Terms & Conditions:
US Taxes & Fees

CloudTalk’s services and pricing are subject to applicable taxes and fees in accordance with the federal, state, county, and local laws of the customer’s registered place of residence. Below is an overview of taxes and fees charged to CloudTalk’s customers with a US billing address.

The Federal Universal Service Fund (FUSF)

The Federal Universal Service Fund, created by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), aims to facilitate access to telecommunications and broadband services for individuals in rural and high-cost regions, low-income households, rural healthcare centers, and educational institutions.

All providers of telecommunications and interconnected VoIP services, including CloudTalk, must contribute to the federal USF, and these contributions can be passed on to customers. The FCC determines the applicable USF rate every quarter, and this rate can vary.

Compliance and Administrative Cost Recovery Fee

This fee is used to recover costs that CloudTalk incurs including those associated with:  

• Calculation and payment of fees and taxes.
• Compliance with regulatory requirements, including but not limited to accessibility, numbering, privacy, anti-fraud, caller ID authentication, dialing, etc. 
• Obtaining and managing phone numbers, receiving calls from third-party provider networks, and terminating calls on such third-party networks.
• Certain network facilities and services, certain data centers, and the operation, protection, and maintenance of necessary network infrastructure and data centers.
• Filing and maintaining patents, trademarks and other proprietary rights; and some administrative costs associated with providing its services.  

E911 Charges

The E911 (Enhanced 911) surcharge is a fee mandated by federal, state, and local regulations to support emergency services infrastructure. This fee ensures that people can access 911 emergency services and that their registered location can be relayed to the nearest emergency responders. They are set at various levels and can change over time.

State, County and Local Taxes

There are various taxes, fees, and charges across the United States at the state, territory, county, and local levels. Examples include, but are not limited to: sales tax, utility users tax, public utility commission surcharge, access line tax, communications service tax, gross receipts tax, and universal service fund contributions on multiple levels, among others. Depending on the type of charge and other factors (such as the amount of business in a given region), CloudTalk is obligated to pay these taxes and can pass them on to customers. They are set at various jurisdiction levels and can change over time.