(Cut thru the BS and get to the point Bob)

 I got a card in the mail today and almost tossed it. It was just another long distance phone company selling a ten cent rate or a quarter or whatever. It never matters cuz all the rates they quote involve STATE TO STATE!! rates, never intrastate rates like I need when I call my daughter from Rochester NY to Manhattan. But one thing caught my eye -

ATTENTION NEW YORK RESIDENTS!

So I read further - more interesting stuff. This company is selling INTRASTATE NEW YORK (see updates for new expanded area coverage) phone service over the INTERNET instead of over the normal telephone communications lines! You use the telephone like you normally would but unknown to you the switching takes place at their hub and your voice conversation is carried over the internet lines! Oops, I better read further on.

So I did - and it quoted rates of 10 cents a minute for all calls inside New York state - big deal, huh? Well it also said that the maximum cost for any phone call within New York State was 99 cents - din matter how long my wife talked with my daughter - still 99 cents - half an hour, an hour, two hours - still 99 cents!! So a two hour chat with Heather will cost 99 cents or .00825 dollars a minute! Less than a penny a minute! And believe me I have many more than a few two hour bills at the 10 cent rate we now pay with MCI.

My mom once told me if it sounds too good to be true it probably is, so I called the toll free number and asked the young lady at least twenty questions. When I hung up I had signed up for the service! (note - signing up for the service is sort of like signing up for a video rental card - it's free and the only time you pay any thing is when you use the service, just as it costs you to rent a video). I'm going to be trying the service this month to see just how good it is, you know, voice quality, static on the line - all that stuff. If it is as good as it sounds then I'm going to pass the information on to you and try getting these folks to give me a few bucks for selling their service to you.

Remember, I will never sell anything from my website in which I have doubts or have never tried so stand by and let me know if you are interested. I will keep your mailnotes and let you know in a few weeks if it is all it is cracked up to be.

UPDATE!! 12/15/99

Since I wrote the above article I have been using this company exclusively to call my daughter in Manhattan as well as lots of other folks around the country. Nice product they offer here. I have talked with my daughter for an hour and a half at a time and the bill comes in just as promised - only 99 cents for the call. I also use their 7/24 7.5 (update - it is now 4.9) cent rate for calls all over the country and sure enough that's what is billed each month. I am totally satisfied with this company - the voice channels are crisp and clear with no static etc. - and I feel confident in recommending it to anyone else in the regions served by them. Right now it is a rather limited area, mostly upstate, but they are planning on expanding in the future (see here for expanded area coverage). So send me your name and I'll get the information to you as to how to get set up with them. Yes, I do make a few pennies in being the middle man but you see no difference in the rates charged to you! Annnnd I get to spend more bucks on computer stuff to improve my website. 

Bob

UPDATE NUMBER 2!! 3/1/2000

OK, OK it sounded too good to be true but it gets even better. This company is growing by leaps and bounds! They now cover all of the northeast US of A as well as another maximum plan for the rest of the US!  I just trashed my MCI account and now use them exclusively for all of my calling. When asked why I wanted to cancel my account with MCI, I told them that I have switched to this company. I then asked if they had ever heard of the company and the girl answered rather meekly "yes I have". Sounds like they are losing a lot of business to this upstart company (and I love it!)

Bob

Sign up for this service and here's what you will get

ALL THE FACTS AT A GLANCE

1. DIAL FROM SPECIFIED AREAS* AND TALK TO ANYONE IN THE USA OR CANADA FOR 4.9 CENTS A MINUTE, 24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK, 365 DAYS A YEAR WITH NO ADDITIONAL CHARGES!

2. OR - TALK TO ANYONE IN THE DESIGNATED AREAS* AS LONG AS YOU LIKE FOR ONLY 99 CENTS! ONE HOUR, TWO HOURS IT DOESN'T MATTER - ONLY 99 CENTS TOTAL (10 CENTS A MINUTE UP TO TEN MINUTES)

3. DIAL ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE USA OR CANADA FOR ONLY $1.99 FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIKE! ONE HOUR, TWO HOURS MORE - IT DOESN'T MATTER ONLY A BUCK NINETY NINE!

4. CALLING CARD - 14.9 CENTS PER MINUTE, NO SURCHARGE (29 cent per call FCC mandated charge applies to calls placed from pay phones.)

5. NO SWITCHING OF LONG DISTANCE CARRIERS WHICH MEANS THAT YOU CAN ALWAYS USE THE SAME OLD CARRIER YOU USE NOW IF YOU SO CHOOSE (ALTHOUGH I SEE NO REASON TO USE MCI OR ANY OF THE OTHERS WHEN YOU HAVE THIS AVAILABLE TO YOU!), NO MONTHLY CHARGES (OR ANY ADDITIONAL CHARGES AT ALL!) JUST PAY FOR THE MINUTES YOU USE.

 (note - signing up for the service is sort of like signing up for a video rental card - it's free and the only time you pay any thing is when you use the service, just as it costs you to rent a video)

The USA is divided up into 5 plan areas - in each plan area you can call for unlimited minutes for 99 cents within the plan area and $1.99 outside those plan areas.

*Northeast Plan Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, DC, West Virginia, and Virginia

*Great Lakes Plan Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio

*Southern Plan Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida

*Pacific Plan Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico

*Midwest Plan Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma

Once you have determined that you have a local access number, go here to this form (it's in Microsoft Word) and fill it out. Just fill it out, hit the Submit button and I'll do the rest. (note - signing up for the service is sort of like signing up for a video rental card - it's free and the only time you pay any thing is when you use the service, just as it costs you to rent a video) In just a day or so you will be sent a package to get you on your way. It will contain dialing instructions, and your local access number. Notice that it does not contain any place for a charge card number. Your ultra low phone bill will be sent to you monthly and you can pay it any way you wish. For absolutely no cost to you, no minimum monthly charges, no complicated switching of your long distance (dial 1) carrier you will start saving money on all of your long distance calls! I've been doing it for years and I absolutely swear by it.