The Cheapest Long Distance Service

The Cheapest Long Distance Service
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Daymon_Hoag]Daymon Hoag

No longer is the cheapest long distance service a matter of
the lowest cent per minute rate. Long distance phone service
now comes in the form of traditional cent per minute long
distance, dialaround, calling cards, bundled phone service,
and broadband phone, or VoIP, with unlimited minutes. Today,
usage is far more important than rates.

Low cent per minute long distance rates with traditional
phone service are good if you don't expect to make many long
distance phone calls. Keep in mind, you may be charged a fee
by your phone company just to have this service on your
line, even if you don't use it. FCC, PIC, taxes, sir
charges, and monthly fees are the most common hidden fees.

Dialaround long distance service is most commonly referred
to as 1010 numbers, though some dialaround long distance
providers offer an 800 access number instead. Dialaround
long distance rates are typically slightly higher than a
cent per minute plan on your phone line, but do not have as
many, if any, hidden fee's taxes or sir charges.

Calling cards are a cheap alternative to both dialaround and
traditional long distance service. You can make long
distance phone calls from any telephone and the rates can be
very low. Calling cards are good for long distance when used
in moderation. On most calling cards you'll be charged a set
amount of minutes each time you use it.

Bundled phone service can be a fairly inexpensive long
distance plan if you make a lot of long distance phone calls
and opt for unlimited minutes as the long distance portion
of your calling plan. The only real draw back to a bundled
phone service plan are those pesky hidden fees that can make
up to 20% of your total bill, and sometimes more.

Broadband phone, or VoIP is literally the cheapest long
distance service available today. Since broadband telephone
uses the Internet to send and receive calls, there are no
hidden fee's taxes or surcharges associated with VoIP
service. Unlimited local and long distance service for
around $20.00 and a 3% federal excise tax is as cheap as it
gets.

Clearly the winner for the cheapest long distance service is
broadband phone or VoIP. If you must use traditional methods
for making long distance phone calls, just try to avoid any
hidden fee's and go with the lowest cent per minute rate if
you don't make many calls. Go for unlimited minutes if
you'll be making a lot of long distance calls.

Editor at [http://www.cheapest-service.com/]Cheapest Service. Save on [http://www.cheapest-service.com/long-distance/]long distance phone service.

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IRS Hangs Up on Long-distance Tax

IRS Hangs Up on Long-distance Tax
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Martin_Lukac]Martin Lukac

The IRS has announced that it will stop collecting the federal excise tax on long distance telephone services.

The IRS has announced that it will stop collecting the federal excise tax on long distance telephone services.

The agency announced last Thursday that the tax does not apply to long-distance service as it is billed today. The tax was first imposed in 1898 to help pay for the Spanish-American War. The current rate of 3% is charged on the service amount.

Taxpayers will be able to receive a refund of all excise taxes paid on long-distance services billed since Feb. 28, 2003. Interest will also be paid on these refunds. The IRS will soon announce a simplified method that taxpayers may use to minimize administrative burden.

"So taxpayers won't have to spend time digging through old telephone bills, we're designing a straightforward process that taxpayers may use when they file their tax returns next years," said IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson. He said that claiming a refund will be a simple process.

The IRS says that local telephone service will remain under the federal excise tax. Other state and local taxes and fees paid will also remain in affect.

"Today is a turning point in the long battle to stop the levy for a war that ended 100 years ago," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa). "This tax hits every telephone owner, but it doesn't pay for any specific program. It now pours billions into the U.S. Treasury every year for no reason. It's time to hang up the telephone tax."

Martin Lukac ( http://www.MartinLukac.com), represents http://www.RateEmpire.com and [http://www.1AmericanFinancial.com]http://www.1AmericanFinancial.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate/mortgage market. We specialize in daily updates, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies!

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Long Distance Plans At A Discount

Long Distance Plans At A Discount
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Max_Linkwell]Max Linkwell

Cheap long distance is rarely given to a customer automatically; you generally have to shop and compare for the best rates around your area. Well it seems like every other day new advances in long distance communication becomes available; are you aware that you can now make long distance calls from your home computer. Well it seems a broadly used trend in making long distance telephone calls has prompted almost all telephone providers to include long distance calls in most of the plans offered. Cheap long distance service for your phone has always been a top priority for families that are separated by long distances.

