A coalition of international long-distance companies urged an end...

distance companies, the Ad Hoc members are considered de minimis providers exempt from direct USF contribution. But many “currently face discriminatory, indirect USF obligations resulting from pass-through charges from their underlying carriers,” the coalition said. The FCC should rule that de minimis providers can choose whether to have the underlying carrier pass through surcharges or pay contributions directly, even if they're less than $10,000, the coalition said. In addition, the coalition seeks a ruling to curb USF discrimination against prepaid calling-card providers, it said. An FCC requirement to report distributor revenue as end-user revenue and at face value “fails to take into account common prepaid calling card distribution methodologies and contradicts fundamentals of Generally Accepted Accounting Principals,” the coalition said. The FCC should rule that distributor revenue is not end-user revenue, and allow calling card providers to report actual receipts from distributors, it said. Alternatively, the FCC should start a rulemaking on the issues raised in the petition, the coalition said.