Glossary of Long Distance Service Related Terms

Sent Paid

A term that describes all calls charged to the originating number or collected as coins in a pay phone.

Service Address

This is the address where the telephone number(s) you are switching is located. It can either be the same or different from your billing address.

Service Portability

Allows a customer to change their type of service while keeping their ten-digit directory number. (This is a future requirement by the FCC.)

Service Provider Portability (SPP)

SPP is the first phase of number portability to be addressed by the telecommunications industry. SPP is defined as the ability of a customer to keep their same ten-digit telephone number when changing from one Service Provider (SP) to another. (Note: at this time SPP will ONLY be available within the same Rate Center/Area. A Rate Center is a telephone company-designated geographic area that has been assigned vertical and horizontal coordinates between which airline mileage is determined for rating and billing purposes. It may include more than one Wire Center. A Wire Center may contain more than one Central Office.)

Slam / Slamming

An end user that is PICed (having your long distance carrier switched) without their permission. An RBOC Slam Fee must be paid for each slam.

Slamming

The illegal act of switching a retail customer's long distance and/or local telecommunications service provider without permission and/or knowledge of the customer or any of the customer's representatives.

SLC

Aka: Federal Access Charge, Customer Line Charge, Interstate Access Charge, Interstate Single Line Charge, FCC Approved Customer Line Charge, Subscriber Line Charge or SLC. This federally ordered charge billed by your local telephone company pays part of the cost to the local telephone company of supplying a phone line into your home or business. It is designed to help local phone companies recover the cost of providing "local loops" which refers to outside telephone wires, underground conduit, telephone poles, and other equipment and facilities connecting you to the telephone network. This is NOT a tax. It is a charge that is part of the price you pay to your local telephone company. Neither the FCC nor any other government agency receives the Federal Subscriber Line Charge. The FCC places a maximum cap on this charge.

Smart Phone

A micro-computer controlled electronic telephone with several features.

State and Local Taxes

Aka: Gross Receipts Tax Surcharge, Interstate Tax Surcharge, State Universal Service Fund. State and local governments assess this charge in different ways and at different rates. Proceeds go to the local governing body. It can be imposed on the revenues of local telephone companies, and long-distance companies operating within a state. Although these taxes vary by your location, they are the same for all providers serving that area. For more information about these taxes, please contact your local and state tax offices. You can find their number in the government section of your local telephone directory.

State Universal Service Fund

Aka: Universal Service Fund Charge, Universal Service Charge, CHCF-A & CHCF-B This charge started on January 1, 1998 as part of the FCC overhaul of telephone fees. All companies that provide telephone service between states pay a set percentage of their previous year's billings. The charge is designed to ensure affordable access to telecommunications services for telephone customers with low incomes, telephone customers who live in areas where the cost of providing telephone service is extremely high, libraries, schools, and rural health care providers. Although all companies providing interstate telephone service are charged the same percentage of their billings, companies are allowed to recharge you for this in any way they see fit, and each company uses a different method to charge this carrier specific fee. It is normally not presented to you in such a way that you would think it is a competitive pricing issue. But it is! Some companies do not charge this fee at all, some charge a carrier specific flat fee, others charge a percentage of your interstate and international usage, while others charge a percentage of your entire bill. We offer full details of the amazing differences in this rate on the Fees Comparison page. Although the charge the companies pay is in essence a tax, the fee on your bill is carrier specific, and is NOT a set tax. The telephone company keeps any difference between the USF fees they collect and the charge they pay to the Universal Service Fund. Click here to visit the FCC and to see the current contribution factor.

Subscriber Line Charge

Aka: Federal Access Charge, Customer Line Charge, Interstate Access Charge, Interstate Single Line Charge, FCC Approved Customer Line Charge, Subscriber Line Charge or SLC. This federally ordered charge billed by your local telephone company pays part of the cost to the local telephone company of supplying a phone line into your home or business. It is designed to help local phone companies recover the cost of providing "local loops" which refers to outside telephone wires, underground conduit, telephone poles, and other equipment and facilities connecting you to the telephone network. This is NOT a tax. It is a charge that is part of the price you pay to your local telephone company. Neither the FCC nor any other government agency receives the Federal Subscriber Line Charge. The FCC places a maximum cap on this charge.

Summary Billing

See Composite Billing.

Switched Access Service

A service providing access to a network-based switching device that provides intrastate and interstate long distance service. This service is reached through 1+ dial access from your local telephone company.