THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE UTILITY CONSUMER ADVOCATES
RESOLUTION
Opposing Carriers’ Imposition of Regulatory Fees, Including
AT&T’s Efforts To Implement a
Nationwide “Regulatory Assessment Fee”
WHEREAS, Beginning July 1, 2003, AT&T intends to begin collecting a $0.99 “Regulatory Assessment Fee” from all customers who incur charges for any service (other than AT&T local service) in any given month, in order to recover its costs “associated with interstate access charges, property taxes and regulatory proceedings and compliance”;
WHEREAS, This fee is similar to fees currently being charged by other carriers, including wireless carriers;
WHEREAS, AT&T apparently intends to include intrastate access charges among those costs being recovered by its so-called Regulatory Assessment Fee;
WHEREAS, Both interstate and intrastate access charges have been declining steadily over time, and are already recovered in AT&T’s and other carriers’ existing monthly and per minute rates;
WHEREAS, Property taxes and costs associated with regulatory proceedings and compliance are ordinary business expenses already recovered in AT&T’s and other carriers’ existing monthly and per minute rates;
WHEREAS, There is no rational relationship between the amount of the proposed AT&T Regulatory Assessment Fee or other carriers’ fees and the carriers’ actual costs;
WHEREAS, No federal or state governmental or regulatory action has significantly increased either property taxes pai