Talk will be cheaper, sort of, maybe. . . .
Last week the Federal Communications Commission issued an order that means, probably, some customers will pay less for long-distance calls, but higher fees will be charged to consumers who have a second phone line and to businesses that have multiple lines.
The compromise focused on fees that long-distance providers pay to local phone companies to complete calls. Those fees amounted to a subsidy so that rates to poor and rural customers could be kept low.
About 40 cents of every dollar charged for long-distance calls goes to the fees, some $23 billion a year.
The FCC action will reduce the fees by $1.7 billion, but don’t hold your breath. A court challenge is expected, and rate cuts would be implemented by individual companies.
