Long-Distance Callers' Awareness and Use of Various Telephone-Related Options

In today's telecommunications industry, long-distance callers first choose a long-distance provider through their local telephone company when their telephone is connected. No further action, other than paying the monthly bill, is necessary to make long-distance calls from home. However, long-distance callers have a number of other telephone-related options that could save them money on their monthly bills or allow them to enjoy additional services. Regrettably, many callers and particularly older callers do not take advantage of these options. This 38-page report written by Christopher A. Baker of the Public Policy Institute, suggests that a primary reason for this behavior is that long-distance callers are misinformed and/or lack essential information about their telephone-related options. As a result, they pay unnecessarily high rates for long-distance service and miss out on useful services.