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Public Telephones
Instructions are posted on or near telephone
instruments. Please report any service difficulties or
coin collection error to the operator. A charge will not
be made on calls which are not completed.
Rules, Regulations and Tariffs
Copies of our rules, regulations and schedule of rates
are available at our Customer Care Center and are
open to public inspection. They are also on file with
the California Public Utilities Commission or the Federal
Communications Commission.
We are required to charge the rates that are listed in our
tariffs. While our rates and charges are usually quoted
accurately by our customer care representatives,
please be advised that if the quoted rate and tariff are
conflicting, the tariff rate will be charged.
Helpful Information
for Understanding Your
Monthly Telephone Bill
Ponderosa would like customers to have the most
current information available on all aspects of their
telephone service. To assist you in being an educated
consumer, we have compiled descriptions of the
federal and state regulated charges you see on your bill
each month. If you have more questions after reviewing
this information, please call our Customer Care Center.
The Monthly Charges
To fully understand your monthly statement, it is
important to know why the charges are appearing on
your bill and where the funds go that are collected each
month. The monies are collected for federal and state
funds and programs which help provide affordable and
competitive telephone service for everyone. Funds
help offset the cost of providing these services in rural
areas, help schools, libraries and health care centers
obtain advanced services such as Internet access, and
for funding relay centers and special equipment that
help assist hearing and speech-impaired persons to
communicate over the national network. Other taxes
fund emergency services when you need to dial 9-1-1
within the State of California and the county in which
you live.
As both a local and long distance telecommunications
provider, Ponderosa does not keep the monies
collected each month for federal and state funded
programs but is regulated by both the State of
California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to pass
on these funds to the various agencies and programs
established to provide telephone service to everyone.
Ponderosa does receive a set percentage of some
of these funds to help recover some of its costs in
providing these services to you. The pool of monies
collected and the percentage that are dispersed to
the telecommunications providers (both local and long
distance providers) are regulated by the appropriate
governmental agencies.
Helpful Information