USW311N.docx

1 BOISE, IDAHO, TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1997, 7:00 p.m.
2
3
4 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Good evening, ladies
5 and gentlemen. This is the time and place set for a
6 public hearing in the application of U S WEST for a rate
7 increase and the purpose of our hearing tonight is to
8 hear from members of the public.
9 My name is Marsha Smith. I'm a
10 Commissioner on the Public Utilities Commission and I'm
11 Chairing tonight's hearing. On my right is
12 Commissioner Ralph Nelson who is also the president of
13 the Commission, and on my left is Commissioner Dennis
14 Hansen and the three of us are your State Public
15 Utilities Commission and are the persons who will decide
16 the matter that is before us.
17 Our procedure for public hearings is pretty
18 simple. Those who want to testify should have signed up
19 and I haven't got the list yet. Oh, it's coming. When I
20 call your name, you come forward and Commissioner Nelson
21 will ask you to raise your right hand and take the oath
22 and then you can sit at the chair here with the
23 microphone so everyone can hear what you have to say.
24 What we need to put you properly on our
25 record, our decisions have to be made on the evidence
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Wilder, Idaho 83676
1 presented to us, so we have a court reporter here and she
2 takes down everything that is said, to get you properly
3 identified in the record, you need to state your name,
4 spell your last name and tell us where you live. If you
5 forget to do that, we have someone here who will help you
6 and I guess I'll introduce them now.
7 Tonight representing the Company, would you
8 like to introduce yourself?
9 MS. FORD: Yes, I'm Kathy Ford with
10 U S WEST Communications and with me is Jim Wozniak, also
11 with U S WEST.
12 COMMISSIONER SMITH: And for the Commission
13 Staff?
14 MS. HAMLIN: I'm Susan Hamlin. I'm a
15 Deputy Attorney General for the Public Utilities
16 Commission Staff and with me I have Carol Cooper who is a
17 consumer assistance specialist and Wayne Hart, a
18 telecommunications analyst.
19 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Susan, it looks like
20 you're going to have to speak into your mike so people
21 can hear you, so those folks are here to help you with
22 questions or problems that might come up, so with that
23 introduction and that explanation, I'll go straight to
24 our list and I will apologize in advance if I
25 mispronounce your name and just correct me if I make a
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1 mistake, like I'm likely to do on the very first one.
2 Mr. Rick Clendenning?
3 MR. CLENDENNING: Clendenning.
4 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Thank you.
5
6 RICK CLENDENNING,
7 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
8 sworn, testified as follows:
9
10 THE WITNESS: My name is Rick Clendenning.
11 I am from Mountain Home.
12 COMMISSIONER SMITH: And you need to spell
13 your last name, please.
14 THE WITNESS: My last name is spelled
15 C-l-e-n-d-e-n-n-i-n-g. My address is P.O. Box 1151 in
16 Mountain Home, 83647. Okay, I wish to address the
17 following items: unlisted phone numbers, telephone
18 solicitation by U S WEST, Caller ID, the proposed hike
19 rates and service repairs.
20 In June of 1996, I received at my home,
21 which is an unlisted phone number, a solicitation by
22 U S WEST to purchase Caller ID. I had an unlisted
23 number. I was rather surprised that I was being
24 solicited by them. One of the reasons, primary reasons,
25 for getting an unlisted number is to avoid solicitation
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1 at home and they proceeded to tell me the benefits of
2 Caller ID and I then asked the question if not -- if I
3 would have had this would I have been able to identify
4 them, there was no reply.
5 I asked them some other questions and
6 finally they said that they are a solicitation and all
7 the numbers that are with U S WEST, whether they're
8 unlisted or listed, are provided to this branch of their
9 solicitation outfit, I guess, or whatever it's called.
10 It kind of defeats the purpose. I then put a complaint
11 forward to the Idaho Utilities Commission which was
12 resolved, I believe it was, the 26th of June of 1996.
13 At that time I was told that I would
14 receive more than likely a reply from U S WEST. To that,
15 I guess the best thing I can say, I have not received a
16 reply to this date and I guess I'm going to retire here
17 at an early age of about 60, so you only have a few years
18 left.
19 I would like to also address the fact that
20 unlisted numbers I pay $4.00 a month on my bill. I feel
21 that I should be reimbursed for that $4.00 monthly fee
22 for at least the month of June since they violated my
23 privacy. I feel that since they are giving out Caller ID
24 now, anybody who has Caller ID can get your number
25 without your knowledge whether they be desirable or they
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1 be a business or not and then you are open again to the
2 calls you do not want.
3 I feel that if they are going to have
4 Caller ID, it is the obligation of U S WEST to provide us
5 with a block free of charge or at least give us the
6 opportunity by mail of saying you have the option of
7 selecting it or not. I feel that since Caller ID has
8 gone into effect, they owe me that money since Caller ID
9 has, in effect, gone into effect and my number has gone
10 out until recently I found out about it, that it was
11 going everywhere, and did obtain a block and that is
12 difficult to get and you have to request that
13 specifically.
14 When they do things like this, it's quite
15 possible that they need when they put programs on line,
16 these type of programs that affect all of the
17 individuals, we should be forewarned in our billing
18 statements as to these new programs that come on and that
19 it may impact some of the services that we're paying
20 for.
21 My daughter has a phone. We live in
22 Mountain Home. She has basic service with no long
23 distance calling or no collect service or anything like
24 that. She has asked repeatedly for U S WEST to come and
25 service her telephone because it does not ring constantly
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1 and continuously as it should. You expect when somebody
2 dials, the phone rings, you would hear it in your house
3 and pick it up.
4 They've had three service calls to the
5 house and the reply is that the lines are satisfactory,
6 it is the telephone. On three separate occasions we have
7 brought over telephones from our house that work fine.
8 We even brought an old rotary phone that worked at my
9 house and all phones would fail to work at her place.
10 U S WEST does not achieve high marks in their response to
11 a service call.
12 The attitude by the personnel who answer
13 for the service calls is less than desirable. They
14 almost have the attitude, and I'm not saying "all,"
15 please understand that, I have had many people in
16 U S WEST that have been very positive in their response
17 and have a good attitude, but some have a firm belief
18 that they are providing you a favor and not a service and
19 if I'm paying your salary to receive a service,
20 basically, it should be provided in a much better
21 attitude than it is, and the last time my daughter
22 complained two weeks ago, it was simply said, well, it's
23 your phone, replace it. Excuse me.
24 My basic phone service is now $18.26 with
25 the $4.00 fee, plus federal tax, bringing it to a total
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1 of over $21.00 per month. They provided us with an
2 interim hike, I believe, of $3.62 the Commission said in
3 their paperwork on the amended hearing. I have yet to
4 see on my bill since I've had it where the suggested
5 rates were $11.01 which was on page 3 -- page 2, excuse
6 me, on Rate Group 2 on inside calling. There is no such
7 thing as an $11.01 rate. It doesn't exist, not on my
8 bills.
