PhoneDog.com Local Service articles

Rate increases on the way in Ohio

1/31/2007

In late December, the Ohio Public Utilities Commission (PUC) gave the state's two largest telephone companies, Cincinnati Bell and AT&T flexibility to raise rates on a number of services. Cincinnati Bell wasted no time in taking advantage of the PUC's decision and immediately raised the rate for basic local telephone service in the Cincinnati and Hamilton exchanges by $1.25 per month, resulting in basic local phone bills going up to as much as $19.20 per month. The changes went in to effect on January 5.

A similar decision in December has given AT&T the freedom to raise rates for basic local telephone service by as much as $1.25 per month. In addition, the company can now raise rates for its Caller ID service by as much as 50¢. While AT&T has not yet announced that it will be raising its rates, we have rarely seen an instance where a rate increase has been allowed and the company has not taken advantage of the decision. Any rate increase based on this decision could affect 136 local calling areas in Ohio, or 70% of AT&T's total service territory in the state. Low-income subscribers who participate in the Lifeline program will be exempted from any rate increase, but could be affected by a Caller ID fee increase.

Source: Telecommunications Research and Action Center. http://www.trac.org

AT&T Unity plan appeals to high volume users

1/31/2007

The first product of December's AT&T-BellSouth merger has already been released. AT&T announced recently that they will be starting a service named "AT&T Unity." This service will allow AT&T Unity plan subscribers the ability to call or receive calls on their Cingular wireless phones from any of the 100 million AT&T members, wireline and wireless, for no cost.

Unlike many companies' mobile-to-mobile plan, Unity extends this concept to anyone on the AT&T network. The starting price for an individual Unity plan is $59.99 and it comes with 900 anytime minutes and unlimited nights and weekends. The company's Family Talk plan starts at $69.99 for two lines and 700 anytime minutes. In order to qualify for this service, however, a customer must have unlimited local and long distance wireline phone plans from AT&T. Such plans typically cost $40 or more per month.

Also, especially for those customers with Cingular wireless plans, the company specifically states that it does not offer Rollover minutes in the Unity service, and any minutes accumulated by Rollover will be lost upon switching to a Unity wireless plan. Consumers interested in the convenience of this plan may want to do a little research to see if it makes sense for them financially. Mark A. Winther, a telecommunications analyst with IDC, a technology consulting firm, says the package would probably appeal to high-volume customers, both in the consumer market and in small businesses, not to the shopper looking for the lowest monthly rate.

Source: Telecommunications Research and Action Center. http://www.trac.org

Is your Caller ID service worth the money?

10/9/2006

According to a recent story on WCBS-TV New York, consumers might not be getting all they're paying for with the $6-$10 typically spent on Caller ID every month. According to a test run by a consumer, 41% of calls to their home phone number were coming up as "unavailable" or "out of area" on her Caller ID. Tests run by WCBS showed an even greater percentage of phone numbers 56% -- not appearing on Caller ID.

The likely reason for this is that phone companies are not spending the money to keep their directories up to date. Consumers who are considering adding Caller ID as a feature on their local phone service should ask their carrier how up to date their directories are and if they have data on what percentage of calls come up as "unavailable" or "out of area" on a typical customer's Caller ID. Anything more than 20-30% should raise alarm bells as to whether or not Caller ID is worth the often hefty price tag.

Source: Telecommunications Research and Action Center. http://www.trac.org

Details - Get your federal excise tax refund

9/8/2006

The Internal Revenue Service last week announced additional details regarding the process that consumers will use to get their Federal Excise Tax (FET) refund. Thanks to a recent court order, the IRS has agreed to stop collecting the Spanish-American War-era tax and will provide refunds to consumers. Individual taxpayers will be entitled to a $30-$60 refund on their 2006 tax return, depending on the number of exemptions claimed. The refund amounts are $30 for a person filing a return with one exemption, $40 for two exemptions, $50 for three exemptions and $60 for four or more exemptions. For example, a married couple filing a joint return with two dependent children (for a total of four exemptions) will be eligible for the maximum standard amount of $60. There will be an additional line on the regular 2006 return form to allow filers to apply for the refund. The IRS is creating a special short form (Form 1040EZ-T) for those who don't need to file a regular return. Individuals can also choose to figure their refund using the actual amount of FET paid, but that will likely require taxpayers to consult 41 months worth of phone bills.

