Regulatory Fees and Taxes

The short version

Two of the charges on your bill are our cost-recovery fees, and the rest are government taxes, fees, and surcharges that we collect and pass through. They show up as separate line items so you can always tell which is which.

DialStack cost-recovery fees

We are the licensed carrier behind your phone service, which means we carry real regulatory and emergency-services costs whether or not you ever think about them. These two fees recover part of that cost. They are described, with current amounts, in Schedule 1 of your Service Subscription Agreement.

If these change. These fees may change as our underlying costs change. We'll use commercially reasonable efforts to give you at least 10 business days' notice of a change, sent to the email address on your account.

Government taxes, fees, and surcharges

Separately from our recovery fees, we collect genuine government taxes, fees, and surcharges and pass them through to the agencies that impose them. These are set by federal, state, and local governments, not by us, and they appear as their own line items. They include:

• Universal Service Fund (USF) contributions. Federal and state programs that subsidize phone and broadband access. The FCC sets the federal USF contribution rate quarterly, so this amount changes over time.
• State and local 911 fees. Charges imposed by states and localities to fund emergency call centers and 911 infrastructure.
• Other government-chargeable fees. Any additional federal, state, or local fees or surcharges that apply to your service.

Because these are set by governments and vary by jurisdiction, the exact amounts depend on where your users are located and can change when the underlying rates change.

Taxes and exemptions

You're responsible for all applicable taxes, fees, and surcharges imposed on the service or your use of it, except taxes on our income. Many of these are telecom-specific, for example certain excise, utility, and gross-receipts taxes and government surcharges. They vary by jurisdiction and generally apply even if you're exempt from ordinary sales tax.

If you give your Platform Partner a valid, current tax-exemption certificate, we'll apply it, to the extent the law allows, to the taxes it actually covers (usually sales and use tax). An exemption certificate does not relieve you of other taxes, fees, or surcharges.

Where this shows up

Your Platform Partner bills you as our billing agent, and your specific rates are shown in your account portal. On your bill you'll see your subscription and usage charges, our two cost-recovery fees, and government taxes and fees, each as separate line items. Full details, including how recurring and usage charges are calculated, are in Section 5 and Schedule 1 of your Service Subscription Agreement.