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Might handle the problem by putting the termination fees on a sliding scale based on call volume. Telco lines are fixed assets, if one line is getting millions of calls then the cost of that line should be amortized faster than assumed in the region-wide termination fee.

There will be complaints that revision will kill jobs in rural areas. Thus does the regulatory state accumulate, and willfully retain, misallocations and distortions.

This sort of rent-seeking and regulatory arbitrage is an inevitable outcome of regulation. Notice that while the stated goal is support for the little people, it's insiders and sharpies and incumbents who benefit most. Remote phone service seems a worthwhile goal, and I'm not sure I see a clearly better way of doing it, but let's just keep our eyes open to the costs.



An even easier way to handle it is to simply make conference calls on rural lines not get paid.

If the call is not ultimately terminated at an actual human resident of the area then no termination fee shall be paid.




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