Source: Telecommunications Research and Action Center. http://www.trac.org

Local customers in Ohio may see fee increases

8/14/2006

The Ohio Consumers' Counsel this week warned local telephone users in Ohio to be on the lookout for impending fee increases from Verizon on several popular calling features. The increases include:

Call Forwarding Increases by $1.25 to $2.00 per month

Caller ID w/ Name and Number Increases $2.30 to $9.25 per month

Three-Way Calling Increases 75¢ to $3.50 per month

"Big Deal" calling features packages Increases by $3 more per month

Verizon local telephone service subscribers in Ohio should review their local phone bills to see if they are being charged for any of these services. Consumers who find that they rarely use these optional calling features should consider getting them removed from their accounts to avoid the higher fees. Fee increases like this are a good illustration of why it is important for all consumers to periodically reevaluate their communications needs. Be sure to not only compare the plans available from the carrier you are currently subscribed to, but also plans offered by other local service providers. In many areas of the country, there is likely to be a competing local exchange carrier that may be able to beat the deal that you are getting from your current carrier on basic service and the cost of additional service enhancements such as Caller ID and Call Waiting.

Source: Telecommunications Research and Action Center. http://www.trac.org

Two new calling features from Xchange.

7/7/2006

Xchange Telecom, a local and long distance service provider has introduced two new products; Conference Bridge, and Israeli DID's.

Conference Bridge Xchange Telecom is always on the lookout for products which add value to a customers existing service. Having additional services and products gives them the edge they need to compete in the industry.

Our conference bridge is a simple and cost effective way for small to mid-size companies to host conference calls. Say good bye to the old 3-way calling feature. Our conference bridge product does not sacrifice call quality nor does it take up any additional lines. Simply notify your customers of the local or toll free call-in number as well as the necessary pin code (which we provide) and wait for the guests to dial in.

Feature Overview:

The moderator has the ability Record a call*, mute and un-mute everyone, Lock and Unlock the conference call.
The Listeners can, mute and un-mute their individual phones and increase or decrease the volume.

Pricing Information:

For a local call in number 2.9¢ per minute per participant
For a Toll Free call-in number - 4.9¢ per minute per participant

Israeli DIDs (DID = Direct Inward Dial) After establishing a relationship with one of the largest Israeli carriers we can now offer Israeli DIDs. Yes, this product allows family, friends, students and business associates to dial a local Israeli number and have it ring to your Xchange number here in the USA! This service is most similar to RCF but instead of another New York number you can use an Israeli DID.

This product is NOT a VoIP service! You do not need any type of Internet connection whatsoever for it to work. Our introductory rate is $8.95 per month for each Israeli number with NO per minute charges. Business will pay $12.95.

* Restrictions may apply

Cleartel extends free month of service offer

5/31/2006

Free Month of Service for New Postpaid- Cleartel Customers

Continuing over from the first quarter, Cleartel announced that all new orders submitted until September 30th, 2006, they will provide the customer a free month of service. This free month of service will be provided in the 13th month, provided the customer remains on Cleartel for 12 consecutive months and is a customer in good standing at the end of 12 months. A free month of service is defined as: no charge for the 13th "monthly service charge". During this promotion, customers will still be financially responsible for all Cleartel taxes and fees as well as any Long Distance measured usage which is not included in the enhanced and unlimited plans. Business/Commercial customers are not eligible.

This promotion will be provided to all orders submitted to Cleartel between now and September 30,2006.

Are your detailed call records in the hands of the National Security Agency?

