Subject: Re: Fees for Internet Services
Date: Fri, 9 Jan 1998 00:37:12 +0000
From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Reply-To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>

From:          David Penrose
To:            heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject:       Re: Fees for Internet Services

Eddie,

Thank you for forwarding the message to the group. You are to be
commended for keeping the ROOTERs informed.

I am a system administrator for a successful ISP in North Dakota. We were
the first locally owned ISP in the state. I have served as a consultant
to the ND Office of Attorney General and have testified before State
Legislators.

This information is provided directly from the FCC (see
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Factsheets/ispfact.html)

"There is no open comment period in this proceeding. If you have recently
seen a message on the Internet stating that in response to a request from
local telephone companies, the FCC is requesting comments to
<isp@fcc.gov> by February 1998, be aware this information inaccurate."

If users are interested in learning more, they should visit the above
mentioned page, which is maintained by the FCC.

David Penrose

*******************************************************************

From:          Brad and Dawn Irons
To:            heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject:       Re: Fees for Internet Services

This was passed on to me and I thought it may be of interest to you.
Thanks! Dawn Irons

                             ----Forwarded Message-----

This is an automated response to the message you sent to isp@fcc.gov.
We established this mailbox for informal comments about usage of the
public switched telephone network by Internet access and information
service providers for a proceeding on this matter in 1997.

If you are responding to a message stating that local phone companies
have asked the FCC for permission to impose per-minute charges for
Internet access, please be aware that this information is out of date.
The FCC decided in May 1997 NOT to allow imposition of interstate
access charges on Internet service providers. There is no comment
period currently open in this proceeding.

More information on Access Charges and the ISP proceeding is
available at <http://www.fcc.gov/isp.html>

Look for more features and announcements on our Web site,
<http://www.fcc.gov/>, in the future!

updated 1/6/98

**********************************************************************

From:          Darlene Bost
To:            heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject:       Re: Fees for Internet Services

Hi Folks,

This is not quite correct.  The original plan to impose fees expired
in Feb. of 1997.  However the following is a quote from another list -
they just "switched" tactics.  Please read and go to the web site.

"Earlier I responded to an alert about possible FCC action. I used the
"alerts" clickable URL and based my response on what I found there.
Well, I discovered the the FCC is indeed considering action that might
affect ISP access charges by charging them a "switch fee". For details
go to:

http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Public_Notices/1998/da980002
.html

This has the public notice of the hearing and ways to respond
officially and informally. I would suggest that we ask the FCC not to
do anything that would raise the cost of internet service thereby
slowing down its growth and limiting it to more affluent users."

Darlene

************************************************************************