# PUBLIC NOTICE

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

445 12th Street, S.W.

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554

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**[DA 00-1575]{.underline}**

News media information 202/418-0500 Fax-On-Demand 202/418-2830 Internet:
http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov TTYs-Network Services 202/418-0484 and
Informal Complaints 202/418-0485

**FCC OVERSIGHT TEAM CREATED TO MONITOR COMPLIANCE**

**WITH CALLS ORDER**

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### Released: July 13, 2000

The Commission staff has established a team composed of members of the
Common Carrier Bureau, the Consumer Information Bureau, and the
Enforcement Bureau to monitor compliance with the Commission's recent
order on the Coalition for Affordable Local and Long Distance Services
access charge proposal. (CALLS order)

The oversight team will actively monitor local and long distance
telephone companies' compliance with the terms of the order and will
also serve as a point of contact for interested parties to report any
perceived instances of possible noncompliance. This informal process
will enable the Commission to assist parties in quickly resolving any
disputes. Finally, the team will recommend appropriate enforcement
action for any noncompliance with the order.

On May 31, 2000, the Commission issued an order reducing telephone
access charges paid by long distance companies by \$3.2 billion. *See*
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/

Common_Carrier/News_Releases/2000/nrcc0029.html. Access charges are the
prices long distance companies pay to local telephone companies for
access to their local phone network. Two major long distance companies,
AT&T and Sprint, committed to passing through these reductions to
consumers. In response to concerns that only high-volume consumers might
see the savings, AT&T agreed to eliminate from its basic rate plans the
monthly minimum usage charges consumers were previously required to pay,
and Sprint agreed not to introduce a minimum charge for basic rate
customers.

In addition, two charges, the presubscribed interexchange carrier
charge, which in the past appeared on consumers' long distance bills,
and the subscriber line charge, are to be combined into one line item on
consumers' local phone bills. For the first year, the new single charge
is lower than the previous two charges combined.

The rules also continue to preserve the FCC's commitment to ensuring
that companies continue to have the financial support needed to offer
phone service in areas that are expensive to serve. Under the new rules,
\$650 million is removed from access charges and replaced with an
assessment on all carriers' interstate revenues. The money collected
will be placed in a fund available to local telephone companies serving
customers in high-cost areas. This universal service fund helps ensure
that customers in those high-cost areas continue to receive telephone
service at affordable prices, even as access charges collected from long
distance carriers are reduced.

The team leaders are Jane Jackson of the Common Carrier Bureau, Lorraine
Miller of the Consumer Information Bureau, and Suzanne Tetreault of the
Enforcement Bureau. Ms. Jackson, Ms. Miller, and Ms. Tetreault can be
contacted by phone at (202) 418-1520, (202) 418-1400, and (202)
418-7450, respectively. They can also be contacted by U.S. mail at the
address listed above with copies to the Chiefs of the Common Carrier,
Consumer Information, and Enforcement Bureaus.

News media contacts: Michael Balmoris, CCB at (202) 418-0253 or John
Winston, EB at (202) 418-7450.

## By the Chiefs, Common Carrier Bureau, Consumer Information Bureau, and Enforcement Bureau 

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