VoIP
Audit of San Diego phone bills highlights challenges of deregulation
25 years after the breakup of the AT&T monopoly, a comprehensive audit of more than 700 San Diego phone bills challenges the long-cherished assumption that "phone deregulation has reduced costs for all customers." The ugly reality is that for the majority of wireless and landline telephone bills studied, customers pay unjustifiably high per-minute charges for long distance and wireless services. Get an overview of the 87-page report here. Get the full report in PDF format.
Pat Zaharopoulos, Esq. and Murtaza H. Baxamusa named to UCAN's Board of Directors
UCAN has named Pat Zaharopoulos, Esq. and Dr. Murtaza H. Baxamusa to its Board of Directors. Details.
How well does your phone hold up in an emergency?
Our recent blackout has brought to light how much of our communication relies on our personal power systems. Some UCAN members that thought their phones would suffice during a blackout found themselves without a dial tone. Let’s rate your blackout communication options and examine how they are affected by a blackout:
Notice something missing? (we don't accept advertising)
UCAN is member supported and accepts no outside advertising.
Three UCAN divisions will protest AT&T T-Mobile merger
AT&T and T-Mobile are planning to merge. Not only is UCAN troubled, but so are two other affiliated UCAN projects. More.
Home Phone Service Continues to Move Towards VoIP
While the phone you use may not be changing the network you are connecting to may no longer be the Plain Old Telephone System.
VoIP Phone Services -- worth the money?
Remember when Al Gore flicked the Internet on and we were all promised free phone service within 6 months? What happened to that? Politicians, I tell ya...when are we going to learn? Fortunately, there are people looking to make good on the promise to rob traditional landline customers form the Baby Bells by exploiting the Interent in order to offer free local and long distance phone service to deprived consumers across the country. Deprived...seriously. While the Baby Bells might argue against the term "deprived," UCAN begs to differ. The amount of competion in the local/long-distance marketplace is laughable. The Bells were broken up because of monopoly-type conditions, but mergers and acquisitions have steadily consolidated market power back into the hands of a select few. A new wave of Internet-exploiting phone companies could help change all that. Some you've heard of, like Skype, Google Voice, Yahoo Voice, Vonage, Ooma and others.
Our thank you gift when you join or renew your membership in UCAN at the $25 level or more!
If you missed our wildly popular book signing, then this is your second chance! Today ONLY, Jan 7, 4PM to 7PM
Visit UCAN's Hillcrest Offices at 3100 5th Avenue today (get Map) and meet Michael Shames and the UCAN Staff. You'll also get this 240-page laugh-out-loud THANK YOU GIFT from UCAN's Executive Director, Michael Shames when you join or renew your membership at the $25 level. Details.
Time Warner Cable customers charged CPUC surcharges despite no requirement to collect fees
Recently, UCAN investigated Time Warner's decision to charge CPUC surcharges to it VoIP customer despite no regulatory mandate to assess those fees.
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Utility Consumers' Action Network - (619) 696-6966
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