5/17/2006

So as an American using your telephone, have you ever had concerns with the safety of your call records? Well you may begin to be concerned after an unidentified source spoke with USA Today. Leslie Cauley reported last week, that the National Security Agency (NSA) has "secretly collected the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon, and BellSouth". "For the customers of these companies, it means that the government has detailed records of calls they made." Each carrier provided the following statements due to the USA Today publication.

Thursday May 11, 2006-

AT&T
"AT&T has a long history of vigorously protecting consumer privacy. Our customers expect, deserve and receive nothing less than our fullest commitment to their privacy. We also have an obligation to assist law enforcement and other government agencies responsible for protecting the public welfare, whether it be an individual or the security interests of the entire nation.
"We prize the trust our customers place in us. If and when AT&T is asked to help, we do so strictly within the law and under the most stringent conditions. Beyond that, we don't comment on matters of national security."

BellSouth
"BellSouth does not provide any confidential customer information to the NSA or any government agency without proper legal authority."

Verizon
"We do not comment on national security matters, we act in full compliance with the law, and we are committed to safeguarding our customers' privacy."

Even after reading each of these very politically correct statements, it is hard to form an opinion when the source continued to tell USA Today that the collection of the domestic call records of millions by the NSA began after Sept. 11th and was done without any type of warrants. They continued on to state that each telecom provider was approached by NSA agents asking for the detailed call records as a form of national security. The source continued by saying that each provider was promised that the NSA was willing to pay for their cooperation. Even with accusations that these three telecom giants agreed, Qwest on the other hand refused to participate, stating they felt "uneasy about the legal implications of handing over customer information to the government without warrants."

After these report were published, lots of meetings and internal investigations were conducted by the telecom giants, and the following was expressed to the press.

Friday May 12, 2006

AT&T
Continues to refuse to confirm or deny that it gave records to the NSA, and made this statement, "We have an obligation to assist law enforcement and other government agencies responsible for protecting the public welfare."

Monday May 15, 2006

BellSouth
"As a result of media reports that BellSouth provided massive amounts of customer calling information under a contract with the NSA, the company conducted an internal review to determine the facts. Based on our review to date, we have confirmed no such contract exists and we have not provided bulk customer calling records to the NSA."

Tuesday May 16, 2006

Verizon
"One of the most glaring and repeated falsehoods in the media reporting is the assertion that in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Verizon was approached by NSA and entered into an arrangement to provide the NSA with data from its customers' domestics calls. This is false."

If there is truth behind the secret collection of our phone records, it may not violate our Fourth Amendment rights, but there are other telecom laws that it will have broken if collected without a warrant. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was designed to protect us from illegal eavesdropping, while section 222 of the Communications Act prohibits telephone companies from giving out information regarding their customers' calling habits.

The U.S District Court in Manhattan wants some answers. They believe AT&T, BellSouth, and Verizon have violated both our countries telecom laws, and the Constitution. All three companies have now been named in a $200 billion lawsuit because of their alleged collection and distribution of millions of domestic call records to the NSA.

It seems too early to tell, but really, who can we trust? Shouldn't we feel safe calling our neighbor? As always we value your opinion and hope you will take the time to provide us with some feedback.

AT&T announces another rate increase

4/25/2006

This spring has seen frequent announcements of rate and fee increases from AT&T. On April 16, AT&T announced another round of such changes. First, the per-call surcharge on AT&T's 10¢ Offer long distance plan is increasing by 20¢ to 69¢ for all state-to-state calls and for intrastate calls in Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Oregon. Second, subscribers to AT&T's Value Rate Plan long distance plan will soon see a new $3.95 Monthly Recurring Charge (MRC) added to their bills. The fee will be assessed each month whether a long distance call is placed or not. Finally, subscribers to AT&T's bundled local and long distance plans in Nevada will be seeing a number of fee increases. The MRC on the AT&T One Rate Local, One Rate USA, and One Rate Advantage plans will increase by $2.00 to $33.95, $59.95, and $64.95, respectively. The MRC on the AT&T One Rate State plan will increase by $3.00 to $48.95. All of these rate and fee increases will become effective May 1, 2006. For more information on these changes, click here. As we mentioned in the March 17 edition of TRACNotes, the continued increases in the cost of AT&T local service plans outside of the 13-state SBC service area has made AT&T local service plans significantly more expensive than comparable local service plans offered by other phone companies. This latest round of increases in Nevada only serves to reinforce our advice to affected subscribers to "bail now!"

