A group of telecom associations urged Senate Commerce Committee C...

the FCC (CD Jan 11 p9) that AT&T should be required to pay back access charges and universal service fund fees that the group says they owe. The group, which includes USTA, NTCA, OPASTCO and several other associations, said AT&T has admitted to avoiding $340 million in access charges since the 3rd quarter of 2002 and $160 million in universal service contributions since 1999. AT&T told the FCC the prepaid calling cards aren’t subject to the charges because a recorded message associated with the calls qualifies it as an information service. The groups disagree with AT&T’s assessment and have been urging the FCC to require AT&T to pay back charges. “If a carrier can conveniently and easily add an advertisement to a call to avoid critical public policy obligations and blatantly violate Commission rules, then every carrier would game the system, leading to the collapse of structures supporting the network infrastructure,” the letter said. The letter also criticized AT&T for citing a rise in costs for telephone services for members of the U.S. armed forces. “AT&T’s shameless effort to use the well being of our armed forces and their families to support their disregard for necessary regulations that have been in effect for decades is simply unprincipled,” the letter said: “AT&T’s argument that low-cost alternatives would not be available for our troops if they had to follow the regulations is completely false.” Other groups joining the letter included: Eastern Rural Telecom Assn., Independent Telephone & Telecom Alliance, National Exchange Carrier Assn., National Rural Telecom Assn., Western Telecom Alliance.