Glossary of terms
911 Fee
This fee pays for the 911 emergency system in the community. It is a per line charge. The city/county government determines the amount of the fee. D&E sends this amount to the city/county government.
Account No
The number on the upper right portion of your bill that identifies you and your billing telephone number.
Adjustments to Previous Charges
Adjustment issued from previous billing period.
Amount of Last Bill
Total amount of previous month bill.
Automatic Bill Payment Option
If you enroll in this payment option, D&E will automatically debit your bank account every month for the total amount due of your telephone services.
Basic Service
Includes charges for local phone service charges, taxes and other telephone related fees.
Bill Date
The first day of the billing period.
Current Charges
Charges billed/credited during the current billing period.
Directory Advertising Charges
Charges for advertising in the Yellow Book (Berry if BVT region acct) Telephone Directory.
Due Date
The date your payment should be received by a D&E payment office. Please pay by the due date to avoid a late payment charge. Your payment due date is for your current charges only. If you have an outstanding balance with D&E, that amount is due immediately.
Federal Tax
The U.S. government applies a 3% federal excise tax to some charges of the telephone bill. This amount is sent to the U.S. Department of Treasury.
Federal Universal Service Chg
This charge funds programs designed to keep telephone service affordable for all Americans. It funds Internet Access discounts to schools, libraries, and rural health care providers. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorizes this charge and reviews it quarterly.
LD Operations Cost Recovery Fee
The Long Distance Operations Cost Recovery Fee is applied to all D&E Long Distance accounts. This charge helps recover a portion of the costs D&E long Distance incurs for long distance call transport, regulated access fees, billing and collections, and administrative support.
Late Payment Charge
You will be charged a late payment fee if D&E does not receive your payment by the due date on your bill.
Local Number Portability (LNP End User Charge)
This charge funds the technology that allows customers to keep their phone numbers when they change local telephone companies within their same calling area. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorizes this charge.
Long Distance
Calls made outside your LATA (Local Access Transport Area) regional boundaries are long distance calls. Long distance calls are made from one LATA to another and are also referred to as InterLATA. Long distance calls include out-of-state calls, and sometimes in-state calls, depending on how the LATAs are drawn in your area.
Monthly Charges
Total of all current charges and or credits for on and any other service providers listed.
Non-Basic Service
Non-basic services include charges for the sale or lease of telephone sets, custom calling features, such as Call Waiting, Caller ID Deluxe, Voice Mail, calls made to 900 numbers and other services.
One-Time Charges/Credits
These charges/credits will only appear on your current statement for work/credits processed during the current billing period.
PA Gross Receipts Surcharge
Telephone companies must pay tax on total revenue. This funds the public utility commissions and other state services.
PA Relay Surcharge
This charge funds an attendant relay system that allows people who are deaf, hard of hearing, and/or speech impaired to communicate over the telephone.
Partial Service Charges
These charges/credits are generated when services are added or removed for a time period different than your current billing period.
Payment Due Date
Date that payments must be received by to avoid a late fee.
Payment Received
Amount paid on the last bill. Does not include payments processed after billing date.
Previous Balance
Unpaid balance carried over from previous billing periods. Previous charges can result from several reasons:
- Unpaid balance on a previous bill.
- Debit/credit from misapplied payment.
- Debit/credit from a long distance carrier.
- Returned check debit.
Regional Long Distance/Local Toll Calls
Calls outside of your local calling area are regional toll calls, also known as local toll calls. These calls are IntraLATA calls; calls that aren't within your local calling area, but are within your LATA (Local Access Transport Area). LATAs are defined by geographical boundaries drawn by the federal government.
State Tax
Your bill reflects state tax levied on all long distance calls and some services and features.
State Tax Adjustment Surcharge (STAS)
The State Tax Adjustment Surcharge, approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission in 1970, allows utilities to adjust rates to offset changes in the capital stock tax, corporate net income tax, gross receipts tax, and public utility tax.
Subscriber Line Charge
This charge funds part of the cost of providing long distance access to the local network. The charge is applied per line. The Subscriber Line Charge is a fee that helps telephone companies, like D&E recover costs for outside telephone wires, underground conduits, telephone poles, and other necessary facilities and equipment as well as additional costs of providing and maintaining operable lines to carry long distance traffic. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorizes this charge.
Summary of Charges and Credits
Overview of all charges on the account for the current billing period.
Toll Service
Charges for local calling outside service areas and long distance calls.
Total Amount Due
On your D&E bill, this is the amount you currently owe.
Total Basic Charges
Total of basic charges shown in this section of the bill. These charges include line charges and local calling plus taxes and surcharges.
Total Due
The total due is a combination of your current charges and any outstanding balance.
It is the amount you currently owe D&E, minus any payment you might have made after the closing date of your bill.
Universal Connectivity Charge
This charge is applied to your bill only if you make state-to-state and/or international long distance toll calls. It does not apply to toll calls that you make to Pennsylvania locations. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires all long distance companies to contribute a percentage of their interstate and International revenues to the Federal Universal Service Fund. This fund is used to help keep local telephone rates affordable for all customers across the United States. The required contribution to the fund is subject to change on a quarterly basis. The FCC allows long distance companies to recover their contributions to the fund through the Universal Connectivity Charge.