9 Furthermore, when they're talking of inside
10 or outside rates, when you're outside of the Boise area,
11 your rates are ridiculous. Everything I dial is long
12 distance, okay, so their proposals are no good. I can
13 dial, and this is no lie, I can dial my daughter in
14 Virginia at pretty good fair times on weekends and I
15 cannot get close to what they charge me as a rate to call
16 Boise, Idaho, from Mountain Home.
17 I have on Sunday afternoons when it's a low
18 rate overseas called Germany to my mother-in-law and beat
19 the rates in the long distance at the same time here to
20 Boise. I think it's ridiculous. I think that if
21 U S WEST is going to ask for a rate increase, they ought
22 to look at home first, like other companies, downsize.
23 They probably have a few people that really don't need
24 the salaries they're getting because, obviously, they're
25 not earning them, downsize, cut your expenses and maybe
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1 you'll find that money you need to invest in the future
2 is what this is all about and a decent tax return.
3 That's all I have to say.
4 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Okay, let's see if
5 there are any questions for you. Ms. Ford.
6 MS. FORD: No questions.
7 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Ms. Hamlin.
8 MS. HAMLIN: No questions.
9 COMMISSIONER SMITH: And let the record
10 reflect we've been joined by Mr. Fothergill representing
11 the Idaho Citizens Coalition.
12 Do you have questions, Mr. Fothergill?
13 MR. FOTHERGILL: Thank you, Madam Chair.
14
15 CROSS EXAMINATION
16
17 BY MR. FOTHERGILL:
18 Q I'm sorry, I wasn't here when you came on
19 and I don't know your name.
20 A My name is Rick Clendenning.
21 Q Clendenning?
22 A Yes.
23 Q Mr. Clendenning, I only have one question.
24 You said your daughter has only basic service and no long
25 distance calling. Can you tell us the reason for that?
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1 A Because she ran up a large bill at my house
2 calling friends in Nevada, including phone calls of over
3 $100 in long distance calls.
4 Q Why doesn't she have long distance calling
5 at her own phone?
6 A Because I'm helping, she's on limited
7 income.
8 MR. FOTHERGILL: Thank you very much.
9 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Thank you for your
10 testimony.
11 THE WITNESS: Thank you.
12 COMMISSIONER SMITH: I'm sorry, I forgot
13 the Commissioners. Commissioner Hansen.
14 COMMISSIONER HANSEN: I just had one
15 question I'd like to ask you, sir.
16
17 EXAMINATION
18
19 BY COMMISSIONER HANSEN:
20 Q If you had received good service from
21 U S WEST over the last couple, three years, would you
22 object to this proposed rate increase?
23 A Yes, I would, because I still think that
24 within the Company there's probably a little too much fat
25 and they need to trim down. I'm not saying that they're
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Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 over-hiring people, but I'm saying if they're looking for
2 funding to fund future expansion, it shouldn't ride
3 solely on the back of customers.
4 There was a proposal recently that they
5 were going to announce to provide service to small
6 communities or better service to communities such as
7 Atlanta and smaller communities like that in the
8 mountainous areas, and the proposal was that the people
9 in the lowlands, basically, or the people in the other
10 cities would fund that. We shouldn't have to.
11 COMMISSIONER HANSEN: Thank you.
12 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Commissioner Nelson.
13 COMMISSIONER NELSON: I had one question.
14
15 EXAMINATION
16
17 BY COMMISSIONER NELSON:
18 Q Did you happen to bring a copy of your
19 phone bill with you?
20 A I didn't. I had to get those from my wife
21 today, but if you wish to have one, I can provide it to
22 you.
23 COMMISSIONER NELSON: Well, I was going to
24 say if you had it, we had somebody here that could maybe
25 explain where that $11.00 part that we have some control
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Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 over on the bill was. Thank you.
2 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Thank you very much.
3 THE WITNESS: Thank you.
4 (The witness left the stand.)
5 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Marvin Gardner.
6
7 MARVIN GARDNER,
8 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
9 sworn, testified as follows:
10
11 THE WITNESS: My name is Marvin Gardner,
12 G-a-r-d-n-e-r. Address is 10427 Cory Street, Boise,
13 Idaho. I just got back to Boise two years ago next
14 month. I unfortunately spent too many years in
15 California. I don't know if the Commission knows, I'm
16 sure most of the citizens don't, U S WEST has been
17 gouging Idahoans on their rate bases for 15 to 20 years,
18 at least.
19 I spent a lot of time in California. I
20 came back to Boise at least once a year all the time,
21 sometimes two or three times a year as I could afford it,
22 and it's so long ago I don't remember, I would guess
23 probably at least 15 years ago, maybe 20, on one trip
24 back to Boise, I was in downtown Boise during the middle
25 of the day and I decided to call one of my local friends,
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CSB REPORTING GARDNER
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 I forget who. I went to one of the curbside pay
2 telephones and it said $.25 for a local call. At
3 the same time in California, in Los Angeles and
4 San Francisco, it was only $.10 a call and it stayed only
5 $.10 for several years thereafter.
6 I also had, that Mr. Clendenning had, the
7 non-published phone number where you pay extra for it.
8 In California, they had two levels of non-published phone
9 numbers. They had one where your phone number just
10 wasn't in the regular directories and for a fee it was
11 kept out of both the regular directories and what they
12 call the reverse directories or criss-cross directories.
13 It was supposedly not available anywhere. In California,
14 they charged me, it was either $.30 or $.60 a month for
15 that fee. Up here they charge me $4.00 and when I knew I
16 was moving back up here two years ago and I called
17 U S WEST to see about setting up phone service and they
18 went through the various things, I said that, well, I had
19 had for several years in San Jose, I had had this
20 special, the super non-published phone service and they
21 said, my memory said they said, $4.80, maybe they said
22 $4.00. I says in that case I don't want it.
23 They've been charging me for it anyway, but
24 the difference between $4.00 per month and $.60 is, like,
25 about 700 percent profit and I don't know if any of you
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Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 know anything about electronics or about communications
2 electronics, but with the modern ESS and computer
3 control, things like that, it's a one-time effort to set
4 up you that. They flag your number in their master
5 computers one time. There is no maintenance cost, labor
6 or parts for keeping you on that. Yet, they charge you
7 $4.00 a month every month for something that really
8 doesn't cost them a penny.
9 I can also tell you that basic phone
10 service is considerably higher here in Idaho than it was
11 in California and it's a known fact that in California
12 the cost of doing business is much higher than in Idaho.
13 Property is much higher, taxes are much higher, utilities
14 are higher, wages are higher, insurance is higher, yet,
15 Pacific Telesis is giving the same service a far lot
16 cheaper than U S WEST gives here and Pacific Telesis
17 obviously has far higher expenses for the same level of
18 service.
