Cruzio and Dry/Naked DSL

Cruzio’s DSL service requires an existing AT&T phone line to run over. The DSL service itself does not require that there be an active phone service on the phone line. Doing without that service is known as dry or naked DSL. Not everyone requires landline phone service anymore, so our customers have been asking how to get Cruzio DSL without having to maintain the phone service. We would love to offer Dry/Naked DSL as one of our services, but it requires the cooperation of AT&T who have so far refused to do so. We are constantly lobbying AT&T on this matter.

While we are a reseller of AT&T’s services, there is also an upstream provider between us and AT&T. Our most recent communications with our upstream provider on this issue was an email message we sent on 25 February 2011. Their response is reproduced below:

Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2011 09:52:11 -0500
Subject: RE: Naked/Dry DSL

There are currently no plans to offer naked AT&T DSL service
as AT&T does not offer naked DSL as an option to its resellers.

What you can do

Telecommunications in California are regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. Their website includes information on how to contact them and you can point to this page for details on the issue.

Fusion phone service works like regular phone service: it uses wired phone jacks and works with conventional phones and answering machines. It will continue to work when there is a power failure, and it communicates your address to the 911 system.

Unlimited local and nationwide calling

All Fusion phone lines have unlimited local and nationwide calling. Unlimited nationwide calling applies to all 50 states, plus Guam, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands. Phone lines are subject to a “reasonable use” limit of 10,000 minutes per month which works out to a little over six hours a day, every day of the month.

International calling rates are the same for both business and residential lines. Additional taxes and fees related to Fusion phone service are applied on a per line basis.

View fee and tax information for Fusion Phone…

International calls

By default Cruzio’s Fusion phone lines have international calling disabled. This is to prevent accidental unwanted charges. International calls can be enabled by contacting Cruzio support or you can manage these features online. Visit https://fusionbroadband.com/login/default to activate your account. Keep in mind that International calls are not free or included in the regular monthly Velocity cost.

View international rates for Fusion Phone…

Collect calls, 900 toll calls, long-distance dial-around

• Fusion phone lines cannot accept collect calls (aka “charge reversal”). As an alternative to collect calling, we recommend arranging for a phone card.
• No 976 or 900 toll calling. Our systems are not set up to reconcile all the billing involved in these systems, and we understand many of our customers prefer to block these when possible.
• Related to the unlimited national calling, we cannot support “10-10-321”-style toll dial-around.

Voicemail

Voicemail comes free with your Fusion phone service, as do Caller-ID, Call Waiting, and 3-Way Calling. For details, see the Fusion Voicemail FAQ.

Phone codes

Special features can be utilized on your Fusion phone line by entering certain number codes on your phone. Here are some examples:

• 0: Operator assistance isn’t available.
• 211: 2-1-1 provides free and confidential information and referral. Call 2-1-1 for help with food, housing, employment, health care, counseling and more. (See California 211)
• 411: Business information service. This service is free of charge, with an automated voice-responsive system provided by Bing-411.
• 511: Transportation and traffic information. This is also free of charge, provided by SF Bay Area 511. Use this number to find out the traffic situation in your area.
• 611: The Line Repair number.
• 711: TTY relay. A service for the hearing impaired.
• 811: Call Before you Dig hotline. If you are doing to be doing any digging or excavating, call this number to help insure no wires are cut in the process. See call811.com for details.
• 911: Emergency Services. This should work as with a normal telephone service; this is not a Voice over Internet Phone product, and your access to emergency services is not reliant on your Internet connection.
• 933: Emergency Services read-back. Plays a read-back of the address information provided to 911 Emergency Services. You can use this number to verify that 911 emergency services will have the proper phone number and address if you ever need to call for an emergency. This will also verify that 911 is active on your phone line.

Star codes

You can access even more special features on your Fusion phone line by pressing the star key (*), followed by a number code. Here are some examples of what those codes can do:

• *67: Activate Caller ID Blocking on a per call basis. Dial this code before your outbound call to block your Caller ID for that one call. (If you would like your outbound Caller ID to be blocked by default, please contact Cruzio support.)
• *69: Last-call return. This feature will immediately dial back the last inbound caller. This feature only works if the last inbound caller has visible Caller-ID information.
• *72: Call Forwarding. Simply type this number and you will be prompted to enter the phone number you would like your calls forwarded to and press 1 to confirm.. A maximum of two simultaneous calls can be forwarded at any given time. All Cruzio Fusion voice lines support Call Forwarding. You can disable this feature by dialing *72 and pressing 1, or change the forwarding number by pressing 2.
• *73: Disable Call Forwarding. You will be prompted with a message confirming the phone number you are no longer forwarding to.
• *77: Anonymous Call Rejection. Reject calls from callers who are blocking Caller-ID. To turn off Anonymous Call Rejection, press *87.
• *82: Deactivate Caller ID Blocking on a per call basis. If your outbound Caller ID is blocked by default, dial this code before your outbound call to unblock it for that one call.
• *272: test tone. Turns on a high-pitched (1004 Hz) tone on your line.
• *273: Caller ID info. Plays a read-back of your caller-ID information.
• *99: Voice mail. For details, see the Fusion Voicemail FAQ.

