ken@sharkey.cc.umich.edu (Ken Jongsma) (01/15/91)
John Higdon and others from CA have been commenting about the pending removal of touch tone charges from their bills. The following statement appeared in my GTE bill: Effective Feb 1, tone calling will be available to all GTE CA customers. Effective Feb 1, all billing for tone calling will cease. Effective June 1, local calling will extend from the current 8 miles, to 12 miles. So far, so good. Now the killer: The CPUC has authorized GTE to increase local service 4.74% on Feb 1, to compensate for lost revenue. The CPUC has authorized GTE to increase local service an additional 6.37% on June 1, to compensate for the extended local calling area. For reasons not specified in the flier, local rates will increase on Oct 1 an additional 2.45% for local services. Bottom line: GTE rates are going up 11% to compensate for the loss of revenue. You didn't really think you were getting something for nothing, did you? Can't wait to see how Pac Bell handles this. Ken Jongsma ken@wybbs.mi.org Smiths Industries ken%wybbs@sharkey.umich.edu Grand Rapids, Michigan ..sharkey.cc.umich.edu!wybbs!ken
john@icjapan.info.com (John Higdon) (01/18/91)
In article <16072@accuvax.nwu.edu> wybbs!ken@sharkey.cc.umich.edu (Ken Jongsma) writes: >John Higdon and others from CA have been commenting about the pending >removal of touch tone charges from their bills. >Bottom line: GTE rates are going up 11% to compensate for the loss of >revenue. You didn't really think you were getting something for >nothing, did you? Nothing? Did you say nothing? Maybe it has been too long for you to remember: Pac*Bell and GTE won MAJOR concessions from the PUC in exchange (read that IN EXCHANGE) for the elimination of TT charges and the widening of the Zone 1 area to twelve miles. They also agreed to FREEZE residential rates for all of this giveaway deregulation. So now it has been nearly two years and the robber baron telcos are finally getting around to coughing up. But now the deal is changed, no? So now that Pac*Bell and GTE are being more than compensated monetarily for the TT and local calling baubles, what exactly did they give to get the Santa Claus regulations that they now do business under? Answer: Apparently nothing. And to answer your question specifically, Ken, I never think I get much of anything from Pac*Bell. Even when I pay through the nose for it. >Can't wait to see how Pac Bell handles this. In its usual "screw the public" fashion, that's how. The brain-dead PUCommissioners have a bureaucratic memory of about an hour, and that was what Pac*Bell was counting on. There were some of us who predicted all of this when it first came before the PUC. John Higdon | Kioityo 3-12 8F-B3 Tokyo 102 Japan john@bovine.ati.com | Mo-Mo