Vonage Starts Charging 'Regulatory Recovery Fee'

slavitos writes "Vonage sent an email announcing that starting with 'your next billing cycle, Vonage will begin to charge a Regulatory Recovery Fee of $1.50 per phone number. This is a fee that Vonage charges its customers to recover required costs of Federal and State Universal Service Funds as well as other related fees and surcharges. State and Federal agencies collect these fees from communications providers to fund public projects such as rural and library communications programs.' That could mean that Vonage is losing at least some ground in its battle against government VOIP regulations."

Comments

No FCC Oversight Of Telephone FUSF Charges

[Anonymous Coward]

Unfortunately, the FCC permits telephone companies to charge absolutely anything they want to under the Federal Universal Service Fund category. In the U.S. your telephone company can (and does) charge you more than they have to pay into the FUSF, and they pocket the difference. If you complain to the FCC about being overcharged, the FCC will tell you that they only set "recommended" collection amounts, but that companies are free to charge what they wish, and that if you feel you are being overcharged, you can switch your local telephone company to a local competitor. Of course, you may only have one local provider.

Vonage, like most other companies, has simply realized that they can charge anything they want to and pocket the difference, and that the FCC will let them do it.

Depends what state you're in

[FredFnord]

In some states, no food is taxed.

In some states, eat-in is taxed but no other food is.

In some states, all food is taxed.

In at least one state, all eat-in food is taxed, as is all take-out restaurant food that has been heated, fried, baked, cooked, or otherwise warmed expressly for the purpose of immediate consumption, but no other food is. So if you buy a meatball sub and a turkey sub at Subway and get them both to go, if you get them on separate checks, one is taxable and the other isn't.

In at least one state, all restaurant and prepared food is taxed, as is any food that is not deemed a *necessity*. It varies depending on whom you ask whether chocolate is in fact a necessity or not.

-fred