maybe they increased the cap, but didn't update the web page... But even back in January 2014, I was being billed $6.78 for it. Only as far back as June 2012 was it under $6.50.
The main reason I still have a landline is for work. I haven't had many dial-in meetings lately, but there's always the possibility they can come up again. Cell phones aren't ideal for them.
Update:
This page mentions that there was talk in 2008 of increasing the cap to $8.50.
This page mentions that some companies are allowed to charge higher amounts, but it sounds to me that wouldn't apply to AT&T. A prior post in the thread indicates that this this part of the Federal Code of Regulations controls the cap. But I'm not sure if that data is up to date.
Many other people have posted about being charged more than $6.50, so it doesn't seem to be an unusual thing.
Update - 2017/05/20:
I corrected a typo above; my residential line charge is $19.40, not $17.40.
I also found the following information which explains why my Federal Subscriber Line Charge (FSLC) is higher than the $6.50 cap, even though that cap hasn't changed. The amount on my bill must be a combination of 2 charges - the FSLC and an "Access Recovery Charge".
Understanding Your Telephone Bill and Charges:
I also found the following blurb on my old bill from July 2012, which was the first month that the amount went over $6.50:
Effective 7/3/2012, the Federal Subscriber Line Charge, regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, will increase. Your current bill reflects the change.
This FCC page says:
The Subscriber Line Charge is a fee that you pay to your local phone company that connects you to the telephone network. Local telephone companies recover some of the costs of telephone lines connected to your home or business through this monthly charge on your local telephone bill. Sometimes called the federal subscriber line charge, this fee is regulated and capped by the FCC, not by state Public Utility Commissions. It is not a tax or a fee charged by the government. The money received from the subscriber line charge goes directly to local telephone companies. To ensure that all Americans can afford at least a minimal level of basic telephone service, the FCC will not allow phone companies to charge more than $6.50 for a single line.
I have only a single line. So I'm wondering why my charge is more than $6.50. Does anyone else out there have a landline phone bill for a single line, with a monthly Subscriber Line Charge of higher than $6.50? I'm thinking maybe they increased the cap, but didn't update the web page... But even back in January 2014, I was being billed $6.78 for it. Only as far back as June 2012 was it under $6.50.
The main reason I still have a landline is for work. I haven't had many dial-in meetings lately, but there's always the possibility they can come up again. Cell phones aren't ideal for them.
Update:
This page mentions that there was talk in 2008 of increasing the cap to $8.50.
This page mentions that some companies are allowed to charge higher amounts, but it sounds to me that wouldn't apply to AT&T. A prior post in the thread indicates that this this part of the Federal Code of Regulations controls the cap. But I'm not sure if that data is up to date.
Many other people have posted about being charged more than $6.50, so it doesn't seem to be an unusual thing.
Update - 2017/05/20:
I corrected a typo above; my residential line charge is $19.40, not $17.40.
I also found the following information which explains why my Federal Subscriber Line Charge (FSLC) is higher than the $6.50 cap, even though that cap hasn't changed. The amount on my bill must be a combination of 2 charges - the FSLC and an "Access Recovery Charge".
Understanding Your Telephone Bill and Charges:
Beginning July 1, 2012, the FCC will allow Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (LECs) to assess a new Access Recovery Charge (ARC). The FCC will allow Incumbent LECs to bill the ARC separately, or to combine the ARC with the SLC for purposes of billing the two charges. The FCC will allow Incumbent LECs to assess a monthly charge of up to $0.50 per line on residential end users, single-line business customers, and non-primary residential lines. The $0.50 ARC may increase an additional $0.50 annually through 2016 or 2017...
I also found the following blurb on my old bill from July 2012, which was the first month that the amount went over $6.50:
Effective 7/3/2012, the Federal Subscriber Line Charge, regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, will increase. Your current bill reflects the change.
no subject
Date: 2017-05-20 06:13 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2017-05-20 09:33 pm (UTC)From:But by doing some more searching, I finally found out why my charge is over $6.50, and verified it is legal. I have updated the post.
I have a new cellphone now, and plan to activate it soon. Depending on how good the call quality is, I may end up getting rid of my land-line after all.