The National Post reports in its Thursday edition the federal government remains locked in a battle with the telcos over $2.4-million in late fees because department phone bills were not paid on time. A Canadian Press dispatch to the Post says the number has not changed in almost a year since the government first started collection efforts over late fees it says service providers were not legally allowed to charge. So far, however, the companies do not appear to have budged, based on the data contained in the answer to an written question submitted by Liberal MP Arnold Chan. The $2.4-million in outstanding disputed fees is about two-thirds of the $3.6-million in late fees the government has racked up over the last two fiscal years. About a dozen companies charged the feds late fees, with two of them -- Telus and Bell Canada -- accounting for more than half the $3.64-million bill. Shared Services Canada, the department now in charge of paying phone bills on time, says "efforts continue" to recoup the overdue charges. Although Shared Services was designed to save money by amalgamating services from more than 40 departments, it stumbled out of the gate and could not keep up with 75,000 monthly bills.