FCC chairman plays Grinch for U.S. troops

[jono]

FCC chairman plays Grinch for U.S. troops

By FRANCISCO IVARRA
GUEST COLUMNIST

This holiday season, the perpetually embattled Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell might have you believing he wants to play telecom Santa, as he parachutes into various trade shows brandishing high-tech gadgetry with an almost childlike wonderment about the bountiful fruits of the tech sector.

But back at his day job at the FCC, Powell seems ready for quite a different role. Just weeks after a presidential election during which both candidates pledged their loyalty to our troops fighting in Iraq, Powell is attempting to show his patriotic gratitude in the oddest of ways: He's trying to raise the prices for the very pre-paid telephone calling cards that 95 percent of the troops use to communicate with their family members who wait with hope of life reassured with the telephone's ring.

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It seems that Powell's first post-election priority is to rush through a heavily lawyered new federal regulation that will raise the prices for pre-paid calling cards -- the telephone service of choice for troops who rely on these cards as their stateside lifeline.

In a proposed rule that would make most bureaucrats dizzy, Powell wants to reclassify these calling card services as to allow the local telephone monopolies to impose large surcharges -- in the form of "access fees" -- for completing the calls even though the cost to the local telephone companies for doing so is negligible.

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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/203891_fcc16.html

[peacebird]

1. absolutely nothing these cretins do suprises me anymore

[movonne]

3. I agree !!! This is one of the most despicable things I have heard...

Do these jokers hate the American people and their country..I have a feeling this stuff has just begun..Talk about UN-American and UN-Christian.

[idiosyncratic]

2. Why don't the troops get to call home for free?

They are being killed over there, defending Merika, and we make them pay to call home.

Seems wrong . . . wrong, wrong, wrong!

[movonne]

4. How do you suppose the Corporations would make their money, if

they let them have it free..

[idiosyncratic]

5. They should charge the Military for the calls . . .

or the Military should provide each soldier with a 670-minute card (Costco $19.99) each month.

[movonne]

6. That is true...and the corporations can make the money from our

taxes..I think that would work perfectly.

[mdhunter]

10. Keep in mind

That a 670-minute card may mean 670 local, or short long distance, minutes, within the U.S., prices subject to change, not responsible for other fees, etc. etc.

I had a 500 minute prepaid card that I called from Oxford, England to eastern Pennsylvania that got me, wait for it, 7 minutes. I thought that was great. This varies by card, naturally, though I suspect all of them have some sort of exorbitant international connect fee.

[SharonAnn]

8. How do you suppose the Corporations would make their money, if

they had to compete in a free market?

Answer, they'd rather buy stweeheart crony deals from the Republican Congress and Administration. That way they have guaranteed revenues forever! They can charge the highest prices and provide the lowest services.

[jeffvail]

7. Free phone call trick

If anyone knows troops paying to call home, here's how to get around it:

1. all your home base DSN operator
2. Ask to be connected to an outside number (whoever you're calling) if they're local)

OR, if you need to call someone outside of the area code of your home base, find a base in that person's area code and call their operator via DSN

[liberal_patriot_md]

15. DSN trick

That is a great trick, I used it weekly when I was in Baghdad. Although not every soldier has access to the DSN phones. Particularly when in Kuwait -- either waiting to go to Iraq or back home. Then you are pretty much forced to use the AT&T phone banks and deal with the high prices and long lines. The only time I used that was when I got a (that's 1, just 1) free USO phone card. Otherwise I used my cell phone, I got great reception and the cost was about the same. I think some carriers even work in Iraq now (like T-mobile). Another option is pooling together and getting a Thuraya satellite phone that works anywhere.

[Straight Shooter]

9. If it's good for Americans, then by God it's got to go!

And making life harder on the troops is just a bonus for Little Boots and his gang.

If there's anything they can't stand, it's working people saving money that big corporations can be gouging from them instead.

edit: oops, first-post-of-the-day typo

[frankly_fedup2]

11. WHAT! . . . what the . . . WHAT! They can't . . . why? That's it . . .

I'm sick to death of this bullshit. This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life. Well, almost. The troops paying for their own meals when they were wounded in the hospital in Germany. Which Senator took care of that????

Time to FAX a copy to some senators. Not email. They get tons of that. However, a fax has to be dealt with right now.

Anybody else on board for this one????

[LaPera]

12. Slow down the calls so the troops don't hear the truth from back home.

That tens of millions here do NOT support the lies of this invasion.

Support the Troops, Send Them Home!

[jono]

13. Or vice versa.

So those at home don't hear the truth from the troops.

[TOhioLiberal]

14. There are no swear words strong enough....

...to express my disgust at this move. And they have the unmitigated GALL to say that WE don't support the troops!!!!!!

Stupid mother-cheneyers!

[rodeodance]

16. there must be a 'public opinion' waiting period? maybe not