MyRatePlan Blog

by Logan Abbott on Friday, May 26, 2006

The 3% Federal Excise Tax, dating to the Spanish-American War will end on July 31st for all but local phone service. This includes long distance on your home phone, wireless and/or VoIP phone service. In addition, it is likely that most will be able to claim a refund for the tax paid over the last 3 years with their 2006 tax returns (the ones filed in early 2007).

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OLN Returns to DISH

by Logan Abbott on Monday, April 24, 2006

After months of negotiation, OLN and Dish Network have agreed to a new contract, and OLN, with their NHL games, is now back on Dish, available to subscribers in America's Top 180 package. To check out Dish Network's current promotion, including $100 in bill credits, click here.

Appears in: dish network

Cutting the Cord

by Logan Abbott on Wednesday, April 19, 2006

According to Forrester Research, approximately 8% of cell phone households had given up their landline phone service and gone totally wireless as of the end of 2005, compared to 5% at the end of 2004. The study indicated there would be 2x that amount within 3 years.

Appears in: Wireless

200 Million Wireless Subscribers

by Logan Abbott on Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Recent reporting by The Wireless Association showed cellular subscribers grew by a record 25.7 million in 2005 to about 208 million. This is interesting, in that many analysts have been saying that the market is mature, and subscriber growth would slow.

Appears in: Cell Phone

Buying a Cell Phone in a Retail Store

by Logan Abbott on Wednesday, April 19, 2006

According to a recent article in USA Today, it took an average of 70 minutes to complete a wireless sale in a retail store during 2005. No wonder more and more people are buying online. The phones are usually cheaper as well.

Appears in: Cell Phone

End to the Tax on Talking?

by Logan Abbott on Wednesday, April 19, 2006

During the Spanish-American War, at the end of the 19th Century (1898!), the government instituted an excise tax on phone calls to help fund the war effort. That war is long over, but the 3% federal excise tax is still in effect, 108 years later.

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AT&T to Acquire BellSouth

by Logan Abbott on Tuesday, March 07, 2006

The AT&T name has been up and down, bought and sold since the company was broken up by the Government back in the mid 1980's. Now, it is set to become a household name again. SBC, the former Southwestern Bell, renamed itself AT&T after buying that company in 2005.

Appears in: AT&T

BlackBerry Settles Patent Dispute

by Logan Abbott on Sunday, March 05, 2006

The long-running patent dispute between NTP and BlackBerry was settled Friday, with NTP agreeing to drop all claims in exchange for $612.5 million. This has been a bizarre case ---- BlackBerry lost a patent infringement trial a couple years back, and after exhausing various legal maneuvers, was about to find out if an injunction to shut down its service was going to be ordered.

Appears in: blackberry

Health Savings Accounts (HSA)

by Logan Abbott on Tuesday, February 21, 2006

It took me quite a while to figure out how to establish one of these, so figured I'd pass along the info in case anyone is in the same situation. For those unfamiliar, an HSA lets you put money aside, on a pre-tax basis, that can be used to pay for many health care expenses. If you don't use the money, you can withdraw it later in life, much like a 401k.

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Digital TV Transition Signed into Law

by Logan Abbott on Tuesday, February 14, 2006

The date is finally set.... February 17th 2009. On that date, over the air broadcast networks (e.g., NBC) will stop broadcasting analog TV signals and return those frequencies to the government. These frequencies will be partially auctioned off for use in new technologies, and partially set aside for improved communication between public safety agencies.

Appears in: Satellite TV

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