S.C. PSC ordered 50% reduction of intrastate access charges for a...
S.C. PSC ordered 50% reduction of intrastate access charges for all incumbent telcos, effective Oct. 1, to reflect establishment of state universal service fund that will make universal service subsidies explicit rather than implicit. Cut will reduce access charges…
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to 3 cents per min. from 6 cents. Interexchange carriers must pass along their shares of the $38.4 million annual savings through lower rates. PSC (Doc. 97-239C) also ruled that wireless carriers were exempt from paying contributions into state USF because they didn’t compete against wireline telcos. Agency said state law authorizing USF defined participating telecom providers as incumbents and those that competed against incumbents. PSC said there was no evidence that any wireless carriers competed against any wireline telco in state, so they were exempt from USF assessments, but also couldn’t receive payments from fund. Payphone providers’ assessments will be based on their end-user revenues only, and not also payphone access line providers’ charges, PSC said.