Overcharging and Phonebill Issues
New Networks Institute has done extensive research in the area of Bell Overcharging and Phonebill issues.
- Bell Profits Violate State and Federal statutes and this report highlights' Bells profits for 2000.
- Phonebill Charges questions certain charges, including the validity of the FCC Subscriber-Line charge
- Network Overcharging includes the question of illegal deductions and missing equipment--- vaporware.
- Manipulation of Assets discusses making excess profits from questionable movement of businesses, including directory and cellular services.
Send Us Your Phonebill Campaign Reveals 50% of Phonebills have Mistakes.
TeleTruth’s first campaign focused on Verizon New Jersey. We found that approximately 50 percent of small business customer phone bills are incorrect due to faulty billing data and to practices and systems that fail to catch such errors.
Teletruth has launched a campaign to get refunds for Verizon customers To learn more about the campaign.
Bell Profits Violate "Fair and Reasonable" Statutes.
The Bells are still supposedly regulated monopolies. However, they have become some of the most profitable companies in America. We contend that the Bells profits violate state and federal laws.
- Bell Profits are 200+% above most American Companies.
- NNI Estimates that EVERY Household is owed about $200 ---About $17 Billion for 2000.
- Bells Profits are Outrageous, Released with NetAction, 6-22-00
We also contend that the Bell's used the promise of rolling out fiber-optic broadband services to America's homes, schools and libraries to raise local phone charges, These extra profits were supposed to pay for the new construction. However these services were never built, and the Bells kept the excess--- which we estimate to be over $50 billion dollars and still counting. To read related reports and material see
Phonebill Charges
Why are there all these charges on your phonebill? Is there anyone monitoring these bills for profits?
- The "Real" Truth In Billing: Customer Phonebills Held Hostage---To Be Released, December 2002
FCC Subscriber Line Charge: If the Bell companies are so profitable, then why did the FCC recently raise the FCC Subscriber Line Charges.
- NNI Files Complaint With FCC Over "Subscriber Line Charge" Increase
- Do Not Raise Customer Phone Rates July 1st, 2001, NNI Asks FCC --- Stop The Phonebill Shell Game.
- NNI Recommends Dropping The Entire "Subscriber Line Charge" From Phone Bills Because The Local Bell Companies' Profits Are Excessive And Violate "Fair And Reasonable" Statutes
Phonebill Issues
Even though America is paying a monthly charge called "portability", customers still can't take their number with them when they move. NNI has filed a Petition with the FCC to investigate whether the charge should be removed. We have also suggested to make the phone companies give customers the ability to take their phone numbers with them when the change residences, or their business moves.
Network Overcharging and Improper Acts
Vaporware Issues
Over the last decade, the FCC has audited the equipment that is supposed to be in use. Unfortunately, the FCC's audits revealed $5 billion in missing equipment... and this was only 1/4 of the total audits. The implications is that the costs of all services has been inflated based on missing equipment. Because of the political pressures, the FCC dropped the audits and gave the states the right to examine the books. So far, NNI has requested the New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey state Commissions to investigate these issues, not to mention previous filed complaints.
- For an overview of the issues and complaints
- TeleTruth filed Complaints in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts requesting the Public Service Commissions and state Attorney Generals' Offices to investigate Verizon's alleged multi-billion dollar accounting discrepancies that has thus far been ignored by regulators.
- Is Verizon Charging New Yorkers For "VAPORWARE" Costing $2.5 Billion?-- Filed 3/21/01 NNI filed a series of complaints with the NY State Attorney General's Office and the NY Public Service Commission requesting that these regulators audit the Bell Companies for "vaporware" -- billions of dollars of phone company equipment that is either missing or was never purchased. These filings are directly based on FCC audit data.
- New
Networks Institute File with FCC Over Bell's Vaporware
Scandals 5-1-00.
Vaporware issues have been going on for sometime.
Press Release, To Read NNI's Reply Comments (PDF) - To Read a Summary of FCC's Bell Audits This is a summary of the "Vaporware" audits conducted by the FCC.
Massive Improper Network Write-offs of the Phone Networks.
From 1993- through 1995, the Bell companies took massive one-time write-offs of $21 billion dollars, claiming that they were replacing the copper wiring with fiber-optics. This replacement never occurred. NNI has filed with the IRS to investigate the improper tax deductions. NNI filed seven separate complaints -- one for each or the original seven Bells.
- NNI Files
$21 Billion Dollar Complaint With IRS Against the
Bell Companies.
2-3-00
Press Release --- Summary - Original IRS Complaint filed 5-11-98 --- NNI originally filed this complaint in 1998.
Manipulation of Public Assets
This filing against US West claims that the company manipulated the directory and cellular businesses to give the shareholders additional monies, but never paid the customers for these changes.