PETITION.docx

(text box: 1)BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITIONS FROM
RESIDENTS IN NEW MEADOWS AND RIGGINS REQUEST­ING EXTENDED AREA SERVICE (EAS) TO GRANGEVILLE, WHITE BIRD AND NEARBY COMMUNI­TIES IN IDAHO COUNTY, AND TO THE CITIES OF MCCALL AND COUNCIL.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
CASE NO. GNR-T-96-8
NOTICE OF PETITION
In February of 1994 and in the spring of 1995, the Commission received petitions containing a combined total of more than 500 signatures requesting toll-free calling between the telephone exchanges in New Meadows and Riggins to the communities of Grangeville, White Bird and others in Idaho County, as well as the cities of McCall and Council. Toll-free calling between exchanges is usually provided via a service arrangement known as extended area service (EAS).  Approximately 75% of Idaho’s exchanges have some EAS(footnote: 1) calling to other exchanges.  Local exchange service in these communities is provided by Citizens Telecommunications Company of Idaho, U S WEST Communications and Cambridge Telephone Company.  Upon its own motion, the Commission initiates this proceeding to examine the reasonableness of establishing EAS routes among these exchanges.
YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that currently New Meadows and Riggins have local calling between these communities, however, residents are assessed toll charges for calls to nearby towns.  The petitions maintain that residents of New Meadows call the nearby town of McCall for business and retail needs, as well as Council for  government and community needs and are charged a toll to call these areas. The petitions also claim that residents of the Riggins community are closely linked to Grangeville and surrounding communities for government, emergency services, retail and community needs, however, are assessed a toll for phone calls to these areas.  The petitions claim that toll-free EAS calling between these exchanges will eliminate toll charges for these activities.
YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that this proceeding has been initiated on the Commission’s own Motion to consider the reasonableness of providing EAS between exchanges in New Meadows and Riggins to Grangeville, White Bird and nearby communities in Idaho County, and between exchanges in New Meadows and Riggins to McCall and Council.  Further scheduling will be accomplished at a later time.
YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that this EAS petition involves calls that cross LATA boundaries, interLATA, within the state of Idaho. Grangeville is in a different LATA boundary than the New Meadows and Riggins exchange.(footnote: 2)  Historically, it was necessary to obtain permission from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to change LATA boundaries.  
YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that U S WEST Communications, Citizens Telecommunications Company of Idaho and Cambridge Telephone Company are designated as parties to this case.
DATED at Boise, Idaho this day of August 1996.

Myrna J. Walters
Commission Secretary
vld/N:GNR-T-96-8.sh
FOOTNOTES
1:
  1“Toll-free” EAS is something of a misnomer because the costs associated with converting a former long-distance toll route to a toll-free EAS route are usually recovered from the affected customers by increasing their rates for local service.
2:
  2Telephone service in Idaho is divided into three LATAs (Local Access and Transport Areas). The first LATA is generally located south of the Salmon River. The second LATA is generally located north of the Salmon River and south of Lewiston. The third LATA is generally located in the panhandle of northern Idaho.
COMMENTS AND ANNOTATIONS
Text Box 1:
TEXT BOXES
Office of the Secretary
Service Date
August 27, 1996