F.A.Q.'s

Monday,February 06,2012

Text Size

F.A.Q.'s

Universal Services Fund FAQ

The Universal Services Fund FAQ

The Universal Services Fund (USF) is a government administered fund to support the provision of telecommunications services in rural and high cost areas, low income consumers and to schools, libraries and health care facilities nationwide. All telecommunications providers contribute to the USF on an equal basis.

What Governmental agency is responsible for USF?

The United States Congress authorized the Federal Communications Commission(FCC) to implement the Universal Service Fund. The USF is mandated by Section 254 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.The USF is administered by Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC).

Why is GAN Conferencing collecting these fees on audio calls?

A recent decision by the FCC dictates that all telecommunication service providers track all telecommunications revenue. To remain in compliance and in good standing, GAN Conferencing must file forms with USAC and pay the fees assessed by the FCC on the telecommunications revenue.

Will all audio conferencing providers charge these fees on audio conferencing calls?

Yes. The June 30, 2008 FCC order clearly states that all providers of telecommunications which includes conferencing must comply with the order. The FCC has directed USAC to ensure that all conferencing service providers abide by the order.

What states and countries are impacted by these fees?

The USF applies to services billed to US customers, including both interstate and international services. If a caller on your conference is within the United States, then the fee will be assessed. If all callers are located Internationally then there will be no fee.

When will the fees be collected?

The June 30 and July 17, 2008 FCC orders require USAC and other fund administrators to collect the fee from GAN Conferencing, and all teleconferencing service providers beginning on October 1, 2008. The charge will appear on all invoices dated October 1, 2008and thereafter.

Are all of my conferencing services subject to USF fees?

No. Web conferencing services are not subject to USF fees. Only audioconferencing services are subject to USF fees.

How much are these fees imposed by USAC?

The USF fee is set by the FCC quarterly and collected by USAC. The fee as of August 2008 is 11.4% of end user interstate and international telecommunications revenues.

Are non-profit groups exempt from these fees?

No. The FCC regulations state that these fees apply to all end users including not-for-profit entities. If you feel that your organization should be exempt, contact the FCC as below. If exempt status is verified, please provide supporting documentation to GAN Conferencing.

Where do I find additional information about the USF?

Additional information may be located at: http://www.fcc.gov/wcb/tapd/universal_service

You may also contact the FFC at:

Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554
www.fcc.gov
888-225-5322

FAQ

New Users

Do attendees need to download any software to join a meeting?

Meeting attendees can join a meeting without downloading any software. Only a Flash enabled browser is required.

Do moderators or presenters need to download any software?

Moderators can start and run a meeting without downloading any software. Some meeting functions, such as screen sharing, do have an option to download install software for some added functionality.

Can I host a QuickVisuals meeting from a Mac or Linux computer?

Yes, you can host a meeting, including sharing your screen, from a PC, Mac, Linux or Unix computer.

How many people can I invite to a QuickVisuals meeting?

Depending on the account type, you can have up to 250 people in a meeting.

Do you support VideoConferencing and voice over IP?

Yes. You can have up to 12 webcam windows open with full-duplex voice over IP. The moderator can choose any 12 people from the attendees to show their webcam. The video window size and bandwidth are adjustable and can support high-def videoconferencing.

Do I need to worry about firewalls or network settings?

QuickVisuals Web conferencing only uses standard HTTP connections and should work with any firewall, proxy, or network settings. The optional video conferencing component requires opening a non-HTTP connection and may need to have RTMP protocol allowed in rare cases.

Can I stream videos or MP3 files?

You can upload a video (in FLV format) or MP3 file to the QuickVisuals Web conferencing site. The video or MP3 files will be streamed from the sever to all attendees. Moderators have full control over PAUSE, SEEK of the video or audio file.

Can I pass the presenter control to an attendee?

Yes. The moderator can promote one or more attendees to be a presenter. The presenter can share desktop, PowerPoint slides, video, etc.

Can I control an attendee's desktop or allow an attendee to control my desktop?

Yes. You can both control an attendee's desktop and granting control of your desktop to an attendee. The person whose desktop is being controlled needs to download and install the small desktop sharing program, which currently only runs on Windows PC. The person does not need 'admin' permission on a PC to install the program.