Fusion Phone Tools

You can use the online Fusion Phone Tools to retrieve statistics on your phone usage, manage your voicemail, adjust settings for your phone line, and more.  To get started, go to Fusion Phone Tools and click the “Need to activate your line?” link.  Enter your phone number (including the area code, no dashes, only numbers) and click “Submit”.

You will need to be in the same location as your landline, as you will be required to validate your phone.

Click on “Start Call,” your phone will then ring and you will be given a 6 digit number. Write that number down and go back to the webpage and input that 6 digit code as well as a password of your choosing. Enter the password in twice and enter an email address (this email address will be used in case you need to retrieve your password).  Hit “Submit” and you will be directed to the Fusion Dashboard page.

Fusion Dashboard

Here you can see:
Usage: A summary of your call data, including minutes and international calling charges.
Messages: Listen, delete or download all your voice messages.
Settings: Here you can enable/disable voicemail, change line and account settings, and even view any devices that have accessed the system.

Usage

Clicking on the Usage tab will bring up all your voice usage (calls) for the current month. You can pick which month to view, by using the drop down menu on the top left.

Default view of this page is just a summary of information.  Click the “See Full Details” link next to the month drop down menu to get more information.  On the new page with more info, you can also download your phone records as a CSV file by clicking the big orange button labeled “Download All Records (CSV)” at the bottom of the page.

Messages

The Messages tab will bring up all your current voicemails. It will tell you what phone number they came from, the date, and even the length of the message. You can then chose to listen or download the message to your computer.

You can then chose to mark them as a NEW message by using the “Mark Unread” button, or you can delete a message by clicking the “Delete” button.

Settings

Under the “Settings” tab, you can select various sub-tabs like Voicemail, Line Stats, Line Settings, Account Settings and Device List.

Voicemail: Here you can disable/enable voicemail.
WARNING: If you click “Remove Voicemail” it will turn off Voicemail AND delete all your saved messages.

You can also change your voicemail pin/password, and select how many rings are allowed before the Voicemail feature kicks in.

Line Stats: Clicking this tab will give you 3 options:

• Sync Speed: This will tell you whether your line is currently up and in sync, as well as what speed your download and upload are currently at.
• Profile: We recommend not changing these settings without contacting Cruzio first, as changing them could cause problems with your service. Here you can adjust your DSL Line profile and your Line Sync profile.  The DSL Line profile by default is set to prioritize your download speed over your upload speed, but you can change it to prioritize your upload speed over download.  Line Sync profile can be changed between Interleaved or Fastpath.  Unless you are familiar with those terms, don’t change this setting.
• Bandwidth Graphs: This will provide you with graphs showing the performance of your internet service over the past 24 hours.

Line Settings: Here you can enable/disable features like Call Waiting, Caller ID Blocking, Anonymous Call Rejection, Spam Call Blocking, International Calling, and Call Forwarding and the number it forwards too, just by checking/unchecking the respective boxes and hitting “Update Line Settings.”

If you would like to have your number forward to a different number, enable Call Forwarding and input the desired phone number to forward to into the box and hit “Update Line Settings.”

Account Settings: Here you can enter your desired email address for password recovery, in case you forget your login password.

Device List: Here you can see the devices attached to your specific phone number.”

By default, Cruzio’s Fusion phone lines have international calling disabled. This is to prevent accidental unwanted charges. International calls can be enabled by contacting Cruzio support. Keep in mind that International calls are not free or included in the regular monthly Velocity cost.

Calls to Borderless Calling destinations, highlighted in green, are free for up to 8 hours per month. After the first 8 hours, calls are billed at 2.5¢ per minute.

To dial Mexico, you must first dial 011. We understand this is not necessary on all phone providers.

A variety of local, state and federal items are included on your Cruzio bill for Fusion Phone service. Read on for explanations of each surcharge, or view the current surcharge rates at the CPUC.

