Rock County disputes call-fee description
JANESVILLE — Some Rock County officials are upset with the label on a fee recently added to telephone bills.
On Monday, Administrator Craig Knutson sent a letter to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin complaining about the description of a state-imposed, 75-cent surcharge.
The letter asks the commission to help correct the "inaccurate and misleading wording."
A Janesville resident's AT&T bill was attached to the letter as an example. On that bill, the line item was described as "County 9-1-1 emergency services."
Rock County does not put a charge on local phone bills for 911 services, the letter states.
"It's not our fee, not our charge," Assistant Administrator Phil Boutwell said.
The charge is the police and fire protection fee that was implemented Sept. 1. A description of the fee and a long list of frequently asked questions are available on the home page of the public service commission's Web site, psc.wi.gov.
According to state statute, the fee should be listed separately and identified as a police and fire protection fee, said PSC spokeswoman Teresa Smith.
Once the commission gets the letter, it will be delivered to the division administrator who will read it and respond. Staff members could request copies of other phone bills in the area, she said.
The administrator would be responsible for negotiating with the phone company to change the wording on the bill if necessary, Smith said.
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Oct 18, 2009 at 8:39 p.m.
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Before I posted this comment, I did some fact checking on http://www.revenue.wi.gov/html/pfprofee.... and also reviewed the PSC's website at http://psc.wi.gov/ here are a few things I learned:
1. This is an emergency rule put into effect September 11, 2009 through February 7, 2010 by the public service commission of Wisconsin.
2. The fees collected go into a shared fund to pay for fire and police protection.
3. Questions regarding this rule should be directed to Dennis Klaila, Docket Coordinator, Telecommunications Division, at (608) 267-9780 or dennis.klaila@psc.state.wi.us
I would encourage anyone with questions or comments to call Dennis.
Oct 17, 2009 at 11:31 a.m.
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What? The Demacrooks in Madison created another hidden tax and then labeled it in a misleading way to dupe the public? No way! Keep electing 'em folks, they'll keep robbing you. Good work.
Oct 17, 2009 at 8:32 a.m.
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Wasnt there already a user fee / tax for 911 service already being charged to phone users ?
Oct 16, 2009 at 9:38 p.m.
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it should be listed as a tax - just like the rural telecommunications tax we still pay (aka the algore tax) -- For decades, Congress mandated that telecommunications companies ensure universal telephone service to the poor and to high-cost rural areas. In 1996, Congress passed the Telecommunications Act, which included a provision championed by Al Gore to expand the definition of "universal service" to include high-tech services, and endow the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with a broad mandate to furnish schools, libraries, and health-care providers with affordable service.
Oct 16, 2009 at 6:19 p.m.
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Too bad the legislation doesn't require calling this "fee" what it really is, a tax. In its effort to duck the blame for implementing this fee even if it benefits them, I can see why county officials don't want this called anything that people who will pay this tax could place on them exclusively. Voters can be so vindictive.
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