Source: Telecommunications Research and Action Center. http://www.trac.org

New $4.00 fee to affect many AT&T subscribers

3/18/2006

Prior to its merger with SBC, AT&T offered local phone service nationwide in competition with the incumbent regional Bell companies. In July 2004, AT&T announced that it was exiting the local residential telephone business, though it stated that it would continue to service its existing local service subscribers nationwide. It is these "legacy" AT&T local service subscribers who will be affected by a new charge that AT&T is levying, effective March 26. On that date a new Local Connectivity Charge (LCC) will be applied to all AT&T local service customers with the exception of those inside the pre-merger, 13-state SBC territory, as well as New York, Florida, and Georgia. The new charge, affecting subscribers in 36 states, will be as much as $4.00 per line of service. Subscribers in Alabama, California (former GTE local service area), Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee will get socked with the full $4.00 charge. Subscribers in the 28 other states affected by the new charge will see a smaller fee ranging from $1.40 to $3.50 per month. Consumers can check the amount of the charge in their state online by clicking here. According to postcards sent to subscribers affected by the new charge, AT&T says that the new charge will help the company recover "increased connectivity charges associated with providing local service," and that the fee is not a tax or charge required by any government body. However, BellSouth spokesman Mel Richardson told TRAC that BellSouth has not raised or changed any connectivity charges that they assess AT&T for access to BellSouth's local telephone network. For more information on the March 1 rate increases, check out the February 17, 2006 edition of TRACNotes.

Consumers have many other choices for phone service available to them including cable VoIP providers, third-party VoIP providers such as Vonage or Packet8, wireless phones, and PC-to-PC calling services such as eBay's Skype. Any one of these services may be cheaper than traditional wireline local telephone service.

Source: Telecommunications Research and Action Center. http://www.trac.org

Say Goodbye to The Neighborhood, by MCI

3/11/2006

Effective April 12, 2006, MCI will cease offering its popular Neighborhood Local and Long Distance home phone plan. MCI was the first major phone company in the Mid 90's to bundle local and long distance phone services. With a huge marketing campaign staring Danny Glover and other creative advertisements, MCI was able to make The Neighborhood a household name.

The reorganization of the plans offered by MCI was anticipated due to the merger between Verizon and MCI which was completed on January 6, 2006. We received written notice from MCI/Verizon stating that effective April 12th 2006 all websites offering The Neighborhood, built by MCI must remove the product and that no new orders may be submitted. No information has been received on what will happen to consumers who currently have service with The Neighborhood home plan.

Spectrotel extends free month offer 90 days

2/15/2006

Spectrotel, a local and long distance service provider to many different areas of the Northeast, has announced today that they are extending their free month of service for all new residential customers, another 90 days. The special offer is now going to be available until May 15, 2006 and only applies to residential customers who sign up online. This great offer applies to the monthly recurring charge of your main telephone line that is activated with Spectrotel's Home Free Local, or Home Free Complete calling plans. Once your services are switched to Spectrotel, just visit the following link to print out your coupon to redeem your free month of service. Be sure to have the coupon completed and returned to Spectrotel by 05/28/06!

Cleartel

1/13/2006

Yes, you will be able to receive local and long distance service with Cleartel without it affecting your alarm. However, to help customers feel safe, we always like to recommend that after your services have been transferred you contact your alarm company to verify your system is operating properly.

