Are local calls always free in the USA?

[DavidX]

This is related to my ScreamingNet post. I was just wondering about all you American Internet users. In the UK some ISPs are free and nearly all are connected through local call charges. The problem is: local calls are still pretty expensive in the UK so although the ISP itself may be free, the telephone bills are still likely to get pretty hefty for people who go on the Internet a lot.

What I'm wondering is:
Are all local phone calls free throughout the USA or is there a charge with some telephone companies or in some areas? Can you really stay connected to the Internet 24/7 without paying a cent? (Not that you'd necessarily want to, but just out of interest.)

[This message has been edited by DavidX (edited 07-06-99).]

[ENVY]

In all the areas of the US I have lived in the local calls have been free.Yes,you can stay hooked to the internet 24/7 but your isp may not like it to much!

[jayzad]

I would say yes local calls are free.
It really depends on your phone plan.
You can have whats called a measured
rate service or a flat fee. In other
words you pay one flat monthly phone
service or each call is charged per
minute. Calling a ISP your local ones
won't cost extra if you are on a flat
rate plan. Aol will put local numbers
in your flat rate area for you to call.
If the ISP does not do this it will
cost per min.
Later http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[MadMax]

Monthly flat-rate except in some areas of New York for local calls from a residential account. Not really the classic "toll" call but still not free. I've always had two bills for communications: Flat rate telephone account (ISDN) and Flat rate ISP account (ISDN). My account stays hot 24/7 and the bills are always the same from month to month. Never had much luck finding a toll free ISDN ISP service, heh, heh. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

[DavidX]

MadMax
No, I do expect that ISDN would incur charges http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif I was really talking about using a modem through a standard telephone line.

Basically, this is really very depressing! People living in the UK are getting totally ripped off. A very expensive country to live in. Not only are local phone calls charged for but computer goods generally are way more expensive. The prices for computer items are often pretty much the same figures for both the USA and the UK. The trouble is that the American figures are in dollars and the UK ones are in pounds sterling!

Think it's about time I moved back to Canada!

[bkehoe]

Calls here in Ireland were once a fixed cost per call about 5 years ago. You could talk for a week for a fixed charged (maybe 12p, approx 9 cents), but when the net started to come in they changed it to 15 and 3 min blocks - pity.

Brendan

[socalgal]

Hi David X ~

California is divided into 11 serving areas (aka Local Access Transport Areas or LATAs), each area which can include more than one area code.

Within each area:
Local Calls: 0-12 miles from my rate center;
Zone Usage Measurement - ZUM discounted long-distance: 13-16 miles from rate center.
Regional Long Distance: >16 miles from rate center but within service area.

Types of Service:
Flate Rate: $17.25/month. Unlimited in local calling area.
Measured Rate: $10/month + usage. Calls charged on a usage basis - 4cents 1st minute, 1cent each additional minute; eves, night and weekends at discount.

Since Los Angeles County is so populous, ISPs have many local access numbers here. I pay for my ISP service (about $20/month) plus the Flat Rate. I use a 56k modem. My access numbers are local, i.e., no charges.

I've heard that the UK is very expensive and that Canada isn't cheap either.


[This message has been edited by socalgal (edited 07-06-99).]

[DavidX]

socalgal
Stop it! You're driving me nuts with jealousy! I spent a few months in LA once; maybe I should move there http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif You're right: Canada is expensive . . . but it still looks a whole lot cheaper than the UK.

bkehoe
Shame the telco sussed that one!

[socalgal]

The beaches are quite nice DavidX http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif heheh

(sorry, couldn't help it)

[MadMax]

Hey socalgal, ever been to Lake Shasta? The reason I ask is that I guess you COULD call me norcalguy, lol http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif I haven't lived there in a long time but that's where I was born and raised.

[socalgal]

Can't say that I have, unfortunately, but I used to go to Mammoth/June Lakes quite a bit. (A 'few' miles east of Shasta, I believe?) It's so beautiful up there...

[This message has been edited by socalgal (edited 07-07-99).]

[DavidX]

Oh great!! Now my highly important (?) thread has developed into a personal chat line!! LOL http://www.sysopt.com/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.sysopt.com/forum/biggrin.gif

BTW, I think I've been to Lake Shasta, MadMax . . . but I probably wouldn't be your type. Never used the right kind of makeup . . . http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by DavidX (edited 07-08-99).]

[MadMax]

http://www.sysopt.com/forum/biggrin.gif You certainly get around. A regular globe-trotter, eh?

[This message has been edited by MadMax (edited 07-08-99).]

[DavidX]

I was living in Calgary for a couple of years, then decided to head back to Toronto - only the long way round. Via Montana, Utah, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, etc, etc. I think there may have been a shorter way . . . (never was any good at reading maps http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif ).

Stayed in Frisco and LA for awhile (worked in LA but shhh! highly illegal for a Canadian with no work permit).

[This message has been edited by DavidX (edited 07-08-99).]

[dkozloski]

Here in Alaska if you sign up for GCI's long distance service both local calls and Internet service are free 24/7. This is in most urban areas. Line quality is excellent and service is first rate. They have had an e-mail glitch but that has been fixed.

[Datura]

I live in Singapore and before the internet start to come in, we've flat rates for local telephone charges too. But after they came in, we dont have that anymore. Now we pay 2.5 cents for peak hrs between 8am-8pm and 0.75 cents for 8pm-8am. There's only 3 ISPs and only one provideds toll-free no. but they dont have unlimited dialup with plans like 13 hrs($10), 32 hrs($24) 90 hrs($49), and 120 hrs($70) they're the only one whom also provide fixed telephone line. and if you intend to lease a 128kb/sec line to yr place, that'd would cost you SG$10,000 per mth excluding installation. Imagine that!!! a total ripped off for someone intending to set up a server here. and what more, the government here is promoting e-commerce!
guess that the government dont have a head to run a country. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Datura (edited 07-10-99).]

[DavidX]

You surprise me, Datura! I also read your other post mentioning the prices of Zip drives and CD-ROM drives out there. I'd always assumed that since countries in the Far East are so technologically aware and competitive, their prices would be very low.

I won't be moving back to Singapore then. (For those who have been following this thread, yes, I've also lived in Singapore. My, I guess I really do get around don't I? http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif But that was a long time ago. I lived there for two years when I was 2 to 4 years old, not really old enough to notice much about prices!)

[This message has been edited by DavidX (edited 07-10-99).]

[Datura]

DavidX, Well actually if you do convert those prices back to US dollars, they'd give you around the same which is US$1 to SG$1.7.
The price is comparable to those online computer stores. Take for eg. a P!!!450mhz CPU cost you SG$430 here and it'd cost you around US$250 to get one right?



[This message has been edited by Datura (edited 07-10-99).]