Government Mandated Charges:
These charges are itemized on customers' bills every month.
The State Universal Service Fund (USF) charge is administered by the South Carolina Public Service Commission. This charge can appear twice on a customer's bill:
- 3.1457% of all regulated charges; and
- 3.1457% of all Home Telephone Company intraLATA long distance and Home Local Calling usage.
The Federal Universal Service Fund charge is administered by the Federal Communications Commission. The charge appears as a flat charge per line, per month. These funds are used to keep the cost of providing service to rural areas low so that affordable phone service is available to all Americans.
The Subscriber Line Charge (SLC) is administered by the Federal Communications Commission. This charge appears as a flat charge per line, per month. In the past, long distance companies paid fees to local companies to reduce their costs. However, in order to spur long distance competition, the FCC created the SLC to shift this cost back to customer. Click here for a list of frequently asked questions about the Subscriber Line Charge.