New Motorola Connected Cordless Phone Systems Simplify and Personalize Family Communications

1/3/2006

LAS VEGAS 3 Jan 2006 Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today introduced a family of connected cordless phone systems that give families one-button access to the many ways they can communicate in and around their homes.

Through an innovative "Connect To" button on each handset, the new Motorola C51 and SBV5400 expandable cordless phone systems provides access to landline, Voice-over-IP calling, cellular service, home intercom, live streaming video, shared family phone books, high-speed Internet, and even push-to-talk-over-instant messaging -- right from the palm of your hand!

Both cordless phone systems debuted at the 2006 International CES trade show (Las Vegas, NV), where Motorola is showcasing its seamless mobility solutions at Booth #8545, and are expected to be commercially available later this year.

Taking Communications Beyond The Cordless Phone

A 2006 International CES Innovations in Engineering and Design honoree, the new Motorola C51 is the ultimate expandable cordless phone system. Using Wi-Fi® friendly 5.8 GHz technology, the system first and foremost begins with your choice of a base station that enables crystal clear voice phone calls using landline or digital phone service.

Yet, the Motorola C51 system can do far more than just make voice calls. Simply tap the "Connect To" button on a color-screen or standard cordless handset and a menu appears, listing the many ways your system can communicate. By adding accessories, sold separately, into the system, you can personalize the capabilities of your cordless system.

Motorola's "Connect To" accessories include:

Bluetooth®-enabled wireless phone dock, which instantly adds access to cell plan minutes and a user's cell phone number. Whether cell phone reception in the home is a problem, or users simply want to take advantage of free night and weekend minutes, the docking device for the C51 is a simple solution.
Camera/Intercom, which delivers streaming video and audio to color handsets, and acts as a two-way communication device. Busy parents can now monitor the baby without disturbing a nap, or keep an eye on the kids while multi-tasking around the home.
A Voice-over-IP phone adapter, which gives access to your Internet phone service from any handset.1
Push-to-Talk-over-Instant Messaging, which connects the cordless handset to a PC through a USB connector, sold separately. This walkie-talkie like feature sends your digitized voice over the Internet through a supported Instant Messaging program. It's perfect for keeping kids connected to friends without them monopolizing the home computer.

The phone system also includes a hands-free speaker phone, message forwarding, caller ID and call waiting2 support, an alarm clock function, and a mute option for incoming/outgoing messages. Additional personalization features include:

Shared Phone Books, so you can enter once and access from every handset. The shared phone can hold 48 contacts, and each handset can store 50 more in a private phonebook.
Custom naming and configuration, letting you assign a different name for each handset, base or connected device, set different ring tones for each handset, and establish different rings and volume levels for daytime and night time.
Downloadable Ring Tones and wallpapers (for the color handset screen), for the ultimate in personalization and self-expression.

The Motorola C51 advanced cordless phone system is expected to be available in Spring 2006.

Voice-Enabled Cable Modem with Integrated Cordless Phone Base Station

The new Motorola SBV5400 is a next-generation voice-enabled cable modem that includes the same 5.8 GHz digital cordless phone base station found in the C51. Consumers can expand the system by registering the same accessories from the C51 system with the SBV5400.

For service providers, the SBV5400 is an innovative, all-in-one device enabling their customers to "Connect To" high-speed data1 and high-quality digital phone services2 through a single, expandable cordless phone system..

The Motorola SBV5400 is expected to be available in Spring 2006.

Editors Note: For high-resolution images of Motorola's consumer solutions, please visit: motorola.com/ces.

1 High-speed Internet and Voice-over-IP service sold separately
2 Availability of features depend on network availability

Roam Where You Want To! New Motorola Technologies Break the Barrier Between Home and Wireless Phone Services

1/3/2006

LAS VEGAS 3 Jan. 2006 Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today broke down the barrier between traditional home and wireless phone service. The innovative new Motorola Residential Seamless Mobility Gateway (RSG) lets consumers use the same mobile device and the same number as they roam in and out of their homes¹.

