[784caroline]

I just signed up for Embarq telephone service and have the "BASIC" Local Telephone service...No long Distance. One of the taxes or surcharges they hit you with is the Interstate Access Surcharge ...If I cannot call long distance to another state. should I be paying this charge?? The basic telephone service is $17 but this tax is an additional $6.45.

[SteveFromNY]

My guess is you're stuck paying the tax. I think all of these phone taxes are close to usury! A cell plan for $39 per month winds up costing $50 or more. That's 25% taxes and fees!

If I am not mistaken, they hit you double as they charge you for the block of LD calls. I had Embarq while I had my house in the property management program, but ditched it in favor of a Magic Jack phone and our cells once we took the house out of the program. Magic Jack is only $30 (or something like that) a year! Embarq'll run over $250.