• California Lifeline Telephone Service Surcharge
• California Deaf and Disabled Telecom Program Surcharge
• California High Cost Fund-A Surcharge
• California High Cost Fund-B Surcharge
• California Teleconnect Fund Surcharge
• California Advanced Services Fund Surcharge
• California 911 Emergency Telephone Users Surcharge
• California Public Utility Commission User Fee
• Federal Universal Service Fund (FUSF)
• Federal Subscriber Line Charge
• Federal Interstate Telecommunications Service Provider (ITSP) Fee
• Local Utility Users Tax
• Regulatory Recovery Surcharge
• Property Tax Allotment Surcharge

California Lifeline Telephone Service Surcharge

California LifeLine was established by the California Public Utilities Commission in compliance with Public Utilities Code 871, providing discounted basic residential (landline) telephone services to low-income households.

Read more about Lifeline Telephone Service at the CPUC…

California Deaf and Disabled Telecom Program Surcharge

The PUC, in compliance with Public Utilities Code 2881, implemented three telecommunications programs for California residents who are deaf, hearing impaired and/or disabled. These three programs are collectively known as the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program (DDTP).

Read more about the California Deaf and Disabled Telecom Program at the CPUC…

California High Cost Fund-A Surcharge

The California High Cost Fund-A (CHCF-A) was implemented in accordance with Public Utilities Code 739.3. It provides a source of supplemental revenues to 14 small Local Exchange Carriers (LECs) for the purpose of minimizing any rate disparity in basic telephone services between rural and metropolitan areas.

Read more about the California High Cost Fund-A at the CPUC…

California High Cost Fund-B Surcharge

The California High Cost Fund-B (CHCF-B) was implemented in accordance with Public Utilities Code 739.3. It provides subsidies to Carriers of Last Resort (COLRs) for providing basic local telephone service to residential customers in high-cost areas that are currently served by Pacific Bell Telephone Company dba AT&T California, Verizon California Inc., Citizens Telecommunications Company of California dba Frontier Communications of California, and Cox Communications. The purpose of the subsidies is to keep basic telephone service affordable and to meet the Commission’s universal service goal.

Read more about the California High Cost Fund-B at the CPUC…

California Teleconnect Fund Surcharge

Making telecommunications services affordable for schools, libraries, and others, the California Teleconnect Fund (CTF) Program was established by Decision 96-10-066 on October 25, 1996. In this decision, the Commission reaffirmed its commitment to universal service, and in accordance with state and federal directives, created the CTF program to provide 50% discount on selected telecommunications services to qualifying schools, libraries, government-owned and operated hospitals and health clinics, and community based organizations. The program is funded through a surcharge on all end-users of intrastate telecommunications services.

Read more about the California Teleconnect Fund, at the CPUC …

California Advanced Services Fund Surcharge

The California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) was authorized by the Commission on December 20, 2007, in D.07-12-054 in accordance with Public Utilities Code 701. It provides grants to “telephone corporations” as defined under Public Utilities Code 234.

The total allocation for the CASF is $100 million. An expected two-year program, the CASF will promote universal service in unserved and underserved areas in the state by awarding funding to qualifying certificated applicant carriers. The funding will be used for projects that will a) provide broadband services to areas currently without broadband access and b) build out facilities in underserved areas if funds are still available. Funds shall be collected using an all-end-user surcharge billed and collected by telecommunications carriers.

Read more about the California Advanced Services Fund at the CPUC…

California 911 Emergency Telephone Users Surcharge

The California Board of Equalization administers the Emergency Telephone Users Surcharge Law. The surcharge is imposed on amounts paid by every person in the state for intrastate telephone communication service. The service supplier (or billing aggregator authorized by a service supplier) shall collect the surcharge from each service user and remit to the state the amount of the surcharge.

Read more about the California Emergency Telephone Users surcharge at the California Board of Equalization…

California Public Utility Commission User Fee

The California PUC User Fee is established by the California Public Utilities Commission. Revenues collected from this fee fund the annual budget of the Commission for regulating telecommunications utilities. Commission determines annually the appropriate CPUC fee to be paid by the telecommunications carriers. This fee is based on the telecommunications carrier’s gross intrastate revenue excluding inter-carrier sales, equipment sales and directory advertising. The purpose of this fee is to finance the Commission’s annual operating budget.

Read more about the California PUC User Fee at the CPUC…

Federal Universal Service Fund (FUSF)

What is the Federal Universal Service Fund (FUSF)?

