When consumers asked about the fee, they were often told that it was a tax or a charge that the FCC was requiring MCI to collect. The National Access Fee is not a tax or other government mandated charge. The FCC has not required MCI to collect this charge from consumers. It is wrong to label this charge as a tax.
Competition works when consumers have truthful information by which to make buying decisions.
By calling the National Access Fee a tax, MCI understated the real cost of its services, particularly when a consumer attempts to compare MCI's rates to those of another long distance carrier.