Pathwayz Communications telephone bills include the following fees and taxes:
911 Fee | This fee funds the provision of 9-1-1 emergency telecommunications services. These funds are remitted to the regional planning commission or designated 9-1-1 agency. The amount varies by city. |
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Municipal Charge | This fee compensates the municipality for the use of public right-of-way. The amount varies by city. |
FCC Approved Carrier Line Charge | This fee is assessed by local telephone companies to recover interstate costs associated with the local loop that are not recovered elsewhere. This charge ranges from $4.31 to $6.95 per line. Other companies generally charge from $5.30 to $9.00 per line. |
Local Number Portability | This charge funds the configuration of local telephone companies’ networks so that a customer switching local telephone companies will not need to change his current telephone number as well. |
Regulatory Admin Fee | This fee compensates the local telephone company for the administrative costs of collection and remittance of taxes and fees. The charge is $2.99 per line. |
Percentage based Taxes and surcharges:
State and Local Sales Tax | Taxes not to exceed 8.25% are levied on telecommunications services and remitted to the state general fund and local governments. |
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Texas Universal Service | The Texas USF, currently 4.3%, funds affordable service to high-cost rural customers, programs for the disabled, and telecommunications service discounts to low-income customers. |
Texas Infrastructure Reimbursement | This charge of 1.25% of telecommunications services recovers a tax on telephone companies that originally funded grants for telecommunications initiatives and distance learning in schools, libraries, and hospitals but now goes to the state general fund. |
Federal Excise Tax | This tax of 3% of telecommunications charges is remitted to the US Treasury. |
Equalization Surcharge | This $.06 per line surcharge is used to generate additional funds for 9-1-1 services and fund poison control centers. |
Federal Universal Service Fund | The FUSF funds telecommunications service discounts to schools, libraries, rural health care providers, and low-income customers. It also funds local telephone companies that serve high-cost areas. This charge on telephone companies is recovered through a 5.5% surcharge on long distance calls. |