Creating an Innovative Home Communications Experience

The Motorola RSG family of products packs powerful communication features for your home. The product includes an 802.11b/g wireless access point, a four-port router, and a built-in Voice-over-IP adapter. This technology allows the RSG to run your home network, power standard telephones, and act as a hotspot for your mobile phone.

Further, the Motorola RSG can seamlessly transfer voice calls between the home wireless network (WLAN) and the cellular network without interrupting the call, when paired with a dual-mode handset (DMH) and connected to a network and service that supports this feature. Dual-mode handsets are mobile devices that can access both cellular and in-home wireless networks.

Motorola RSG products give consumers freedom for personal communications: The products eliminate the hassle of finding a good reception zone in the home, and of managing separate bills, individual calling plans, or "bonus" minutes. Consumers can simply dial a number, and the intelligence in the gateway will automatically route the call to the best available network or service option.

Motorola is showcasing the RSG series of products this week at the 2006 International CES trade show (Las Vegas, NV), Central Hall, Booth #8545.

Additional features of the Motorola RSG Series include:

Single-Number Access Calls made from a dual-mode mobile handset in the home enable consumers to reduce cellular bills.
Home Network Connectivity Access your high-speed data connection from anywhere in the home with an 802.11 b/g wireless access point and a four-port wired router. For mobile voice calls, use your home wireless network to compensate for cellular service "dead-spots" within the home.
Voice Prioritization Ensure high-quality voice calls while accessing the Internet.
Portability Easily plugs into any broadband connection.
Rich Digital Phone Features Caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling, and call forwarding.
Multiple lines Allows for a shared "family" number as well as individual mobile and landline numbers.
Power Management Optimizes the battery life of users' handset through 802.11e U-APSD, radio resource management, and 802.11k measurement pilot.
Advanced Security Protect your voice calls and your data with 802.11i security and pre-authentication, IPSEC/PPTP/L2TP NAT tunneling (for VPN pass-through), storage for X.509 device certificate and operator public key as well as mobile pairing.

There are two products in the Motorola RSG family: the RSG2500, expected availability Winter 2006, and the RSG3500, expected availability Summer 2006, which adds the ability to power two lines of primary VoIP telephone service within the home.

"Consumers today want the flexibility of a single number and handset that can be used both in and out of the home, and a solution that can bridge landline, cellular and digital phone services. This latest Motorola innovation breaks traditional concepts of personal communication without sacrificing ease of use or functionality," said Charles Dougherty, Motorola corporate vice president and general manager, Connected Home Solutions. "The Motorola RSG creates one integrated system for communicating in and out of the home, helping consumers realize the economical advantage of simplified billing and improved service."

Introducing an All-In-One Cable Modem Gateway

Motorola today also introduced the SVG2500 Wireless VoIP Cable Modem Gateway, an all-in-one home communications hub that integrates digital phone service and a wireless access point with a reliable Motorola cable modem. Soon, the SVG family will support the fixed-mobile convergence features of the RSG service mentioned above, offering service providers an integrated product for delivering ‘quadruple play' offering of voice, video, data, and wireless services to customers.

The Motorola SVG2500 enables the simultaneous use of digital phone and high-speed data services, and also supports a variety of popular phone services including caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, and more. The product's advanced routing features allow for multiple PCs to be connected without the need for a stand-alone hub or router reducing both cost and clutter.

The SVG2500 is easy to set-up and use, featuring plug-and-play installation and an intuitive Web-based diagnostic function for quick troubleshooting. The product is expected to be available in Spring 2006.

Editors Note: For high-resolution images of Motorola's consumer solutions, please visit: motorola.com/ces.

1 Network dependent feature, not available in all areas. Airtime, data charges, and/or additional charges may apply.

Cleartel

12/20/2005

Not at this time. Cleartel is a local and long distance provider and only offers "all or nothing". Please feel free to continue to check the site for new plans and rates that they could be updating in the future.

