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TNS Billing
Telecommunications Billing Cycle and Format
Billing Cycle:
The monthly telecommunications billing statement combines both Service and Equipment (Recurring and One Time) and Usage charges on a single, multiple page statement. In addition, the direct bill cycle that applies the charges to University budgets runs once each month and includes all telecommunications charges for the month. The billing statement lists year-to-date summary charges for both Service and Equipment (Recurring and One Time) and Usage on the first page of the bill, while detailed Service and Equipment (Recurring and One Time) charges and itemized Usage information are listed on subsequent pages of the bill.
The billing cycles for University Park and non-University Park locations are different.
University Park billing cycle:
Campus billing cycle:
The "University Park" billing cycle runs on the last weekend of the month. This billing cycle produces complete billing statements for University Park accounts. The University Park billing cycle also includes the Service and Equipment (Recurring and One Time) billing for non-University Park locations. Direct billing to University budgets results from this end-of-month billing cycle.
Availability of Summary Statements: As part of the "University Park" billing cycle, billing "summary sheets" are made available for easier reference of billing information. These summary statements are sorted by administrative area and give a summary of the toal dollars direct billed to each budget/fund associated with that administrative area. Amounts are summarized by Usage and Service and Equipment (Recurring and One-Time) for University Park accounts. Summary statements for non-University Park accounts include Service and Equipment (Recurring and One-Time) charges only. Usage charges for non-University Park locations are included in the Campus billing cycle summary statements.
The "Campus" billing cycle runs around the 8th day of the month. This billing cycle produces usage billing statements for non-University Park accounts. These statements are provided to the campuses as a service for information purposes only (i.e. to use the statements to bill long distance charges back to campus departments).
Availability of Summary Statements: Campus billing "summary sheets" are made available for easier reference of billing information. Campus summary statements are sorted by campus location and provide a summary of budget-level totals of usage for the administrative area. A summary of campus recurring and one-time charges appear on the summary statements that are produced on the last weekend of the month as part of the University Park billing cycle.
In an effort to eliminate any confusion and possible double payments, a "PAID BY TNS" date will be stamped on any vendor bills that TNS pays before mailing the copies to campuses.
On-line Billing Statements:
Telecommunications and Networking Services' monthly billing statements are available on-line via the World Wide Web. The statements are stored on-line using the "eDDS" (electronic Document Distribution System) feature of the University's imaging system licensed from Optical Image Technology, Inc. and is maintained by the Administrative Information Services (AIS). This system was formerly known as the COLD system but the name was changed to better reflect its purpose. The eDDS server enables the user to bring mainframe report output, such as the monthly Telecommunications billing statement, down to his/her PC for viewing, editing, printing, or saving locally. Since the billing statements are copied to laser disk as is, the electronic files appear exactly as they did on paper. On-line billing allows for faster distribution and access to your monthly Telecommunications billing statements.
Requirements:
Internet Browser
Access to Telecommunications billing report statements via eDDS is available through an Internet browser.
AIS Mainframe Userid and Password for eDDS
An AIS - eDDS mainframe account userid is required in order to access the eDDS server. If you don't already have an AIS mainframe userid for eDDS, Contact your AIS Access and Security Representative (ASR) to process your request. Your ASR will notify you when your AIS - eDDS mainframe userid is ready.
Access to TNS On-line Billing Statements:
Access to TNS' monthly billing statements should be requested via the Telecommunications On-line Billing Statement Access Request Form. If you are a first-time eDDS user, within several days of requesting access, you should receive an e-mail message from AIS with your eDDS account userid and instructions for obtaining your eDDS password. If you already have a eDDS account, the ability to access TNS' statements will simply be added to your existing eDDS userid and password.
Change AIS eDDS Password:
If this is the first time you are accessing eDDS, you should visit the eDDS Web site at http://edds.psu.edu and immediately click the "Change Password" button. Follow the instructions to change your password, then return to the eDDS home page.
Viewer Application:
In order to view Telecommunications billing statements via eDDS, you must specify a viewer application. AIS supports the use of TextPad for Windows users (TextPad is not available for the Macintosh). For more information on TextPad, refer to the MAC Help/PC Help Installation instructions on the eDDS Web site.
How do I know when On-line Billing Statements are available?
The monthly statements are posted to the eDDS server within 24 hours after they are run. Refer to the "Billing Cycle" section for monthly processing information. If you would like to be notified via e-mail when the latest statement has been posted to the eDDS server, please subscribe to our notification page.
Need Help?
Help in navigating through the eDDS system for on-line Telecommunications billing statements is available, if needed. Call the TNS Trainer at 814-865-8661 to request assistance. If for any reason you have trouble downloading your eDDS server report, contact the AIS Support Center at 814-863-2276 for assistance.
Billing Format:
To help you understand your bill, a sample bill, with notations explaining what the various items mean is provided on this Web site. As an added convenience, a short description of work done on Telecommunications Service Requisitions (TSR) has been added to the Recurring and One Time charges billing statements. The format of the statements for University Park and non-University Park locations is slightly different. Click on your area to view a sample of your statement:
Billing Questions?
If you have telecommunications billing questions, please call Consulting and Support Services' (CSS) Customer Support Group at 814 865-8311.
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07/27/07