19 Now, coincidentally, for the public's
20 benefit, I happen to be a stockholder in U S WEST as well
21 as AT&T, Pacific Telesis, Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, all
22 of the baby Bells, except for Ameritech, NYNEX, and I get
23 their reports, quarterly reports, annual reports, and
24 special reports regularly and if you read what they tell
25 about all their future plans and what they're doing now
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1 for expansion, you understand why they are milking the
2 citizens of Idaho for the so-called services that they
3 render.
4 They and every other communications company
5 in America are gearing up to jump into the big super
6 telecommunications revolution that's going to be here
7 very shortly, but they want to also supply you -- they're
8 in competition with TCI and the satellite entertainment
9 businesses and the interactive. They want to do this
10 which is very expensive, it takes a lot of equipment, and
11 the more money they can extract or gouge out of Idahoans
12 on the basic ratepayers will enable them to buy all this
13 expensive equipment to get into the big boom where
14 they'll get really rich, they hope, without going to
15 lenders and paying interest on it and I just think the
16 people -- and, again, it's also my opinion that the Idaho
17 State Public Utilities Commission has worked hand in
18 glove with U S WEST all these years to do it.
19 Just a few weeks ago I wrote a letter to
20 the office here asking them to tell me specifically, give
21 me the dates and the instances of the last five times
22 they turned down a U S WEST request for a rate increase
23 and the date was either 1987 or 1988. This Commission
24 hasn't turned down U S WEST for eight or nine years and
25 it's on the record they are charging Idahoans
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1 tremendously more than any other -- some people say even
2 U S WEST in the State of Washington, even in Washington
3 the rates are cheaper.
4 Questions anybody?
5 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Let's see if there are
6 questions. I don't know if it would help you,
7 Mr. Gardner, to know that this is the first time U S WEST
8 has requested a rate request since 1986.
9 THE WITNESS: Well, I got some stuff in the
10 mail last August about this big wonderful thing they were
11 going to be doing that apparently the Public Utilities
12 Commission or someone found they'd been overcharging and
13 demanded that they reimburse the customers for
14 overpayments. Then apparently U S WEST came up with this
15 wonderful idea, well, we'll give everybody expanded
16 calling area service and for a few months this expanded
17 service, which they don't know if we want or not, and I
18 don't, but this expanded service will cost more, but for
19 the first few months it's in effect we will defray that
20 amount we're supposed to pay you back for overcharging
21 you to where it's just absolutely equal.
22 Well, my rate is still up to $12.00 and
23 some odd cents. I have not got this expanded service and
24 there was a thing that came out, I think it was in
25 September I got a notice from the PUC or U S WEST saying
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Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 that the PUC had granted that new, big, fancy deal. Is
2 this the same one we're talking about right now?
3 COMMISSIONER SMITH: I believe what you're
4 referring to is the EAS hearings that we did hold
5 earlier.
6 THE WITNESS: Well, whatever it was, so to
7 me that's a rate increase.
8 COMMISSIONER SMITH: I see, okay.
9 THE WITNESS: If my bill goes up without me
10 getting any better or more service, to me that's a rate
11 increase no matter how they want to word it. I'm a
12 simple farm boy. I was raised on farms here in Idaho.
13 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Well, I'm sure the
14 explanation is longer than we should take time for
15 tonight, but the expanded calling area was approved. It
16 won't be implemented until next month and your bill won't
17 go up until then.
18 Let's see if there any questions for
19 Mr. Gardner. Ms. Ford?
20 MS. FORD: No questions.
21 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Mr. Fothergill.
22 MR. FOTHERGILL: I have only one.
23
24
25
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1 CROSS-EXAMINATION
2
3 BY MR. FOTHERGILL:
4 Q Just as a matter of information, since
5 U S WEST is making so much money, are there dividends
6 better than those in California?
7 A As a matter of fact, no, because I did just
8 a few weeks back -- actually, it's either BellSouth or
9 Southwestern Bell, those are the two ones that are paying
10 the best. My investment has appreciated really well with
11 them and U S WEST it hasn't really appreciated very well
12 at all. They are involved according to the stuff I get,
13 U S WEST Corporation, maybe not the Idaho operation, they
14 are into all sorts of joint ventures with other foreign
15 nations and everything else.
16 All the American companies are doing what
17 they can to get into the foreign nations to get into
18 there because they figure in 50 years they'll be up close
19 to America, they will get money off of them, too, so
20 they're investing money. According to the reports I get,
21 if they aren't investing it, they're certainly planning
22 on it and trying to do it.
23 MR. FOTHERGILL: That's the only question I
24 have.
25 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Thank you,
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Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 Mr. Fothergill. I believe Ms. Hamlin has a question.
2 MS. HAMLIN: I just have one quick
3 question.
4
5 CROSS-EXAMINATION
6
7 BY MS. HAMLIN:
8 Q When you said that you lived in California
9 and were charged about $.30 or $.60 for non-published,
10 was that about two years ago you said?
11 A I started it when I first moved to
12 San Jose. What actually happened, I was getting -- every
13 evening I happened to be at home I'd get about three
14 calls per night average wanting me to donate to this
15 charity or buy this or that and so that's when I started
16 paying for this special service, and I moved to San Jose
17 from Redwood City in November or December of either '79
18 or '80 and so that's been for about not quite 20 years or
19 about 17, 18 years, 16 in California.
20 MS. HAMLIN: Okay, thank you.
21 THE WITNESS: Could I add one more thing,
22 also? With Mr. Clendenning, when he was talking also
23 about this super secret service, non-published service,
24 as a matter of fact, I too have gotten solicitations both
25 from AT&T, I got two from AT&T last summer and one just
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CSB REPORTING GARDNER (X)
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 earlier this winter, and I got one from U S WEST just
2 last week where they have my phone number, they know it's
3 Marvin Gardner, they know my address and I am being
4 solicited, so, again, even though they're charging me
5 $4.00 a month, I too am not getting the super secret
6 service they're charging me for.
7 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Thank you for your
8 testimony, Mr. Gardner.
9 THE WITNESS: Thank you.
10 (The witness left the stand.)
11 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Nancy Halouska.
12
13 NANCY HALOUSKA,
14 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
15 sworn, testified as follows:
16
17 THE WITNESS: My name is Nancy Halouska,
18 H-a-l-o-u-s-k-a. My address is 10045 Abram Lane here in
19 Boise. I only have a few notes and it's just probably
20 going to be really jumbled because I just heard about
21 this rate increase this morning. I am retired from AT&T,
22 but we'll just forget that. I'm a CNA and I do in-home
23 health care and my clients and a lot of people in the
24 State of Idaho are on low fixed income. They cannot
25 afford this.