General

12/2/2005

On average, it takes approximately 7 to 10 business days to switch your services to the new provider. A confirmation e-mail will be sent as soon as your order is completed. Within that confirmation e-mail e-wisdom.com will also provide you with the customer service number for the new provider selected.

Qwest ranks #1 in survey for 411 services

11/29/2005

DENVER, NOVEMBER 29, 2005 Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) today announced its number-one ranking in directory assistance services according to the Paisley National Directory Assistance Performance Index (SM), which measures database accuracy, customer call fulfillment and overall customer service of national directory assistance providers.

The Qwest directory assistance team ranked first overall among local and long-distance telecommunications carriers and ranked number one in "Passed Calls," which is the pinnacle measurement of directory assistance customer service since it accounts for how the call was handled from both operator service and database accuracy.

"The outstanding performance of the Qwest directory assistance team truly exemplifies our company-wide goal of exceeding customer expectations and satisfaction," said Paula Kruger, executive vice president of mass markets. "We pride ourselves on giving customers accurate information in a courteous and timely manner, and we are thrilled to be recognized as number one in the directory assistance service area."

The Paisley Index is the premier customer satisfaction survey in the directory assistance industry and is similar to other industry-leading customer service recognition programs. Twice a year, The Paisley Index compares Qwest to other major directory-assistance providers including AT&T, BellSouth, MCI, Sprint, SBC and Verizon. Qwest has maintained its place as a top-performer in the Paisley Index for the past two years, and this is the second time Qwest has ranked number one in the past year.

Spectrotel offering a free month of service on new unlimited residential accounts.

11/21/2005

Spectrotel has announced that from now until February 15, 2006, all new customers who activate an unlimited local and long distance residential account will receive a free month of service. To qualify, Spectrotel requires that you sign up online and return a coupon after your services have been activated. Visit the local and long distance section at e-wisdom.com to see if Spectrotel is available in your area.

SPECIAL OFFER - Sign up today for an Unlimited Residential Calling Plan at e-wisdom.com and receive a FREE month of service and five free calling features. Great online special so don't miss out. Offer ends 02/15/06. Once your order is accepted by Spectrotel, visit http://www.spectrotel.com/onlineorder/freemonth.aspx to get your coupon for a FREE month of service! Be sure to return your coupon before 02/28/06.

General

11/15/2005

All of the local and long distance companies that are reviewed at e-wisdom.com are only able to transfer existing services. In order to receive service from any of the companies listed, you must have established service with a major local telephone provider in your area.

If you currently do not have active service at your residence we recommend looking in the front of your local phone book for a list of possible providers in your area.

Once your new services are established, or if you already have active local services, visit the local and long distance section at e-wisdom.com and enter your area code and prefix. A list of available companies and plans in your area will appear and you can read through all of plan details to find the one that suits your needs best, and then easily sign up online.

Cleartel

11/15/2005

Yes you can switch your local and long distance services to Cleartel without interrupting your high speed internet. High speed internet is a completely different service than DSL. The reason DSL customers are unable to switch to Cleartel while keeping their DSL active is because that is a feature providered by their current local phone carrier.

General

11/15/2005

As a comparison based telecom site here at e-wisdom.com, we do not provide the local and long distance services. However from the local and long distance section of the site, you can determine which company that we compare offers the best value in your area. Most providers do allow collect calls from correctional facilities as long as you authorize your line to accept collect calls. In most cases for the call to be completed the correctional facility would also need to know the name of your local provider.

General

11/8/2005

Unfortunately in many parts of the country there are not other companies offering competition for combined local and long distance telephone services at this time. We find that customers living in rural areas have the hardest time finding competition for their local and long distance.

Since our comparison site does not review a company that is currently available in your area, here are a couple recommendations that we like to make.

Always check your local telephone book for other possible local providers in your area that you may not know about.
If that is unsuccessful, call your current provider to see if they are offering any new programs or specials that you can change your current plan over to.

Local & Long Distance Blog

4/14/2005

Latest news and interesting articles related to local and long distance phone services.