PETITION.docx

(text box: 1)BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION FROM RESIDENTS OF TETON COUNTY REQUEST­ING INCLUSION IN THE SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO EXTENDED CALLING AREA OF U S WEST COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
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CASE NO. GNR-T-97-8
NOTICE OF PETITION
YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that on May 9, 1997, the Commission received a petition signed by nearly 500 residents of the local telephone exchange in Teton County.  The communities of Victor, Driggs, Tetonia and Felt are situated in the telephone exchange.  The petition requests that the Teton County exchange be included in the southeast Idaho extended area service (EAS) region that is provided to customers of U S WEST Communications.  Toll free calling between exchanges is usually provided through a service arrangement known as EAS(footnote: 1). The petitioners receive local telephone service from Teton Telecom Communications.  Upon its own motion, the Commission initiates this proceeding to examine the reasonableness of establishing EAS routes between the communities of Teton Valley and the communities served by U S WEST Communications in its southeast Idaho EAS region, the largest of which are Idaho Falls and Pocatello .
YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that the petitioners assert that EAS calling is appropriate between the communities in Teton County and the communities served by the U S WEST southeast Idaho EAS region.  The petitions assert that the ordinary business community includes an area much larger than the communities of Teton County, and that many of the petitioners spend hundreds of dollars a month in long distance telephone charges calling to the greater Idaho Falls area.  Many of the petitioners indicate they are willing to pay an additional $3 to $10 per month for the requested EAS service.
YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that this proceeding has been initiated on the Commission’s own motion to consider the reasonableness of establishing EAS routes between the communities of Teton County and the communities of the U S WEST southeast Idaho EAS region.  The Commission will schedule hearings to further consider the petitioners’ request.
YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that U S WEST Communications, Inc. and Teton Telecom Communications are designated as parties to this case.
DATED at Boise, Idaho this day of August 1997.

Myrna J. Walters
Commission Secretary
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FOOTNOTES
1:
 Toll free EAS is something of a misnomer because the costs associated with converting a former long distant toll route to a toll free EAS route are usually recovered from the effected customers by increasing their rates for local service.
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Service Date
August 19, 1997