Basic Local Phone Service, Verizon, NY, 1980-2012

	1980	1987	1992	1998	2004	2006	2008	2012	Increase	Since 2004
Untimed Message	$6.04	$7.44	$6.60	$6.60	$8.61	$9.85	$13.85	$15.80	162%	84%
Wire Maintenance	$1.24	$0.95	$1.51	$1.49	$3.45	$4.48	$5.99	$ 7.99	544%	132%
FCC Line Charge	0	$2.00	$3.50	$3.50	$6.38	$6.40	$6.42	$ 6.87	244%	8%
E911	0		$0.35	$0.35	$1.00	$1.00	$1.00	$ 1.00	186%	0%
DA @ 3 calls (6 free)	($0.30)	$0.92	$1.58	$1.58	$2.81	$4.39	$4.42	$ 5.97	2090%	112%
Local Number Portability					$0.23
Call Allowance	($4.00)	$0.90	$5.09	$5.09	$5.47	$7.20	$7.90	$ 7.90	298%	44%
Universal Service Charge	0				$0.62	$0.74	$0.73	$ 1.11	79%	79%
Surcharges				$1.56	$1.67	$1.86	$2.46	$ 3.02	94%	81%
Total Before State and Local	$6.98	$12.21	$18.63	$20.17	$30.24	$35.92	$42.77	$46.64	568%	54%
State, Local, Federal	$0.65	$1.37	$2.10	$2.27	$3.40	$4.18	$4.81	$ 6.61	917%	94%
Total	$7.63	$13.58	$20.73	$22.44	$33.64	$40.10	$47.58	$53.25
Increases:		60%	144%	165%	297%	426%	524%	598%

Sources, Aunt Ethel’s phone bills, Brooklyn, New York (1980-1999),

Other Brooklyn customers, 1999-2012)

• In 1980 local service was a bundled service. It came with local calling (and a $4.00 call allowance), 6 free directory calls, then $.10. And if they were unused the customer received a $.30 credit. The wire inside the home was part of local service and cost. $1.24 a month. There was no FCC Line Charge, no extra Universal Service Fund, no E911 charge and most of the surcharges were not applied.

• As of 2012, the local service credit was removed, (and the price increased as discounts were removed for time of day usage) inside wiring cost $7.99 a month, directory assistance is $1.99 per call, and no free calls. There is the FCC Line Charge, at$ 6.38 ($6.87 with the added new“Access Recovery Charge”) and new surcharges, many are actually taxes that are assessed on Verizon but they can ‘pass them through” to the customer.