MILWAUKEE — Customers of smaller
telephone companies could have higher phone bills after Wisconsin regulators approved a fee increase of about $2 a month for each phone line SBC Communications Inc. rents to competing telephone companies.
SBC had sought an increase in the line rental fees to $21, but the Wisconsin Public Service Commission on Tuesday approved an increase from $10 to $12 a month.
The 1996 Telecommunications Act forces SBC to lease out its lines and equipment to competing phone companies in exchange for the right to offer long-distance service. The act was aimed at fostering competition in the telecommunications industry.
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SAN JOSE, Calif. CuPhone, a San Jose based provider of the world’s leading personal internet telephone products, today announced a new feature upgrade on their Personal Phone Gateway (PPG) to support «Skype to Phone» and «Phone to Skype» functions.
Enabling the «Skype to phone» function in the Personal Phone Gateway (PPG), Skype users can freely forward incoming calls to a pre-set phone number. This includes cell phones or land phones. The «Skype to phone» feature allows Skype users to never miss any calls and have the freedom to answer calls anywhere.
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NorthwestArkansasOnline.com announced today that is has brought the top two
local phone service providers to Kansas City residents.
The staff at NorthwestArkansasOnline.com recently put together a page dedicated to local phone service for Kansas City residents. This page is located at: [ >>>
]
Company President & CEO Alex Martinez commented, «What we are offering Kansas City residents is the opportunity to enjoy everything they need from a phone service in one package.[ read more ]
Critics: Ruling will cut competition
By Peter J. Howe, Globe Staff | October 13, 2004
AT&T Corp., MCI Inc., and a number of smaller telephone companies were rebuffed by the US Supreme Court yesterday in their quest to save cut-rate deals to rent Bell System phone lines they use to serve business and residential customers.
Critics contend that the Supreme Court’s decision to let stand lower court rulings that scrapped the network rental rules will lead to less competition and higher prices in the $125 billion US local telecommunications market.
But Baby Bell companies such as Verizon Communications Inc. argue the old rules were regulator-imposed subsidies for their competitors. They predict wireless, cable, and other technologies will ensure vigorous competition.
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BROOMFIELD, Colo. and GREENVILLE, S.C., Oct. 13
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ Level 3 Communications, Inc. and CHAMPION Communications today announced that Level 3’s wholesale
Voice-over-IP (VoIP) services are providing support for the recently announced CHAMPION GOLD
residential phone service offerings being sold to consumers nationwide through independent marketing representatives.
CHAMPION, a global telecommunications company with headquarters in Greenville, S.C., purchased Level 3’s (3)VoIP Enhanced Local service, as well as (3)VoIP(SM) Local Inbound and (3)Voice(R) Termination services to support its CHAMPION GOLD phone service offerings.
«Level 3’s VoIP services enable CHAMPION to offer hosted VoIP solutions from which consumers can choose virtually ’plug-and-play’ phone services,» said John Walter, president and CEO of CHAMPION. «Level 3 is today’s only carrier with the VoIP technology leadership and nationwide capabilities to allow us to rapidly, aggressively, and cost effectively enter today’s quickly evolving VoIP market.»
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