Can I show animations in my PowerPoint files?

Yes. QuickVisuals supports Flash slides, which preserve PowerPoint animations and effects. You can use a third party product, to export PowerPoint to individual Flash slides (one slide per SWF file) and then import them to QuickVisuals. Great America Networks Conferencing can perform this conversion for you.

Can I record a QuickVisuals WebConference for On-Demand viewing?

Yes, recording a QuickVisuals WebConference is as simple as clicking a button. The Entire meeting, with audio will be able to be played back in any Modern Flash enabled browser with no proprietary player or codec required. For audio to be recorded, you would have to be on our QuickConnect Toll-Free TeleConferencing service.

Existing Users

How do I set up a QuickVisuals WebConference?

Under the "My Meetings" Tab, click on Add a Meeting

You can add any number of meetings. A meeting can be scheduled or unscheduled. Un-scheduled meetings will always be displayed under the “Today’s Meetings” section. Regardless if a meeting is scheduled or not, you can start a meeting anytime and as often as you want.

Select the Meeting Options you want for your meeting and click on the "Submit" button

How do I add Content to MY LIBRARY to share in a meeting?

The "My Library" Tab is where a member stores multimedia contents, such as pictures, presentations, video, and audio files, that can be used during a meeting.

You can add a media file to the library by selecting a library and then clicking on the “Add” button. You will be asked to choose a media file to upload from your desktop.

For PowerPoint files, you can choose to upload a single PPT file or multiple JPEG or SWF slides. Uploading a PPT file requires “Presenter” software (Windows Only) to be installed on the computer.

Mac users need to export PowerPoint to JPG or SWF slides and import them into the library.

What format does Library content have to be in?

The Library and Meeting Viewer supports the following formats:

¨ JPG Image files

¨ MP3 Audio files

¨ PPT, SWF, JPG Presentation files/folders

¨ FLV Video Files

How do I invite participants into a QuickVisuals WebConference?

To invite attendees to a meeting, you simply click on the Invite icon next to the Meeting name under the "My Meetings" Tab. Enter email addresses of the person(s) you want to invite: (separated by a comma). You may edit the title as well as the message of the email. You may also send the invitation with you default email application (such as Microsoft Outlook) by clicking the Open My Email button. If you configured your meeting with schedule information, it will be included in the email message as well as the teleconferencing dial in number and passcode.

What features of presenting require software to be downloaded on the host computer in QuickVisuals?

The presenter software is required for:

Screen sharing
Importing PowerPoint presentations
Sending desktop snapshots during a meeting
Sending desktop files during a meeting

To download the software on Windows, log into your QuickVisuals Portal at http://www.quickvisuals.net

Under the "My Meetings" Tab, click on "Download Presenter Software"

Click the Download button to Download the file and install the software.

Presenter control was passed over to me, but I cannot access the library content?

Only the Moderator that starts the meeting can access the My Library content. Presenters can manipulate the content once it is brought into the conference from the Moderator. Presenters can access the Public Library.

When I click on a file in the Messages window, nothing happens?

Most likely a Pop-Up Blocker is presenting the download window from showing. Try holding down CTRL and clicking the link, or disable your Pop-Up Blocker.

When I try to share my screen it tells me “Screen Sharing is Already in Progress”?

Only one person in a meeting can share a screen at a time.

I am trying to play a video/audio file or show a Presentation while sharing my screen.

The Library content is not accessible while screen sharing is in progress.

How do I optimize my PowerPoint presentation for QuickVisuals?

Please see our PowerPoint Optimization Guide for QuickVisuals WebConferencing

Contact Us

If you need to sign up for an account with immediate access, or are experiencing any sort of issues, whether it be technical, billing or operational, please contact us at 1-877-GET-GAN1. Alternatively you may contact us via email or via live chat.

Mission Statement

Our goal is to earn your business each and every day. Here at GAN Conferencing we always DO WHAT WE SAY! If you would like to experience our concierge level of services please contact us today.

At GAN Conferencing the customer always comes first!

About Us

We utilize state-of-the-art technologies to provide our clients with the rock-solid level of reliability that they deserve. We have an outstanding team of dedicated personnel who strive for the best results for our clients each day providing the best audio and web conferencing service possible.