Your local telephone company has filed a proposal with the FCC to impose per minute charges for your internet service. They contend that your usage has or will hinder the operation of the telephone network. What it means for you is an additional charge every time you log on to the internet through a phone line -- even if you log on through an ISP, such as AOL, Prodigy or Compuserve. Here is the text of a report in a recent Newsweek:
OFFLINE?
The Internet may soon become a more expensive place. The FCC is now deciding whether to allow local phone companies to charge for every minute you spend online. If the FCC reclassifies Internet Service Providers (ISPs) as "telecommunications services," they will no longer be "end users." Dave McClure, executive director of the Association of Online Professionals, says, "If ISPs have to pay access fees, our industry will be devastated." CYBERSCOPE recommends not bragging so loudly about your Internet phone conversations.
For the latest information on this issue, here is a web site from the Internet Access Coalition.
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