ESI's Regulatory Compliance Fee Explanation
The Regulatory Compliance Fee implemented by ESI is intended to recoup various costs incurred by the company. These costs include government-imposed fees such as the Federal Regulatory Fee, Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS), Local Number Portability (LNP), and Secure Telephone Identity Governance Authority (STI-GA), among others. Specifically, this fee helps cover the expenses associated with:
- Calculating and paying these and other related fees and taxes.
- Complying with regulatory requirements, including but not limited to those concerning accessibility, numbering, privacy, anti-fraud measures, caller ID authentication, and dialing.
- Obtaining and managing phone numbers, receiving calls from third-party provider networks, and terminating calls on such networks.
- Maintaining certain network facilities and services, data centers, and the necessary network infrastructure.
- Filing and maintaining patents, trademarks, and other proprietary rights, as well as some administrative costs associated with providing ESI's services.
This fee does not encompass federal or state Universal Service Fund fees. Although this fee is widely assessed in the market, it is not a tax and is not mandated by any government or governmental agency.
Additionally, ESI conducts an annual traffic study to ensure the accuracy of our traffic usage statistics. This process enables us to more accurately reflect customer usage, thereby helping to maintain lower rates and ultimately benefiting the end customer.
Updated July 2024