Chances are that the person whom you're calling would have no idea that you're talking to them over the internet when you use voip. While you are traveling you need to check with your mobile provider to see if they have any discounts on long distance plans; this is usually referred to as a nation wide plan. A prepaid service for discount long distance normally has no expiration period and no maintenance fees needed. While you are deciding on which telephone provider to use; keep in mind it is important to choose the one with the best discounts on long distance calls.

While you may already have long distance service, it might not be the cheapest available; this is why you need to compare prices between all telephone companies. All long distance carriers and many long distance resellers have their own unique specials to save money on long distance. As with just about all long distance plans, if the cost is equal to other plans, then you have to look at the other options and features offered. Chances are you may be able to significantly cut your telephone bill by switching plans for a discount calling plan.

While you are choosing a long distance carrier, always remember your usage of the plan is very important; there are different plans available for frequent and non frequent users. Cheap long distance plans for phone calls are proving to be more and more important with the need for people to connect to each other across the world. A prepaid long distance phone service is really useful in the fact that you can use the account from any phone without extra charges.Well it seems that as technology advances it is now possible to make long distance telephone calls on the airplane telephones that are provided for passengers to use. Choosing a long distance calling plans can vary depending on where your are calling; it can either be interstate or intrastate.

Go to [http://www.discount-cheap-long-distance.info]discount long distance for great telephony tips.

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Local and Long Distance Phone Services

Local and Long Distance Phone Services
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kristy_Annely]Kristy Annely

Local phone service refers to the services provided by phone companies that allow a customer to make calls within the same city or region, which is defined as the local calling area. What constitutes an individual local calling area is decided by the phone service provider.

Until a few years ago it was not possible to choose your local service telephone provider. However, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 opened up the telephone industry to wider competition and now it is possible for most people to choose a service provider that offers the best rates and service. Thanks to this act, consumers benefit from increased competition and now have better deals to choose from when it comes to phone services.

Long distance services were first offered in 1892 when AT&T built a long distance telephone network that was interconnected between New York and Chicago. Due to the limitations of the technology available at that time, this network could not be extended further. After the invention of loading coils, the network was expanded to Denver, in 1911. Following the development of audio technology in 1914, it was possible to make telephone signals reach each other from one coast to another. However, the first real-time long distance call was not possible until 1951, with the introduction of the direct distance-dialling feature of AT&T. This is also the first time an area code was used, which led to today's 10-digit phone numbers.

For a long time, long-distance carriers specialized only in providing long-distance services. However, with technological advancement most of the service providers could provide both local and long distance phone services to their customers. Joining the two services led to streamlined billing and better customer support. However, the current long distance market is fiercely competitive and using a separate service provider for long distance services can ultimately be cheaper because the providers are competing for business and tend to offer low-cost plans.

The main long distance service providers in the U.S. are Sprint, AT&T and MCI Worldcom. With the development and proliferation of mobile phone technology, mobile telephone service providers have been able to compete with the long distance service providers, providing customers low rates for local and long distance calls. This is one of the main reasons for the increasing popularity of the cell phones in the telecom market. [http://www.i-LongDistancePhoneServices.com]Long Distance Phone Services provides detailed information on Long Distance Phone Services, Local And Long Distance Phone Services, Cheap Long Distance Phone Services, Long Distance Phone Service Providers and more. Long Distance Phone Services is affiliated with [http://www.e-LongDistanceCarriers.com]International Long Distance Carriers.

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Public Relations for Long Distance Telephone Service

Public Relations for Long Distance Telephone Service
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow]Lance Winslow

There are many things that bother people and many services we pay for that we do not appreciate. Most people despise the fact that they have to pay so much money for the long-distance telephone service and it is for that reason that people are constantly switching long-distance telephone service in hopes to save the little money.

Generally when they switch they do not save any more money than they would have if they had stayed. Long-distance telephone services use all kinds of marketing tactics to get people to switch their long-distance telephone service and still people are not happy. If people liked the company they do business with more than perhaps they would be much happier.

This is where a good public relations and community goodwill program can come in handy for a long-distance telephone service company. One long-distance telephone company was allowing people of the armed forces to call their loved ones overseas for pennies on the dollar of what it might really cost and this is something that long-distance telephone companies can do to increase public relations.

Of course the goodwill that this company received in doing such a wonderful service for our armed forces and their families was worth its weight in gold for publicity. Perhaps this makes an excellent case study for public relations strategies for long-distance telephone service companies. Please consider all this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online [http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/]Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; [http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/]www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for [http://www.ourspokanemagazine.com/]Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

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