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Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 You've got a lot of elderly people. You
2 have handicapped people. That telephone is their
3 lifeline and I want to know from U S WEST what do you
4 want them to do, quit eating so that they have their
5 telephone? I can give you a couple of real good
6 scenarios. My afternoon client is on air. If the lights
7 go out, the power goes out, we get her on her portable
8 when I'm there. What if I'm not there, what if that
9 happens at night? What if she's had to give up her
10 telephone because she can't afford to pay 20 some dollars
11 a month? How is she going to get somebody to help her?
12 What if that air tank only has 30 minutes left in it? I
13 mean, this lady cannot even walk a little bit down her
14 drive, how is she supposed to get help?
15 What about somebody that's handicapped,
16 someone that's in, say, a wheelchair? What if they fall
17 out of their wheelchair? They've had to give up their
18 telephone because they can't afford it, is U S WEST ready
19 to accept the responsibility of what's going to happen to
20 these people? I mean, I can afford it. I'm not going to
21 be happy if I have to pay this, but I can afford it.
22 These people cannot afford it, and I just want to know,
23 are you guys going to take the responsibility of what
24 happens to them if something does happen and they don't
25 have telephone service for a medical emergency?
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1 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Does that conclude
2 your statement?
3 THE WITNESS: Well, that and I think that
4 U S WEST could cut in a few places, like their high
5 management bonuses in income and don't tell me they don't
6 make it, because I know they do and I guess that's it.
7 I'm not very organized, but I've been upset about this
8 all day. I was late for my first client this morning
9 because I heard it on the news and I jumped on the phone
10 and called the PUC and said what's going on.
11 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Okay, let's see if
12 there are any questions for you.
13 THE WITNESS: Okay.
14 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Ms. Ford?
15
16 CROSS-EXAMINATION
17
18 BY MS. FORD:
19 Q Good evening.
20 A Hi.
21 Q I just had a couple of questions. Are you
22 aware whether any of your clients are familiar with the
23 Idaho telephone assistance plan or the Link-Up America
24 plan?
25 A Isn't that they have to be getting help
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Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 with their utilities before they can get help with their
2 telephone service?
3 Q Some programs may work that way. There's
4 also what is called measured service where they can pay a
5 lower rate and then have a certain number of minutes per
6 month.
7 A I don't know. I only have three clients.
8 I'm talking about all of these people in the State of
9 Idaho. I mean, I'm not talking just about my clients.
10 I'm talking about all of these elderly and handicapped
11 people that are on very low fixed income. Most of them
12 their income classifies them below the poverty level and
13 there is no way that they can afford another $10.00 on
14 their phone bill. I mean, I'll be screaming if I get it,
15 but I can afford it.
16 MS. FORD: That's all I have.
17 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Mr. Fothergill.
18 MR. FOTHERGILL: Yes, I have one question,
19 Ms. Halouska.
20
21 CROSS-EXAMINATION
22
23 BY MR. FOTHERGILL:
24 Q Would you favor a lifeline rate that is
25 lower than the standard basic rate for people that don't
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Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 have very much money?
2 A Would they still be able to make their
3 local telephone calls and things like that?
4 Q Yes, we have such a thing here for people
5 that are over 60.
6 A Okay, would that also include people that
7 are handicapped, like --
8 Q Oh, yeah.
9 A -- teenagers that are in wheelchairs that
10 have M.S., stuff like that? I think if I knew more about
11 it, I would probably be in favor of it.
12 Q It's for low income people, people that
13 don't have very much money.
14 A Because I think all of these people have
15 got to have their -- I mean, that's their life right
16 there in that telephone.
17 MR. FOTHERGILL: Thank you very much.
18 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Ms. Hamlin.
19 MS. HAMLIN: No questions.
20 COMMISSIONER HANSEN: I just had one.
21 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Commissioner Hansen.
22
23
24
25
842
CSB REPORTING HALOUSKA (X)
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 EXAMINATION
2
3 BY COMMISSIONER HANSEN:
4 Q I'd like to ask you, do you think that the
5 elderly and handicapped people that you're associated
6 with are aware of these assistance-type programs or do
7 you think there's a need to provide more education to
8 these people that there are certain programs that could
9 assist them with their phone bills?
10 A Okay, now today is the first time this has
11 come up and, I mean, most of my clients heard the minute
12 I walked in the door. I was ready to start tearing hair
13 out. I get very defensive when it comes to these elderly
14 people, they're so sweet, and my one client this
15 afternoon was saying that what she thought you could get
16 help was only if you were getting assistance with your
17 utilities, so I think there needs to be a lot more
18 education out there because most these people don't --
19 and then some of them, you've got people that have
20 Alzheimer's, you have people that have age-related
21 dementia. You could tell them about it and unless you
22 told somebody in their family, five minutes later they
23 wouldn't know what you were talking about.
24 COMMISSIONER HANSEN: Thank you.
25 COMMISSIONER NELSON: I don't have any
843
CSB REPORTING HALOUSKA (Com)
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 questions. Thank you for coming up. You did fine.
2 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Thank you for your
3 testimony.
4 THE WITNESS: Thank you.
5 (The witness left the stand.)
6 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Lorna Ritter.
7 MS. RITTER: I have a written statement. I
8 made copies for everybody, so I'll just pass them out on
9 the way up.
10 (Documents being distributed.)
11
12 LORNA RITTER,
13 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
14 sworn, testified as follows:
15
16 THE WITNESS: My name is Lorna Ritter,
17 R-i-t-t-e-r. I live at 790 Riviera Drive here in Boise,
18 and I have a statement I'd like to read. I read in the
19 Statesman last Thursday that U S WEST was asking the
20 Public Utilities Commission to allow them to increase
21 their basic service rate by an amount just shy of
22 100 percent, more than 100 percent for some, but only for
23 residences and small businesses. I was stunned. How
24 blatantly unfair that is. Could this increase be spread
25 a little more evenly by including everyone in the
844
CSB REPORTING RITTER
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 increase, like big businesses?
2 At first I didn't think about why they
3 needed the money. They always need more money. Then I
4 remembered the extended area service that is to start on
5 April 23rd and wondered if this enormous increase is
6 intended to balance out expenses incurred for that. That
7 makes it not only unfair but underhanded as well.
8 I know the extended area service has
9 already been decided and this hearing is not about that,
10 but I think this increase is meant to pay for it. I
11 didn't go to any of the technical hearings in this
12 matter, but if this enormous increase is to pay for the
13 extended area service, I think I've changed my mind about
14 wanting it.
15 I went through my 1996 telephone bills and
16 I had only one for which charges for calls I made in
17 Idaho outside the present service area even came close to
18 the difference between the present basic rate and the new
19 rate requested by U S WEST. They want their basic
20 service rate to be increased for residences and small
21 businesses to about $23.00. That's about $11.00 more per
22 month for each of us. That's $132 per year. My total
23 cost for 1996 long distance telephone calls outside the
24 present area service was $51.85 and those calls were all
25 made within the extended area service that will go into
845
CSB REPORTING RITTER
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 effect on April 23rd. That averages out to $4.23 a
2 month, less than half the increase that U S WEST is
3 asking for basic service. In other words, I will
4 actually be paying more than twice as much for those same
5 long distance calls after April 23rd as I paid in 1996.
6 They would be robbing Peter to pay Paul.
7 But this matter about the extended area
8 service is only the beginning. There's another matter
9 which is far more serious. U S WEST is the only company
10 providing long distance service within Idaho. This is a
11 part of their business for which they have no
12 competition. If this is approved by the Commission, the
13 increase in my basic service would be about $11.00 a
14 month. Since my long distance charges were only 4.23 per
15 month, that would increase my overall bill by $6.77 per
16 month. I don't have the resources to take up that slack,
17 but the extended area service has already been decided,
18 so if I want telephone service at all, I'll have to pay
19 it.
20 What would it take for me to be able to
21 choose not to have the extended area service. I can't.
22 Since U S WEST has no competitor for Idaho long distance,
23 I'd be stuck with it. I couldn't switch to another
24 company.
25 As for me personally, it's a good
846
CSB REPORTING RITTER
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 possibility that I will have to give up my voice
2 messaging. Voice messaging is 6.95 per month. If I give
3 that up, then I'll be able to afford the 6.77 increase in
4 the basic rate. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh
5 away. It will make life more difficult for me, but I
6 could manage. However, if U S WEST is allowed to
7 increase the cost of my basic service by this outrageous
8 percentage, it's not completely out of the realm of
9 possibility that I might even have to have my telephone
10 disconnected. I think there are a lot of people out
11 there who would be faced with such a choice and many
12 small businesses would simply have to close their doors.
13 Voice messaging is nice and I appreciate having it, but
14 it's not an absolute necessity for me. My telephone
15 service is and I'll tell you why.
16 I am the president of United Methodist
17 Women of Boise First United Methodist Church. Carrying
18 out the responsibilities attached to that office is quite
19 a task. I have to prepare agendas for meetings, requests
20 to committees, reports and other documents in order to
21 fulfill my religious obligations. I have a computer
22 which makes my work a real joy, but my computer operates
23 through my telephone lines. If I have to have my
24 telephone disconnected, I will also lose the use of my
25 computer. Can you guess where I'm headed with this?
847
CSB REPORTING RITTER
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 I am outraged by U S WEST's request to
2 increase their basic rates by such an enormous percentage
3 and on the backs of people who can least afford it.
4 Their request is so outlandish that it literally amounts
5 to economic oppression. If I lose the use of my
6 computer, it will seriously hamper my ability to carry
7 out my religious responsibilities and this violates my
8 religious freedom, not to mention crippling my freedom of
9 speech. Does that sound outlandish? Well, it's no more
10 outlandish than a shipload of tea dumped in Boston Harbor
11 to protest the excessive tea tax levied against the
12 colonists early in our history. That led to the
13 Declaration of Independence. There's not a lot of
14 difference between oppressive taxes and oppressive
15 profits. This increase would bring us closer and closer
16 to being burdened with both.
17 I know there has been a federal mandate to
18 deregulate utilities, but not until a good competitor is
19 established. Since U S WEST at this point has no
20 competition in Idaho, this increase might be construed as
21 a violation of anti-trust laws. The Public Utilities
22 Commission has the power to say no right now and avoid
23 anti-trust lawsuits on down the line. If they allow the
24 increase, the State of Idaho could be named as
25 co-conspirator in the matter and their approval might be
848
CSB REPORTING RITTER
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 construed as part of the complicity. I think approval
2 would give the State of Idaho a broader tax base. I
3 don't understand everything about that, but if that's
4 true, it would mean that the Idaho State government has a
5 vested interest in this matter.
6 I'm asking the Public Utilities Commission
7 to reject this request totally until a good competitor
8 can be put in place. I don't know why there has been so
9 much foot-dragging to do that, but that too could be
10 construed as complicity. Maybe it's a stalling tactic
11 intended to prevent deregulation. I don't understand all
12 of that, but I do understand that this increase is
13 unconscionably unfair and should be rejected.
14 I'm just one person, but I think there are
15 a lot of other people out there who would be seriously
16 oppressed economically if this increase were allowed and
17 I believe this increase would be a serious hardship for
18 all of us. People living on the economic edge would be
19 hardest hit, perhaps even priced right out of existence,
20 and that would be absolutely wrong for all of us. If one
21 of us is hurt, we're all hurt.
22 But in this matter, we all are at risk,
23 including U S WEST. With companies downsizing and people
24 losing jobs, U S WEST is not helping themselves or anyone
25 else by raising their basic rates for residences and
849
CSB REPORTING RITTER
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 small businesses so drastically. The only thing this can
2 be called is economic oppression and without competition,
3 if this increase is allowed, it's just another piece of
4 our freedom eroded away, which is just like the mud
5 slides on Highway 95. It holds for a time and then the
6 whole mountain comes down.
7 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Ms. Ritter, let's see
8 if there are any questions for you.
9 MS. FORD: No questions.
10 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Mr. Fothergill.
11 MR. FOTHERGILL: I have a couple of
12 questions.
13
14 CROSS-EXAMINATION
15
16 BY MR. FOTHERGILL:
17 Q One, I wondered if you had had an
18 opportunity to speak with legislative committees that
19 have been considering telecommunications deregulation?
20 A I have not.
21 Q Thank you. I have one other question. Do
22 you think that other religious leaders in the area might
23 be angry, as you are, about the prospect of the proposed
24 rate increase for residential customers?
25 A I can't speak for them. I'm sorry.
850
CSB REPORTING RITTER (X)
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 MR. FOTHERGILL: Thank you.
2 THE WITNESS: I can't speak for other
3 religious leaders.
4 COMMISSIONER SMITH: We thank you very much
5 for your well thought-out testimony, appreciate it.
6 THE WITNESS: You're welcome.
7 (The witness left the stand.)
8 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Robert Webber.
9
10 ROBERT W. WEBBER,
11 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
12 sworn, testified as follows:
13
14 THE WITNESS: My name is Robert W. Webber
15 with two "b's." I reside at 1800 North Cole Road,
16 Suite L-308, which is Springs of the Royal Oaks, Cole and
17 Fairview, and I'm not a U S WEST stockholder, if that
18 helps. I just wanted to say that I own an international
19 corporation currently not operating in Idaho, but I've
20 resided in Boise for the last 27 years and from my
21 impression, the services that U S WEST provides in this
22 city and valley I think is excellent; however, I feel
23 in -- I'm on the management staff of a group called Perry
24 Corporation which owns about 1,000 upscale apartments in
25 the city.
