Mo., D.C. Commissions Reduce Surcharges

The Missouri Public Service Commission decreased a relay service fee on phone bills to 6 cents from 10 cents monthly, effective June 1, the PSC said Friday. In the same order, the PSC discontinued analog captioned telephone service, which it said has a “steadily declining” user base. T-Mobile, whose contract as CapTel provider expires Oct. 31, 2025, must give users 30 days’ notice before ending service, the PSC said. “The specific date for discontinuing the service should be mutually agreeable to T-Mobile and” PSC staff. Missouri’s public counsel supported a review of relay services in September in case TO-2024-0033 (see 2309080075). Elsewhere, on Thursday the District of Columbia PSC approved a Verizon application to decrease its D.C. Universal Service Trust Fund surcharge, effective next month. The monthly surcharge will be 3 cents per Centrex line, a decrease of 1 cent, and 22 cents per non-Centrex line, an 8-cent decrease, said the PSC order (case FC988-1410). “Verizon DC represents that the decrease in the surcharge is due to the line loss experienced in 2023.”