Phone Plan Hits Redial

Friday, July 21, 2006 03:58 AM

It has been just over a year since the Regional District of Fraser Fort George last talked about making phone calls toll free within 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 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.

If that surcharge is to come into play, it means there would have to be a plebiscite. The whole project is now stuck on who would pay for a plebiscite, a process that it’s estimated could cost up to $100,000.

The Regional District had wanted the costs to be shared by the phone customers, but the CRTC says no way.

The CRTC says that bill has to be covered by the local government, and is not the responsibility of the phone service provider (Telus) or the customers.

So the Regional District was originally faced with three options:

1. Regional District could apply to the CRTC to have the plebiscite funding rules changed

2. Put the matter on hold until the 2007 budget discussions to see if there are dollars to pay for a plebiscite

3. Abandon the plan for Regional Toll Free Calling

Regional District has also received an email from Telus stating they would not be willing to apply to the CRTC to ask for changes to CRTC guidelines, specifically the plebiscite process, because the CRTC has already fully reviewed all issues relating to Local Calling Areas (LCA) and Telus believes the current criteria and guidelines balance the interests of consumers and service providers.

The Board voted to defer the matter of funding a plebiscite until the 2007 budget discussions. Chairperson Colin Kinsley says that’s the best place to make a decision, and added he doesn’t want to pay an outside agent "to make 60 grand on our plebiscite".

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Posted on Friday, July 21, 2006 03:58 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: Gofaster on July 21 2006 7:00 AM

Why not pay Colin, you have studies on just about everything esle.

Posted by: CabinFeverGirl on July 21 2006 7:19 PM

Yes "Telus believes the current criteria and guidelines balance the interests of consumers and service providers."
As a consumer I have a very hard time beleiving my interest is being looked after. My neighbor can call me from two blocks away without long distance charges, yet we have to pay long distance charges for the same distance of phone wires. Shouldn't long distance be based on milage?
Seems to me the service providers side of the scale is OVER BALANCED in their favor.
AND>>>> a surcharge based on past calling records ? Get with it Telus. We pay $20.00 a month even when we don't use all the long distance minutes. We have overpayed more often then not. To add a surcharge on something already over paid is robbery.
It would be better money spent restoring a local Telus Store, so everyone wouldn't have to talk to a computer in Alberta? ( if you don't hang up in frustration first) :)