Expert: Miguel Cedron-Ron Date: 9/21/2006 Subject: Long distance service
Question I have ATT for my local and long distance serv. I don't make very many long distance phone calls and was thinking of stopping the long distance service. If I drop it can I still make long distance calls with a phone card? Would it affect my local serv. such as local tolls, or my DSL serv.?
Answer Hi,
I am not sure if you ever received an answer before. I just stumbled across your questions and decided to give you my two cents on it.
It does not matter who you have for your local service, they can not require you to have a specific long distance carrier or a long distance carrier for that matter. I am guessing that they are charging you some kind of additional monthly fees for having them as your long distance carrier.
You could go ahead and remove the long distance carrier (known in the business as PIC-Preferred Interconnect Carrier) and you would still be able to complete long distance calls using calling cards AS LONG AS your calling card's access numbers are either local or toll-free.
As for your local toll calls (calls within your LATA or extended calling area), you are able to choose the same or another company to carry those for you. This is known as your LPIC or local toll carrier.
Every area is different, and I don't know about AT&T, but I give you an example of BellSouth - which anyhow was recently bought out by AT&T. In the South Florida market, residential customers that choose "BELLSOUTH TELECOMMUNICATIONS" (Carrier Code 5124), the local company, as their local toll carrier, pay only $0.25 cents per call. If the same customer changes their local toll service to "BELLSOUTH LONG DISTANCE" (Carrier Code 0377) then they pay by the minute, some times, higher rates that what you pay for long distance calls.
Some carriers also offer to include ALL your calling to the local toll or extended area in your monthly plan.
Also, I would want you to keep in mind, that, even with out a Preferred Carrier on your line, you are allowed to complete long distance calls using a 1010-access code. I know that many consumer lines, especially if ever "toll-denied" or service denied, have a block which prevent you from making calls using 1010 dial-around access codes. Contact your local service provider, and have them remove it. THEY HAVE TO, unless your account is denied for long distance services because of past due bills or other reasons.
Yours truly,
Miguel Cedron-Ron, President
Computers and Beyond, Inc.
For all your computer and telecommunication needs
305.642-5353 / 877.642-5353
mcedronron@computers-beyond.com
