Ken, re: GTE and >>Have you heard from others about ILECs plans to monitor and charge for usage.<<
This is very interesting. Darren DeNunzio had conveyed a similar story to me last week, stating that GTE had come out with a new pricing scheme, with a standard 19.95 for the first 100 hours, and $1.00 for every additional hour.
If you look up their pricing on their .com page, it still shows the all-you-can-eat variety. But after a little drilling down I came across this legal encyclical [the likes of which I'd never seen before for a dialup service at gte.net ] that pointed me, finally, to their .net page, where the new and revised pricing scheme exists in full living text:
(the last two paragraphs of the following passage actually spell out the charges)
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Dial-Up Internet Access
Packages:
$19.95/month** Internet Access
This package includes 100 Internet access hours, one e-mail account and access to all the benefits listed below. (A one-time $15 start-up fee applies.)
$24.95/month** Internet Access Plus
This package includes 100 Internet access hours, 2 unique e-mail boxes for a single price of $24.95 per month as well as all the benefits listed below. (A one-time $15 start-up fee applies.)
Additional e-mail addresses are available for $5.00/month or for discounted rates, check out our new packages below to save on Internet access with additional mailboxes.
NEW! $27.95/month** Internet Access (with two additional mailboxes)
This package includes 100 Internet access hours, three unique e-mail addresses and annual savings of $24.00. (A one-time, non-refundable $15 start-up fee applies.)
NEW! $29.95/month** Internet Access (with three additional mailboxes)
This package includes 100 Internet access hours, four unique e-mail addresses and annual savings of $60.00. (A one-time, non-refundable $15 start-up fee applies.)
If you need more than three additional mailboxes, they can each be purchased for a discounted rate of $3.00/month.
*GTE supports the V.90 ITU standard modem protocol for 56K modems; enabling upload speeds up to 33.6Kbps and faster download speeds for many local phone lines. Due to FCC limitations and phone line conditions, 56K is not a guaranteed connection rate. V.90 access is not available in all areas.
Prices are usage based. Thresholds for hours used each month apply. Usage over the threshold will be billed at $1.00 per hour, prorated to the nearest minute. One hour of ISDN use on two B Channels will be billed as two hours of use. It is the responsibility of GTE members to monitor their hours online. Some restrictions and exclusions apply. All offers are subject to change.
**A one time, non-refundable $15 set-up fee applies. Upon sign-up, the first 10 days of service are free. Prices include Internet access only. GTE is not responsible for any local, long distance, or 800 number charges incurred when accessing the Internet. In areas without local dial-up access, service is available for an additional charge. Up to 5Mb of storage space is provided for each e-mail account. All offers are subject to change. ©1998 GTE Service Corporation.
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Ken, I notice that you are using Halcyon. One would think that the above pricing changes would apply to the GTE family of internet services, and not to those of other ISPs.
Is Halcyon affiliated or in any way being provided as an extension of the GTE brand? Or is it possible that the central office switch connection time alone is what you are referring to, and not necessarily that for GTE Internetworking services exclusively? Please explain. In Darren's case he is clearly a GTE Internet Services subscriber.
Regards, Frank Coluccio |
