...the cost of connecting with local telephone companies. The Legislature changed the law after heavy lobbying by long-distance carriers to reduce what they had to pay to local companies in rural areas.The connection toll had been higher than for...

...commissions set the charges local phone companies charge long-distance carriers to connect in-state calls over their lines, known as "access" charges. Long-distance carriers pass those charges on to their customers. Interstate...

...consider giving parents the same type of choice with their child's educations that they have with choosing their long-distance carriers? As long as government schools aren't seriously challenged by competition, and they don't offer parents...

...as customers, and give them greater choices in their children's education. How is it that we can choose a long-distance carrier, but our choice of school - arguably a much more important decision - is imposed on us? At the same time, you...

...information service rather than a telephone service. The outstanding payments include per-minute access fees which long-distance carriers pay to local phone companies who complete non-local calls to and from their customers. The money owed also...

...of a call. The process can remove some network-access charges from the equation, leading to cost savings. Long-distance carriers and big companies increasingly use voice over IP to route calls. And several companies are offering consumers...

...concerns grow with the latest news about the troubled telecommunications company that owns the nation's No. 2 long-distance carrier, MCI. WorldCom said Tuesday that more than $3 billion of expenses in 2001 and $797 million in the first quarter...

...dial-around service. You dial around the traditional long-distance carriers. It brings up the next question from readers...between states. That's also true for traditional long-distance carriers. Some dial-arounds charge connection fees for...

...said Claudia Jones of AT&T, the nation's top long-distance carrier with 60 million subscribers. That includes sending...subscribers to keep up. For example, the nation's top long-distance carrier, AT&T, has filed 142 tariffs with the agency...

...it's harder and harder to tell what is being billed. The new bill may also help customers spot when their long distance carrier has been illegally switched by a telecommunications company. When it comes to telecommunications, it's a complicated...