PRINTER'S NO. 253
No. 5 Session of 1989
INTRODUCED BY BELL, JANUARY 23, 1989
REFERRED TO CONSUMER PROTECTION AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE,
JANUARY 23, 1989
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1 Requesting the Federal Communications Commission to delay
2 implementing any further increases in the subscriber line
3 charge to Pennsylvania's telephone customers.
4 WHEREAS, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has
5 mandated an access charge, to be paid by all telephone users,
6 called the subscriber line charges (SLC); and
7 WHEREAS, The SLC is a monthly charge (currently $2.60 for
8 residential customers) imposed by the FCC on each telephone
9 access line; and
10 WHEREAS, The SLC is not based on usage, and raises rates for
11 residential and small business customers, especially those who
12 make few long distance calls; and
13 WHEREAS, The FCC has proposed increasing the SLC to $3.50 per
14 month, per line, between now and March 1989; and
15 WHEREAS, The FCC has based the SLC on fears of bypass of the
16 local exchange telephone network. These fears have been
17 generally unrealized according to data filed with the FCC by
18 local telephone companies; and
1 WHEREAS, The National Association of Consumer Advocates
2 estimates that the impact of rejecting or postponing further SLC
3 charges could be $1 billion; and
4 WHEREAS, The Joint Board is comprised of representatives of
5 State regulatory commissions and representatives of the Federal
6 Communications Commission and is responsible for advising the
7 FCC on telecommunications policies; therefore be it
8 RESOLVED, (the House of Representatives concurring), That the
9 General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the
10 Joint Board and the Federal Communications Commission to reject
11 or postpone any further increases in the subscriber line charges
12 as being inconsistent with the goals and purposes of the program
13 to shift costs from the interstate network as a means of
14 preventing bypass of local exchange network; and be it further
15 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be sent to the
16 members of the Federal Communications Commission, the members of
17 the Joint Board and the members of Congress from Pennsylvania.
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