851
CSB REPORTING WEBBER
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 These are mostly working class people and
2 my impression is that the average citizen which I serve
3 is subsidizing large business, including my corporation,
4 and I believe that a modest increase for those average of
5 us would be okay. I don't consider this modest. I'm
6 also a 34-year retired federal worker and the services
7 provided for high-tech in this valley are excellent and
8 my suggestion is that there's room for big government and
9 corporate, the corporate part of this city to take up
10 part of the slack. I do not support the average citizen
11 subsidizing basically -- my impression is that they're
12 subsidizing the large corporation and the additional
13 high-tech that's needed here and I'm here mostly as an
14 observer. I'm trying to decide whether I want my
15 corporation to operate here or not.
16 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Let's see if there are
17 any questions for you.
18 Ms. Ford?
19 MS. FORD: No questions.
20 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Mr. Fothergill?
21 MR. FOTHERGILL: No questions.
22 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Ms. Hamlin?
23 MS. HAMLIN: No questions.
24 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Commissioners?
25 COMMISSIONER NELSON: Nor do I.
852
CSB REPORTING WEBBER
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Thank you very much
2 for your testimony.
3 (The witness left the stand.)
4 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Clifford Manske.
5
6 CLIFFORD MANSKE,
7 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
8 sworn, testified as follows:
9
10 THE WITNESS: My name is Clifford Manske,
11 M-a-n-s-k-e, 2790 West Willard in Meridian. I came here
12 tonight mostly to protest the fact that we are living on
13 social security and we're having problems meeting our
14 bills now. This particular increase, I think, is a
15 little bit high and I'd like to register my protest in
16 that respect. Thank you.
17 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Any questions? I
18 guess not.
19 (The witness left the stand.)
20 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Thomas Horvath.
21
22
23
24
25
853
CSB REPORTING MANSKE
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 THOMAS HORVATH,
2 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
3 sworn, testified as follows:
4
5 THE WITNESS: My name is Thomas Horvath. I
6 reside at 5649 West Battlement, B-a-t-t-l-e-m-e-n-t,
7 Court in Boise. I'd just like to relate a couple of
8 personal experiences to the Commission and this has to do
9 with service. About a year ago, our household decided
10 that we were going to be Internet users and this, of
11 course, required a laying of an additional line to our
12 house. The line, of course, would then be hooked up to
13 the modem in our computer.
14 We were given an installation date by
15 U S WEST. Of course, that was not met, but a couple of
16 weeks thereafter the service person arrived. The
17 newly-laid line was strung around our property, in the
18 back of our property, and I was told by the installer
19 that somewhere within the next two weeks this line would
20 be buried. This is about mid March I'm talking about,
21 '96.
22 By mid April, I started to get a little bit
23 concerned. I then decided to call the provider and asked
24 as to when this line would be buried since the lawn
25 starts to grow this time of the year. I was told by the
854
CSB REPORTING HORVATH
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 service person that I need to contact -- I should say I
2 need to call an 800 number because U S WEST subcontracts
3 that type of work to someone else.
4 For the next two months I was calling this
5 800 number. Not only did I get no answer, but not even a
6 recording. The line was finally buried somewhere in
7 mid August, almost five months after that was left in the
8 open by a U S WEST installer.
9 The second personal experience has to do
10 with what has already been discussed here, the
11 unpublished and unlisted service of U S WEST. Around
12 September last year, we decided that we got too many
13 calls for unwanted solicitations on the telephone. One
14 number was changed and I requested that both numbers be
15 unpublished and unlisted. When the new telephone
16 directory arrived, lo and behold, guess what, the name
17 and the phone number was in there and when I made the
18 call to the customer service representative, not only was
19 our number not published and unlisted, but when I called,
20 I was able to get that phone number.
21 It took three billing cycles to correct the
22 situation and, of course, we are still getting
23 unsolicited phone calls on both of our numbers. I must
24 say in defense of the customer service representative
25 that I spoke to that he was the most courteous and he was
855
CSB REPORTING HORVATH
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 able to correct the situation.
2 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Let's see if there are
3 any questions.
4 Ms. Ford.
5 MS. FORD: No questions.
6 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Mr. Fothergill.
7 MR. FOTHERGILL: No questions.
8 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Ms. Hamlin.
9 MS. HAMLIN: No questions.
10 THE WITNESS: May I just say one more
11 thing, Commissioner?
12 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Certainly.
13 THE WITNESS: Excluding taxes, we're paying
14 $71.50 a month to U S WEST. We'll say $858 a year per
15 customer. I think we're paying our share.
16 COMMISSIONER SMITH: That's for two lines?
17 THE WITNESS: Three.
18 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Oh, three, okay.
19 THE WITNESS: And, of course, the
20 unpublished service which is $4.00 per line.
21 COMMISSIONER SMITH: But I thought they
22 published you.
23 THE WITNESS: They did, but I was charged
24 the unpublished rate and the $4.00 never disappeared off
25 the bill.
856
CSB REPORTING HORVATH
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Would you talk to
2 Mrs. Cooper after this and see if we can get that off
3 your bill?
4 THE WITNESS: Thank you.
5 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Thank you.
6 (The witness left the stand.)
7 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Bette Richmond.
8
9 BETTE RICHMOND,
10 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
11 sworn, testified as follows:
12
13 THE WITNESS: Mr. President and members
14 of the PUC, my name is Bette Richmond and I live at
15 2400 Hillway Drive, Boise. I'm a senior advocate and
16 have been selected to speak for the delegate commission
17 which consists of 32 senior clubs and organizations.
18 We are opposed to U S WEST's request to
19 increase our phone rates. We feel it is totally uncalled
20 for and unjustified. Deregulation and the resultant
21 unregulated monopoly is a disgrace. Seniors as well as
22 other struggling families depend on telephones. They are
23 a necessity, not a luxury, and should be affordable.
24 For years we have been content and
25 satisfied to have the PUC weigh each proposal. It has
857
CSB REPORTING RICHMOND
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 worked well and the phone company and other utilities
2 have prospered and we have been represented. Please
3 don't double our phone rates and please resist any
4 legislation that would take the oversight authority away
5 from the PUC. We are told that people do not come to the
6 public meetings and voice their concerns. The senior
7 delegate commission hopes to be recognized as protesting
8 the rate raise. We are here and we are protesting.
9 Thank you.
10 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Let's see if there are
11 any questions for you, Ms. Richmond.
12 MR. FOTHERGILL: I have only one.
13 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Mr. Fothergill.
14
15 CROSS-EXAMINATION
16
17 BY MR. FOTHERGILL:
18 Q How many groups did you say you represent?
19 A There's 32 clubs that are with the senior
20 center and this is a delegate commission, which is the
21 members that meet to control or give the news to the 32
22 clubs.
23 Q This is only in Boise?
24 A It's the Boise Senior Center.
25 MR. FOTHERGILL: Thank you very kindly.
858
CSB REPORTING RICHMOND (X)
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Commissioner Hansen.