The following explanation of the USF is taken verbatim from the FCC:

Because telephones provide a vital link to emergency services, to government services and to surrounding communities, it has been our nation’s policy to promote telephone service to all households since this service began in the 1930s. The USF helps to make phone service affordable and available to all Americans, including consumers with low incomes, those living in areas where the costs of providing telephone service is high, schools and libraries and rural health care providers. Congress has mandated that all telephone companies providing interstate service must contribute to the USF. Although not required to do so by the government, many carriers choose to pass their contribution costs on to their customers in the form of a line item, often called the “Federal Universal Service Fee” or “Universal Connectivity Fee.”

The current incarnation of the FUSF was introduced into tax law created by United States Congress, via the FCC in 1998. Title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, Sections 36, 54, and 69.

This surcharge is imposed for the purpose of providing telecommunications services at an affordable price to schools, libraries, rural health care providers, and low-income customers. The tax is a percentage of the interstate portion of the long distance charge on your bill. The surcharge is assessed to all telecommunications companies with interstate operations, including long distance carriers, wireless companies, pager companies and payphone companies. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates this surcharge.

This surcharge appears by many names. The following are some ways in which the FUSF charges may be represented on bills from other companies, including your local and long distance telephone carriers:

• Federal Universal Service Fee
• Federal Universal Service Fund
• Federal USF – ADSL
• FED USF – ISDN PRI
• FED USF – CENTREX
• FED USF – Special Access
• Universal Connectivity Charge
• Universal Service Carrier Charge

Where can I get more information about the FUSF?

The FCC is the best resource for information about the particulars of the FUSF, and a good place to find information regarding the telecommunications industry in general.

Federal Subscriber Line Charge

The Subscriber Line Charge is a fee paid to the local phone company that connects you to the telephone network. Local telephone companies recover some of the costs of telephone lines connected to homes or businesses through this monthly charge on your local telephone bill. Sometimes called the federal subscriber line charge, this fee is regulated and capped by the FCC, not by state Public Utility Commissions.

Read more about the Federal Subscriber Line Charge at the FCC…

Federal Interstate Telecommunications Service Provider (ITSP) Fee

As set forth in 47 U.S.C. 159(a), the Commission is required by Congress to collect regulatory fees to recover the regulatory costs associated with its enforcement, policy and rulemaking, user information, and international activities. Licensees and regulatees are assessed fees calculated as set forth in (See Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2010, Report and Order, 75 FR 41932 at 1 (July 19, 2010) (“FY 2010 Regulatory Fees Report and Order”)).

Read more about the Federal Interstate Telecommunications Service Provider (ITSP) Fee at the FCC…

Local Utility Users Tax

Local telephone taxes are charged by many municipalities. These are voter approved taxes which utility providers are obligated to collect and remit to your city. For specific rates for your city, the UUTInfo website provides a helpful reference. You can also contact your city’s finance department.

Look up your city’s rates at UUTInfo…

Regulatory Recovery Surcharge

A Regulatory Recovery Surcharge is assessed on all base voice charges excluding other taxes and surcharges, to cover costs associated with payment of government imposed fees and to recover the costs of compliance with all government imposed regulatory requirements. It may include costs incurred in prior years that are not yet fully recovered. It is not a tax or charge which the government requires us to collect from its customers. This charge is subject to change from time to time as the cost of regulatory compliance changes.

Property Tax Allotment Surcharge

A property tax allotment surcharge (PTA) is applied to all base voice charges excluding other taxes and surcharges. This is not a tax, but a cost recovery mechanism meant to recover the cost of state-assessed property taxes on telecommunications equipment located in our service areas.

Read more about State-assessed property taxes at the California Board of Equalization website…

How much does it cost to get voicemail with my Velocity service?

Voicemail comes free with your Fusion phone service, as does Caller-ID, Call Waiting, and 3-Way Calling.

How can I access the phone-based voicemail system?

Use one of the following methods to reach your voicemail box, then enter your PIN when prompted (the first time you connect to voice mail, you will be asked to create a password):

• Dial *99 from your own number.
• Dial your own number, from your own number.
• Dial your own number from anywhere; when you hear the greeting press * to access the private menu.
• Call 707-583-7700 from anywhere and enter your phone number as prompted.

How can I listen to my messages?

1. Log in to your voicemail using one of the methods listed above.
2. Press 1 to listen to new messages, or press 2 to listen to old messages.
3. After each message you will be given options such as:
   • 1 Replay Current Message
   • 3 Delete Message
   • 4 Mark Message New
   • 6 Listen to Message Envelope
   • # Next Message
   • * Main Menu

How do I record a greeting?

1. Log in to your voicemail using one of the methods listed above.
2. Press 7 to manage greetings.
3. Press 2 to record a new greeting (or press 3 to use a default greeting).
4. Leave your greeting at the tone, followed by the # key.
5. You will be given the option to listen to your greeting (1), or to save your new greeting (2).

How do I change my voicemail password (PIN)?

1. Log in to your voicemail using one of the methods listed above.
2. Press 6 for voicemail options.
3. Press 1 to change your voicemail password.
4. Enter a new 4-digit password.

Is there a message length limit?

Yes, currently messages are limited to 10 minutes.

What are the voicemail menu options?

• 1 Play New Messages
  • 1 Replay Current Message
  • 3 Delete Message
  • 4 Mark Message New
  • 6 Listen to Message Envelope
  • # Next Message
  • * Main Menu
• 2 Play Old Messages
  • 1 Replay Current Message
  • 3 Delete Message
  • 4 Mark Message New
  • 6 Listen to Message Envelope
  • # Next Message
  • * Main Menu
• 6 Manage Voicemail Options
  • 1 Change Password
  • 2 Change Rings
  • * Main Menu
• 7 Manage Greeting
  • 1 Listen to Current Greeting
  • 2 Record New Greeting
    • 1 Listen to New Greeting
    • 2 Save New Greeting
    • 3 Record Greeting Again
    • 4 Main Menu
  • 3 Use Default Greeting
  • * Main Menu
• 8 Exit

How do I access Voicemail through the online Fusion Phone Tools?

You can use the online Fusion Phone Tools to manage your voicemail.  To get started, go to Fusion Phone Tools and click the “Need to activate your line?” link.  Enter your phone number (including the area code, no dashes, only numbers) and click “Submit”.

You will need to be in the same location as your landline, as you will be required to validate your phone.

Click on “Start Call,” your phone will then ring and you will be given a 6 digit number. Write that number down and go back to the webpage and input that 6 digit code as well as a password of your choosing. Enter the password in twice and enter an email address (this email address will be used in case you need to retrieve your password).  Hit “Submit” and you will be directed to the Fusion Dashboard page.

Fusion Dashboard

Here you can see:
Usage: A summary of your call data, including minutes and international calling charges.
Messages: Listen, delete or download all your voice messages.
Settings: Here you can enable/disable voicemail, change line and account settings, and even view any devices that have accessed the system.

Usage

Clicking on the Usage tab will bring up all your voice usage (calls) for the current month. You can pick which month to view, by using the drop down menu on the top left.

Default view of this page is just a summary of information.  Click the “See Full Details” link next to the month drop down menu to get more information.  On the new page with more info, you can also download your phone records as a CSV file by clicking the big orange button labeled “Download All Records (CSV)” at the bottom of the page.

Messages

The Messages tab will bring up all your current voicemails. It will tell you what phone number they came from, the date, and even the length of the message. You can then chose to listen or download the message to your computer.

You can then chose to mark them as a NEW message by using the “Mark Unread” button, or you can delete a message by clicking the “Delete” button.

Settings

Under the “Settings” tab, you can select various sub-tabs like Voicemail, Line Stats, Line Settings, Account Settings and Device List.

Voicemail: Here you can disable/enable voicemail.
WARNING: If you click “Remove Voicemail” it will turn off Voicemail AND delete all your saved messages.

You can also change your voicemail pin/password, and select how many rings are allowed before the Voicemail feature kicks in.

Line Stats: Clicking this tab will give you 3 options:

• Sync Speed: This will tell you whether your line is currently up and in sync, as well as what speed your download and upload are currently at.
• Profile: We recommend not changing these settings without contacting Cruzio first, as changing them could cause problems with your service. Here you can adjust your DSL Line profile and your Line Sync profile.  The DSL Line profile by default is set to prioritize your download speed over your upload speed, but you can change it to prioritize your upload speed over download.  Line Sync profile can be changed between Interleaved or Fastpath.  Unless you are familiar with those terms, don’t change this setting.
• Bandwidth Graphs: This will provide you with graphs showing the performance of your internet service over the past 24 hours.

Line Settings: Here you can enable/disable features like Call Waiting, Caller ID Blocking, Anonymous Call Rejection, Spam Call Blocking, International Calling, and Call Forwarding and the number it forwards too, just by checking/unchecking the respective boxes and hitting “Update Line Settings.”

If you would like to have your number forward to a different number, enable Call Forwarding and input the desired phone number to forward to into the box and hit “Update Line Settings.”

Account Settings: Here you can enter your desired email address for password recovery, in case you forget your login password.

Device List: Here you can see the devices attached to your specific phone number.”