Good news that at the very least, we have a bit more transparency of our phone bills. I'm also looking forward to my refund check now.

By the way, did anyone know that this excise tax was enacted in the 19th century?

The Treasury Department, following a series of hostile court rulings on the way it assesses the federal excise tax on phone service, is working on a plan to stop collecting the levy and refund billions of dollars to consumers and businesses, according to people familiar with the matter.

...

The law -- originally enacted to help pay the costs of the Spanish-American War -- taxes telecom services based on both the duration of a call and the distance it travels. But the changing nature of technology now lets phone companies offer flat rate per minute or monthly plans. The government, however, has continued to assess the tax under the old services, sparking widespread protest.

When the tax was enacted in 1898, telephone service was something of a luxury and the levy affected relatively few Americans. As telecommunications expanded to become a fixture of modern life, the tax has become a steady revenue stream that administrations of both political parties have been loath to surrender. In 2000, Congress repealed the tax, at an estimated five-year cost of $24 billion. Former President Clinton vetoed the measure over budget concerns.