Understanding Fees, Charges and Taxes

Below is a listing of Windstream fees and surcharges. Please note that not all surcharges and fees apply to all customers.

Access Recovery Charge

The FCC permits local telephone companies to assess this charge to recover a portion of the costs incurred in the provision and maintenance of telephone service to connect customer’s homes and businesses to the telephone network.

Carrier Infrastructure Fee Charge

Carrier Infrastructure Surcharge is a 1.75% assessment on all services. The assessment is for the administration of services by personnel and systems throughout our network including: network security, infrastructure management, and tax, regulatory and tariff administration.

City Tax

A city tax levied on all wireline customers. The tax usually applies only to local monthly service charges and can be a sales tax, a franchise fee tax, or both. The application of this tax may vary by city.

County Tax

A county tax levied on all wireline customers. The tax usually applies only to local monthly service charges and usually takes the form of a sales tax. The application of this tax may vary by county.

Deregulated Administration Fee

The Deregulated Administration Fee (DAF) recovers costs associated with administration and provision of many products and services such as maintenance and entertainment services. This fee is not a tax or fee required by the government.

Emergency Services Fee

Assessed to help recover costs of operating Windstream’s emergency systems and equipment that support the availability of emergency services to customers. Applies per line, subject to a per customer cap.

Federal Subscriber Line Charge Fee

Helps Windstream recoup the costs associated with building, maintaining and connecting telephone lines to your business. Applies monthly per telephone line or trunk.

Federal Tax

A federal excise tax paid to the Federal Government, which is applied to all wireline customers.

Federal Universal Service Fund Fee

The Federal Universal Service Fund (USF) was established by the FCC to ensure that telecommunications services are affordable for customers with low incomes and customers living in rural areas where the cost of providing service is high. The fund also provides discounted telecommunications services to schools, libraries and rural healthcare providers. Through this fee, Windstream recovers the cost of its mandated contribution to the FUSF as permitted by the FCC.

Franchise/Right-of-Way Fee

Governmental entities may charge Windstream to use the public rights-of-way to provide service to our customers. This fee collects Windstream’s costs associated with those charges. This fee is not a tax or charge required by the government.

Gross Receipts Tax/Surcharge

This charge recovers for a tax that is imposed either on Windstream or on customers directly by various states for the provision of communications services. In the case of gross receipts surcharges, they are not government mandated charges.

In-State Connection Fee

This fee is intended to help recover the increased cost of providing instate long distance service. The fee is assessed on an account basis for customers using Windstream Iowa Communications long distance services.

Interstate Service Fee

Allows Windstream to recover costs, such as those associated with provisioning and maintaining customer accounts on the Company's network and interstate and international connection charges. Applies per account.

Intrastate Toll Tax/Equalization Surcharge

A usage-based tax levied by some individual states on long distance calls made in the state.

Late Payment Charge and Late Payment Collection Fee

This charge and this Fee recovers the costs associated with the administration and collection of unpaid balances and are not government-mandated. The Late Payment Collection Fee may not apply to all customers.

Local Number Portability (LNP) Surcharge

Designed to help Windstream defray the costs of providing number portability. Number portability enables customers to retain their existing telephone numbers when they switch to another service provider. Applies monthly to local telephone lines/trunks.

National Access Charge (NAC)

NAC is a service charge assessed by Windstream when PAETEC is selected as the customers’ switched long distance provider. NAC is a flat-rated, monthly recurring charge that is assessed per line type. Rate varies by line type.

Network Cost Recovery Fee

Assists Windstream in recovering costs associated with routing telephone calls to their destinations. Applies monthly per line/trunk as specified in Windstream’s Tariffs and/or Terms and Conditions.

Paperbill fee

This charge applies to business accounts in certain states who chose to continue to receive a full paper bill. Fee is designed to recover the cost of producing a paper bill. In lieu of a paper invoice, customers may elect to receive am electronic invoice at no charge.

Payphone Fee

Assessed each time a Windstream customer uses a Windstream calling card or 1-8XX number at a payphone to help defray the per call compensation assessed to Windstream by the payphone provider for completing such calls.

Property Tax Recovery Charge

The Property Tax Recovery Charge (PTRC) is a 1.5% assessment applied to long distance and local usage. PTRC is assessed based on the customer’s tax plan.

Regulatory Access Fee

Assessed to help off-set costs associated with maintaining equal access call origination and termination facilities domestically and internationally. Applies per line.

Regulatory Assessment Surcharge (RAS)

As a telecommunications company, Windstream must make various payments to local, state, and federal departments and agencies, including, but not limited to, administration fees, inspection and supervision fees, and general public utility commission assessments. RAS is designed to help Windstream recover the cost of these payments. Windstream assesses RAS on end‐user customers based on the individual customer’s respective interstate and international services invoiced.

State 911 Recovery Surcharge

This fee recovers Windstream's costs associated with construction, maintenance and upgrades of 911 services and related facilities. This fee also recovers the costs of local government providing 911 services in states that have enacted a 911 surcharge, in which case the amount of the fee is set in accordance with state law.

State Tax

A state tax levied on all wireline customers. The tax usually applies only to local monthly service charges and usually takes the form of a sales tax. The application of this tax may vary by state.

State Telecommunications Relay Service Fund Surcharge

Assessed by states to assist disabled persons with access to telephone services and equipment. Applies monthly to all local telephone lines/trunks.

State Universal Service Fund Fee

Used to subsidize telephone service for rural health care providers, low-income residences, schools and libraries at the state level. Applies based on local and intrastate telephone usage and/or lines.

Telecom Relay Surcharge

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires all companies offering voice service to provide access to a Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) and to contribute to a shared fund to support this service. This service enables an individual who is hearing or speech impaired to communicate with others through access to a Teletypewriter (TTY) and/or Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD).

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