Additional Charges

The additional charges for new customers in your area are shown below, including explanations of each charge.

The amounts shown below are based on the highest fee/surcharge rates assessed in your state; your actual fees/surcharges may be less. In addition to the AT&T charges described below, you will be billed for mandatory taxes and fees imposed by federal, state, and local governments on wireless subscribers.

Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge

The Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge is a charge assessed by AT&T and is not a tax or government-mandated charge. This charge is subject to change from time to time as the cost of compliance changes.

The purpose of the charge is to defray AT&T's costs associated with payment of fees and compliance with various initiatives imposed by the government. Please note that costs may be incurred and charged prior to initiation of any of the respective services.

Components of the Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge

This charge is composed of the following elements:

Federal Regulatory Fee

This component is designed to recover the annual fee imposed on AT&T by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC); this fee is assessed by the FCC on each of the entities it regulates.

Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS)

This component is designed to recover the contributions that AT&T is required to make into the Federal TRS fund, as well as select state TRS funds. These funds are designed to assist hearing and speech impaired persons with making and receiving messages.

Wireless Number Portability and Number Pooling

This component is designed to recover the costs associated with the federal mandates of number portability and number pooling:

Wireless Local Number Portability (WLNP)

This enables customers to keep their wireless telephone numbers when they switch wireless service providers.

Number Pooling

This is a telephone number conservation method that helps to delay area code exhaust situations.

Enhanced 911 (E911)

This component is designed to recover the costs in certain states where E911 cost recovery for wireless carriers does not exist or exists in a fashion that only provides partial recovery of E911-related costs. These E911 costs relate to government mandates requiring wireless carriers to deploy advanced technology to help emergency response agencies to better determine the location of the customer calling 9-1-1.

Federal Universal Service Fund Fee

The Federal USF, created by the federal government, is designed to help ensure first-class, affordable telecommunications service for all consumers across the country, especially residents in high cost rural communities and low-income customers. Additionally, the Federal USF provides for discounted telecommunications services for schools, libraries and rural health-care facilities. All telecommunications providers are required to pay into the Federal USF, and their contributions may be recovered from customers.

State Universal Service Fund Fee

Certain states have established state Universal Service Funds. The purpose of these state universal service funds is to ensure affordable telecommunications service for all consumers in the state, especially residents in high-cost rural areas and low-income customers. In certain states, all telecommunications providers are required to pay into these funds, and their contributions may be recovered from customers.

Other AT&T Surcharges