2
3 EXAMINATION
4
5 BY COMMISSIONER HANSEN:
6 Q I believe just to make sure I understood
7 the statement you made, did you say that you view this
8 rate increase as doubling your rate?
9 A Well, yes, I said that, but it's almost
10 doubling it.
11 Q That's how you perceive it?
12 A Yes, that's how we perceive it.
13 COMMISSIONER HANSEN: Thank you.
14 COMMISSIONER SMITH: We thank you very much
15 for your testimony.
16 (The witness left the stand.)
17 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Teddi Scattone.
18
19 TEDDI SCATTONE,
20 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
21 sworn, testified as follows:
22
23 THE WITNESS: My name is Teddi Scattone,
24 S-c-a-t-t-o-n-e. I live at 341 Cleveland Avenue in Kuna,
25 and I'm just a lonely phone user. I don't have a bunch
859
CSB REPORTING SCATTONE
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 of faxes and everything, but I very strongly oppose
2 this. I also perceive it as a doubling of my rate. My
3 husband and I are both Boise State University students.
4 We're on a tight budget. He's working over 40 hours a
5 week and going to school full time. He is studying
6 computers.
7 We also have a second line. For that
8 single line, even if we do not use long distance, we pay
9 approximately $17.00 a month. If this goes through, that
10 line will most certainly be cancelled and we're strongly
11 considering cancelling all phone service. I'm not real
12 happy with U S WEST right now. If this goes through, I
13 figure we'll be paying about $56.00 a month for these two
14 lines if we kept them, which I think is totally
15 ridiculous.
16 When I call long distance phone calls
17 within Idaho, I don't use U S WEST. I use an access code
18 to get cheaper rates. I use a different long distance
19 carrier. Another thing I'm not happy about is before
20 they were doing a promotion for the Caller ID and I did
21 it and they said the hook-up was free, but then they
22 charged for the unit which was about $30.00. I'm not as
23 prepared as I would like to be. I didn't really intend
24 to speak tonight. Now I notice they've got a promotion,
25 it's free, I'm not real pleased about that and I haven't
860
CSB REPORTING SCATTONE
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 been real happy with the service.
2 We've had terrible times with crossed
3 lines. We've had -- I've been getting calls for people
4 that they were calling our number, but it wasn't us.
5 They finally got that straightened out. I'm also not
6 happy about the extended service. I don't have any need
7 to call most of that extended area and I don't want to
8 pay for it, and as far as the people -- I never thought
9 of what she was saying about people on fixed incomes that
10 are handicapped and elderly. If they're on the edge and
11 they're doing good, I mean, there's a sense of pride,
12 too. I don't think they should have to ask for
13 assistance for this. That is an outlandish rate and
14 that's about all I have to say.
15 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Okay, let's see if
16 there are any questions for you.
17 Mr. Fothergill.
18 MR. FOTHERGILL: I have only one question.
19
20 CROSS-EXAMINATION
21
22 BY MR. FOTHERGILL:
23 Q Ms. Scattone, do you think there are other
24 students that are in the same financial circumstances as
25 you are?
861
CSB REPORTING SCATTONE (X)
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 A Oh, without a doubt and one of my friends
2 has told me she's thinking of just using her cell phone.
3 I mean, this is ridiculous.
4 MR. FOTHERGILL: Thank you very kindly.
5 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Thank you very much.
6 THE WITNESS: Thank you for listening.
7 (The witness left the stand.)
8 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Ted Moon.
9 MR. MOON: I was in a hurry when I came in
10 and I saw the list and I signed it not knowing what it
11 was. I thought it might have been a raffle or something,
12 so everything I wanted to say has been said.
13 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Thank you, Mr. Moon.
14 You know, the Commission has been searching for ways to
15 increase public involvement and maybe having door prizes,
16 we'll take that under consideration. That's a great
17 idea.
18 Roman Greaves.
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
862
CSB REPORTING SCATTONE (X)
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 ROMAN GREAVES,
2 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
3 sworn, testified as follows:
4
5 THE WITNESS: My name is Roman, R-o-m-a-n,
6 Greaves, G-r-e-a-v-e-s, and I live at 2228 Frederic
7 Street and I represent the low income bracket people and
8 fixed income bracket people. My phone bill right now is
9 16.78 a month and they want to raise it to 23.62 a
10 month. That's approximately a 50 percent rate increase
11 and I'm very much opposed to it. I couldn't afford it,
12 for one thing, and another thing, I don't believe that
13 people in my category could afford it either.
14 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Does that conclude
15 your statement?
16 THE WITNESS: That's all I have to say.
17 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Any questions?
18 MR. FOTHERGILL: No questions.
19 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Thank you very much,
20 Mr. Greaves.
21 THE WITNESS: You're welcome.
22 (The witness left the stand.)
23 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Margo Hunter.
24
25
863
CSB REPORTING GREAVES
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 MARGO HUNTER,
2 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
3 sworn, testified as follows:
4
5 THE WITNESS: My name is Margo Hunter. I
6 live at 5026 Greyloch Way, Boise, and I object to the
7 increase for obvious reasons, but my reason for being
8 here tonight is more pertaining to the service. I'm a
9 secretary for a church here in Boise. We meet in an
10 auditorium. We have about 300 people attending. Our
11 office is in a suite of offices and we noticed that we
12 were not getting our mail.
13 Our pastor writes a column in the
14 Statesman and some important mail wasn't being delivered
15 is what first called our attention to it. So I called
16 U S WEST -- well, I looked in the phone book and I
17 realized our suite number to the office wasn't in the
18 phone book, so I called U S WEST and asked them to put
19 our suite number in and I was told it would be a $12.00
20 setup fee, plus $5.00 a month, even though without that
21 suite number our mail would not be delivered and it did
22 not include an additional line in the white pages at all
23 and the more I researched it, I feel I represent
24 thousands of people that do not realize that they need
25 to pay -- they are being billed. It's kind of disguised
864
CSB REPORTING HUNTER
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 in the bill. I told them, I said, well, go ahead and do
2 it, but I will protest -- take care of this later, and
3 they said they were sorry, but they were regulated by the
4 PUC and so that's who I called because I was very upset
5 with the PUC, but I feel I represent, like I said, many
6 apartment owners -- I mean not owners but dwellers.
7 The post office will not deliver the mail
8 without that suite number on there or without that
9 apartment number on there and for an apartment dweller to
10 have their apartment number in the white pages, it's
11 $26.00 for the first year and it's $18.00 every year
12 after that and I realize perhaps I'm the first person to
13 complain, but I feel it's a very legitimate complaint and
14 the way the $5.00 is listed on the bill, it just says
15 monthly service and you don't really realize it is for an
16 additional white page listing.
17 That's all.
18 COMMISSIONER SMITH: I'm writing. Thank
19 you.
