Dialing Up Support for Toll Free Regional Calls

By Elaine Macdonald

The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George is taking another shot at trying to implement a toll free phone service for residential customers in the region.

Currently, customers in the  area can call some parts of the Region toll free, but have to pay long distance charges for others.

The idea was initially floated about four years ago, and while it was supported by communities within the Fraser Fort George Regional District, the CRTC changed some of the rules for filing an application for such a move and the project was shelved.  So here we are four years later, with a clear understanding of the steps that need to be followed, and the Regional District is once again asking it's communities if they support the idea.

The plan calls for customers to pay a surcharge for three years to the phone service  providers as compensation for lost long distance revenue.  The amount of the surcharge would be based on the customer's long distance call history.

The first step towards the toll free regional calls is seeing if the communities still support the idea.
   
If so, then an application would be made to the CRTC.
 
Then Telus would hire a survey company to see if the majority of residential customers support the plan.

If everything falls into place, the move to this kind of service would take,  at best, a year and a half, at worst, a little over two years.

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