Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!uw-beaver!mit-eddie!wuarchive!uwm.edu!bionet!hayes.ims.alaska.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: dross@cs.wisc.edu (Dan Ross) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: October Changes to Wisconsin Bell Message-ID: <13855@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 20 Oct 90 12:11:45 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 92 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 750, Message 4 of 9 [Insert in Wisconsin Bell October 1990 bill (Oktoberbill?)] [sections in brackets are paraphrased/abbreviated] Information About Telephone Rate and Service Changes The Public Service Commision (PSC) of Wisconsin, in Docket 6720-TR-104, has approved changes to residential telephone service that will be effective, by bill date, beginning October 1, 1990. In addition, the PSC has approved other changes that will take place at later dates. Following is an explanation of the changes: Current Credit [a $0.53 per line credit eliminated] Touch-Tone Service Effective in October, 1990, Wisconsin Bell has eliminated the $1.50 per month charge for residential touch-tone service. Customers who _currently_have_ the service don't need to do anything. You will continue to have the service, but at no extra charge. For customers who _do_not_ have the service now, the company will be adding equipment to its offices over the coming months to convert all customer lines to touch-tone service. You will be notified when your line is converted. If you want the service sooner, please contact your business office. There will be no charge to add the service. Calls to Information Effective in October, 1990, the charge for calls to Information (1+411 and 1+555+1212) will increase from the current 25 cents per call to 35 cents per call. As before, customers may request two listing on each call. Also, customers who make at least one Wisconsin Bell intraLATA long distance call during a billing period will receive one free call to Information during that time. The current exemptions from the charge will remain, including: calls for numbers not in the current [printed] directory, calls from coin phones and hospital rooms, and calls from certified blind or other disabled customers who are not able to use the directory. Work Charges [increases in technicians' in-home work rates] Zero Allowance and 20 Call Service [Two local calling services not offered since August, 1987 are cancelled, and remaining customers switched to Basic Call Plan ($6/mo + $0.09/call)] Future Change in Local Usage Service [elimination of all residential local call plans; replacement with "Volume Discount Plan," with sliding scaled prices on calls, in addition to $9.50/mo charge. PSC requires Wisc Bell to implement this no later than July 1, 1992; no decision on when it will happen.] Number of Local Calls Made Price per Local Call 1 - 60 6 cents each 61- 150 5 " 151-300 4 " 301-400 3 " 401-1200 2 " 1201 and up 5 cents each [Example paraphrased: 70 calls cost 60*0.06 + 10*0.05 = $4.10] ====end of insert==== My comments: Do other phone companies keep track of whether numbers are "in the book," and charge accordingly, or do they just charge for all calls to Information? I'd had the impression it was the latter. (I'd like to see no charges for calls to Information when they don't have the number or can't give it out, since the information one has bought isn't useful ... of course, they have to pay people.) I ordered Touch-Tone on Thursday, and will have it Friday. I had not ordered it as a protest against charging extra for something which (according to what I'd read) was _cheaper_ to provide! Have other areas eliminated the charge? "Volume Discount" means no more unlimited call plans! And yes, for 1201 and up, that is FIVE cents per call. I guess they figure there's people who call a lot, and then there's people who call A LOT (40 calls a day seems kind of high for a "residence." :) When a PSC/PUC "orders" something like this, is it because they want customers to pay for usage "more fairly" (i.e., we modem users tote our load), or is it other reasons? Dan Ross dross@cs.wisc.edu ..!uwvax!dross