By Christopher Stern
Washington Post Staff Writer

Verizon Communications Inc. and other parties have asked a federal court to throw out a set of temporary regulations banning giant regional phone companies from raising the wholesale rates they charge competitors for at least six months.

The legal action comes after the Federal Communications Commission issued the temporary rate freeze on Friday. The rivals, including AT&T Corp. and MCI Inc., have no local network of their own and depend on the regulated rates to offer their own brand of local phone service.

Verizon, along with Qwest Communications International Inc., argued in yesterday’s filing that the six-month delay was little more than an effort by the FCC to avoid implementing an order by the U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to scrap the rules. The court found in March that the agency had failed to justify why the rates were necessary in order to promote competition in the local phone business.

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By PATRICK PETERSON

BILOXI — If employees charge cellular phone bills on expense reports, it might cost more because there is little incentive to optimize the plan.

A user who regularly goes over allotted minutes could need a change in plans.

An employee who travels often might need special roaming rates.

When international roaming is involved, charges can be high if the proper plan is not in effect.

Look at your charges over three months. Consider local, long distance and roaming charges.

Improper equipment charges sometimes show up on bills.

Under-use results in a company paying for service that is not used.

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Godfrey Ikhemuemhe
Hi

With additional transmission capacity soon to come from Long Distance Carriers just introduced into the Nigerian telecommunications terrain, Nigeria may be on the road to witnessing sufficient transmission capacity in the months ahead. Thanks to the fore sight of the Nigeria Communications Commission.

In 2002, the Nigerian Communications Commission licensed two companies to provide long distance transmission in addition to NITEL, the hitherto sole National Carrier. The companies are Globacom which is actually the second National Carrier, SNO, and MTS which has a cocktail of licences in addition to its LDC licence.

This action of the NCC has seen to the deployment of additional transmission capacity from these two companies in addition to the first National Carrier, NITEL.

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A group of ex-WorldCom Inc. directors agreed to settle claims that they participated in financial wrongdoing that led to the company’s collapse, the pension fund leading the investor suit said.

David Neustadt, a spokesman for the New York State Common Retirement Fund, which is leading the lawsuit on behalf of WorldCom bondholders and shareholders, said most of the directors agreed ``in principle’’ to settle. David Elbaum, a lawyer for the directors with New York’s Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, didn’t immediately return calls seeking comment.

The settlement, the terms of which Neustadt said might be announced this week, allows the plaintiffs to focus on preparing for a January 2005 trial against the dozen investment banks that underwrote WorldCom securities before it filed the biggest bankruptcy in U.S. history two years ago.

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It has been a long time since competition was opened up in telecommunications but today unlimited long distance options are changing the average phone bill forever.

Arlington, TX (PRWEB) In the mid 90’s consumers rejoiced as long distance rates tumbled from an average of 25 cents per minute to a national average of 7 cents with discount carriers pushing rates as low as 3.9 cents per minute. Today though a new chapter has been opened in telecommunications with unlimited long distance plans available from many companies. One company, ProvideTechnology, LLC is leading the way in the unlimited long distance industry.

Unlike most companies offering service from one company, ProvideTechnology offers 9 different companies (each with several calling plans) that have no limit on the number of calls to anywhere in the US all for one flat monthly fee. These options have no per minute charge and several of the plans even provide unlimited long distance to most of Canada as well. Recently the company launched a new web page listing all their unlimited long distance calling plans in one location at [ >>> ]

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