To all:
Regarding local phone companies trying to charge extra for Internet access phone calls:
There is no way it will ever be ten cents a minute. Even when you get a phone line with the cheapest monthly rate (not unlimited local calls), a certain number of calls/minutes is free, and then it is typically only one or two cents per minute. I see this as the max they would ever get.
As far as our right to unlimited local calling: We have no such right, and the phone companies may well be entitled to extra charges.
The charges for local calls were implemented a long time before there was wide use of the Internet. If someone spent an hour a day on local calls, that was a lot.
Now, it is not uncommon for people to spend eight or more hours per day on the Internet. I have friends who spend far more, and I suspect many of you spend at least that much time.
I would not have a major problem with local phone companies having two or three different flat rate levels for local calls: $10/month for up to 20 hours, $20/month for 20 to 100 hours and $30/month for true unlimited usage.
I say the same should probably go for Internet access. I know of no ISP making money offering unlimited access for $19.95/month.
Of course, I would expect better service for paying more (such as faster, more reliable connections).
Analogy: All You Can Eat dinners were not designed for pro football players.
I will probably get a lot of flames on this one, but I don't think it is reasonable to expect local phone companies to bear this cost.
Does anyone know the what it costs for a phone co to provide local service ? Does it go up the more one uses local phone service ? (If not, it certainly will if they have to add more lines, switches, routers, etc.)
Doug |
