dpletche@jarthur.claremont.edu (Nuclear Warrior) (03/06/91)
A few months ago I got some mail from a group called TURN (Toward Utility Rate Normalization) which is fighting the utilities here in California on citizen's behalf. They say they have won several court battles and defeated several rate increases, saving California utility customers over $7 billion since they were created in 1973. If anyone out there is interested in more information, their address is: Toward Utility Rate Normalization 625 Polk Street, Suite 403 San Francisco, CA 94102 I have no connection to this group other than as a fellow oppressed California telephone customer. David Pletcher dpletche@jarthur.claremont.edu
john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) (03/10/91)
Nuclear Warrior <dpletche@jarthur.claremont.edu> writes: > A few months ago I got some mail from a group called TURN (Toward > Utility Rate Normalization) which is fighting the utilities here in > California on citizen's behalf. Over the years, I have been less than totally impressed with this group. While it no doubt has served a useful purpose in providing a slight amount of counterpoint to the normally rubber stamped PUC hearings, it has some holes that would be significant to the general readership of this forum. In trying to interest the group concerning issues such as COCOTs, AOSes, and various technical matters, it has become evident that TURN's agenda is strictly for the common denominator of telephone user. Spokespeople for TURN have repeatedly decried CO upgrading and advanced feature offerings (starting to see where I'm coming from?) as ploys to extract more dollars out of starving customers' pockets. My impression of TURN's ideal telephone service would be a black rotary dial telephone (quantity: one) in each residence that would cost $1.00 a for flat-rate service encompassing the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Businesses large and small could make up the difference. In part, I thank TURN for my residential crossbar service. Silvia's contribution and legacy to us all was a serious slow-down in Pac*Bell facilities upgrading. At the same time, no one at TURN seem to be concerned in the slightest that major ripoffs were going on right outside its San Francisco offices at the COCOTs on the sidewalk. Or that AOSes were reaching deeply into the consumers' pockets. In my opinion, TURN makes a lot of noise that is not commensurate with the minimal positive effect that it really has on the telecommunications marketplace. > They say they have won several court > battles and defeated several rate increases, saving California utility > customers over $7 billion since they were created in 1973. Well, the organization certainly failed in blocking "incentive regulation", arguably the costliest in both money spent and value received to the California ratepayer of any single event in history. Almost any other success is nickel and dime. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !