TELETRUTH ALERT April 25th, 2005

LEARN MORE ABOUT USF AND SKUNKWORKS
READ LETTER TO CHAIRMAN MARTIN

FAKE PHONE COMPANY CONSUMER GROUP --- INCREASE
UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND (USF) TAX, PLACE IT ON VOIP,
INFLUENCE THE FCC.

A few weeks ago, the "Keep Universal Service Fund (USF) Fair" Coalition
congratulated FCC Commissioner Martin on his new appointment to Chairman
and suggested increasing Universal Service Fund up to 40% and adding new taxes
to Voice-over-the-Internet" (VOIP). They claim that this would be good for
Seniors, Hispanics, families with disabilities, and consumers.

The USF charge is currently an 11+% tax you pay on every long distance,
wireless and DSL bill, and is even applied to parts of your local phone bill --- Do
you want your taxes raised 40%? Aren't you paying enough? Is that "fair"?

The hidden secret is that the "KeepUSFFair" coalition is another Bell
(SBC, Verizon and BellSouth) skunkworks campaign. The group is mainly
comprised of astroturf and co-opted groups funded by the Bell companies and
are being coordinated by Washington-DC based Issue Dynamics and Sam Simon,
to push the Bell monopoly agenda --- not your agenda. This group includes TRAC,
Alliance for Public Technology (APT), American Association of People With
Disabilities, World Institute on Disability, League of United Latin American
Citizens, the Gray Panthers, and others.

And these actions are even more insidious when you realize that APT,
and other phone company funded-related groups, are trying to influence the FCC.
APT, in fact, is on the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee --- as a "consumer group".

Below is Teletruth's Letter to Chairman Martin outlining the situation as we
see it. We believe the USF has become a massive corporate subsidy. It has
increased 185% since 1999, even though the costs to offer service continues to decline.
Also, the largest part goes back to the phone companies.and no one has audited the money.
Worse, various states have added additional USF taxes -- double-quadruple taxation.

Teleturth believes that these non-profits groups should be investigated for
being nothing but a front for phone companies to control the broadband, Internet,
wireless, municipality-deployment, competitive markets.

TAKE ACTION: To see the KeepUSFFair press release, links to learn more
about skunkworks, astroturf groups, or about the Universal Service Fund,
or to write your own letter to the FCC Chairman and Commissioners denouncing this
fake group and calling to investigate Universal Service, go to:

http://www.teletruth.org/USF.html

Bruce Kushnick, Teletruth
Tom Allibone, Teletruth