Subscribers to AT&T's long distance plans may not be in a laughing mood when they see their April bill. According to the company, the monthly recurring fee for the ?AT&T Unlimited Plan? will increase from $25.95 to $28.99. This plan offers unlimited long distance calling to other AT&T long distance customers (7¢ per minute for calls to non-AT&T customers).

The change will become effective on April 1, 2007. In addition to the AT&T change, most long distance carriers will also be raising their Universal Service Fund (USF) fee (also known as the Universal Connectivity Charge) from 9.7% to 11.7% of total monthly domestic and international long distance charges. The USF fee is generally passed along to consumers as a result of the contribution factor that the FCC sets on a quarterly basis.

Source: Telecommunications Research and Action Center. http://www.trac.org