[VoiceOps] USF and Minimum Billing

[Carlos Alvarez]

I agree with you, and I'd ask the carrier to remove that.  It sounds like
you haven't asked yet.  The whole thing is highly negotiable anyway, since
it wasn't an actual cost to them.  You might even get them to drop it or
severely reduce the overage based on future business.


On Wed, Dec 2, 2015 at 7:23 PM, Peter Beckman <beckman at angryox.com> wrote:

> Hey Folks --
>
> I've got a carrier to which I've made a minimum commitment. I didn't get
> around to getting my spend up to the commit, and when my contract renewed,
> they billed me a minimum commit fee. Understandable, and I'm fine paying
> it. I didn't get anything for it -- zero telecom-related services.
>
> However, they also charged the USF percentage on the minimum fee.
>
> The Language from the FCC leads me to believe that this carrier's
> assessment of the USF on minimum billing is incorrect and illegal, as that
> fee is not interstate nor international end-user revenues. For specific
> detail, FCC Form 499-Q item 115 clearly states that the USF is to be
> taxed on:
>
> "Telecommunications provided to other universal service contributors for
> resale as telecommunications or as interconnected VoIP"
>
> The minimum fee is not telecommunications.
>
> Additionally Form 499-A for Line 418 states:
>
> "Line 418. — Other revenues that should not be reported in the contribution
> bases; Non-interconnected VoIP Revenues. Line 418 should include all
> non-telecommunications service revenues on the filer’s books, as well as
> some revenues that are derived from telecommunications-related functions,
> but that should not be included in the universal service or other fund
> contribution bases. For example, information services offering a capability
> for generating, acquiring, storing, transforming, processing, retrieving,
> utilizing, or making available information via telecommunications are not
> included in the universal service or other fund contribution bases."
>
> Anyone else experience this? Or have any background? I do not believe the
> carrier should charge me nor pay the FCC the USF on non-telecom fees.
>
> Any Telecom lawyers out there?
>
> Beckman
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Peter Beckman                                                  Internet Guy
> beckman at angryox.com
> http://www.angryox.com/
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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