20 Are there any questions? Ms. Ford.
21 MS. FORD: I just had one or two.
22
23
24
25
865
CSB REPORTING HUNTER
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 CROSS-EXAMINATION
2
3 BY MS. FORD:
4 Q Did you happen to contact the post office
5 to make sure that your address was listed correctly there
6 in terms of the people who were attempting to send you
7 mail?
8 A Oh, definitely, sure.
9 Q So I just wanted to make sure that I was
10 clear that these were people who were trying to send you
11 something and were looking up your address in the phone
12 book in order to send you mail?
13 A Right.
14 Q And they weren't getting the suite number
15 when they looked for your address in the phone book?
16 A Right.
17 MS. FORD: That's all I have.
18 THE WITNESS: We happen to meet on Sunday
19 morning on the campus of Boise State University in the
20 special events center and if they send mail to BSU, BSU,
21 they won't forward our mail, so we were losing on both
22 ends. University mail will not be forwarded.
23 MS. FORD: Okay.
24 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Anyone else?
25 Mr. Fothergill.
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1 MR. FOTHERGILL: I have only one question.
2 I want to make sure I understand.
3
4 CROSS-EXAMINATION
5
6 BY MR. FOTHERGILL:
7 Q Now, the Company has raised your cost of
8 service, the price that you pay, just to list your full
9 address in the phone book; is that correct?
10 A That's correct.
11 MR. FOTHERGILL: Thank you very much.
12
13 EXAMINATION
14
15 BY COMMISSIONER NELSON:
16 Q Ms. Hunter, we received a letter from you
17 or an E-mail or something, didn't we, the other day or
18 you called the PUC?
19 A I might have called to confirm the hearing
20 tonight. My pastor initially wrote the first letter.
21 Q Oh, okay, but we did hear from your church,
22 then?
23 A Back in October.
24 Q Was it that long ago? Well, I've got a
25 good memory. Okay, thank you, but I know we did hear
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1 from your church earlier about the address.
2 A Yes.
3 AUDIENCE: Could I possibly ask a
4 question?
5 COMMISSIONER SMITH: No. You can ask her
6 when she comes down. Thank you, Ms. Hunter. We
7 appreciate you taking the time.
8 (The witness left the stand.)
9 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Al Cryder.
10 MR. CRYDER: No, it's my wife, Liz Cryder.
11 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Ms. Cryder.
12 MR. CRYDER: What happened is that she
13 called the senator and we were supposed to have a
14 telephone and he said why did you ever call. I mean,
15 that's really something for a senator. We're going to
16 remember that.
17
18 ELIZABETH CRYDER,
19 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
20 sworn, testified as follows:
21
22 THE WITNESS: I'm Elizabeth Cryder,
23 C-r-y-d-e-r, and my address is 352 South Valley Drive,
24 Nampa, Idaho. I was amazed to hear the previous
25 testimony regarding us being charged for our addresses
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1 being in the phone book. Frankly, I signed my husband's
2 name because I didn't know what we were signing for. He
3 always sticks me as the secretary, but I would like to
4 thank the Public Utilities Commission for acting in the
5 public interest in the past and I appreciate the U S WEST
6 representatives being here, but I too am very offended by
7 the rate increase that they're proposing.
8 That's all I have to say.
9 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Any questions? Can we
10 just know who the senator was?
11 THE WITNESS: From Nampa.
12 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Oh, okay, that narrows
13 it down.
14 THE WITNESS: I assure you I'll remember it
15 election time.
16 (The witness left the stand.)
17 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Jeff Kelly. Is there
18 a Jeff Kelly who wishes to testify? No.
19 How about Doug Parkinson? These are
20 phantoms.
21 Damon Bowen.
22
23
24
25
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1 DAMON BOWEN,
2 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
3 sworn, testified as follows:
4
5 THE WITNESS: My name is Damon Bowen,
6 B-o-w-e-n. I live at 2513 1/2 Regan, Boise. I represent
7 the everyday man, Joe Blow. I'm completely in favor of
8 blocking U S WEST's request for a rate increase. I don't
9 know all the intricacies or why they want the rate
10 increase, but I'm not cut out for politics or big
11 business or anything like that. I just know that when
12 rates go up on apples at Albertson's, I can go to the
13 Co-op. If rates go up at the Co-op, I can go to Fred
14 Meyer.
15 We don't have a choice here if the rates go
16 up. Recently I called -- a friend told me about some
17 alternative long distance carriers. One is called Earth
18 Tones, another one is called Working Assets, so I called
19 1 800 555-1212 information and got their customer service
20 phone numbers and they sent me some information and I
21 looked and I saw that Idaho on their rates were some of
22 the highest in-state calling areas in the nation. I
23 thought that was pretty interesting.
24 The entire Pacific Northwest is growing
25 quite rapidly. In my understanding of economics is the
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1 more customers you have, the more you're selling, the
2 more you can discount whatever goods or services you're
3 giving and so, thus, I just don't understand this drastic
4 rate increase. A telephone service has become basically
5 almost a basic need. You've got postal, you've got food,
6 shelter and you have communication.
7 We don't live in small communities anymore
8 where to talk to your mom or dad or your brother or your
9 sister you can walk across the street, walk to the edge
10 of town. Families are spread out all over. It's a vital
11 part of a cohesive family unit and a community and, well,
12 I don't know, but you can fill in the words, so in
13 addition, I suppose a lot of us, you know, you go to get
14 gas, you see it's two cents cheaper down the street,
15 you're going to drive the extra block just to save the
16 two cents per gallon, three cents per gallon. Here we're
17 talking about a real drastic increase and so just
18 basically, I'm strictly opposed to it.
19 Thank you.
20 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Are there any
21 questions? Mr. Fothergill.
22 MR. FOTHERGILL: I have only one question.
23
24
25
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1 CROSS-EXAMINATION
2
3 BY MR. FOTHERGILL:
4 Q Are you saying that the access to a
5 telephone promotes family values?
6 A I suppose I did make a far reach there.
7 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Anyone else? Thank
8 you, Mr. Bowen.
9 (The witness left the stand.)
10 COMMISSIONER SMITH: We have John
11 Blakeley.
12
13 JOHN BLAKELEY,
14 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
15 sworn, testified as follows:
16
17 THE WITNESS: My name is John Blakeley,
18 B-l-a-k-e-l-e-y. I live at 2707 Hervey, Boise, Idaho,
19 83705. I'm very appalled about U S WEST wanting this
20 kind of a rate increase. I manage a local Internet
21 store. Of the 19 Internet competitors in this valley,
22 only one can be really rated as large. The rest of us
23 are just small businesses. I would say of the customers
24 that I have, at least 75 percent have an additional line
25 put into their house for the use of the Internet, because
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CSB REPORTING BLAKELEY
Wilder, Idaho 83676 Public
1 if you're connected into the Internet, then you can't
2 receive other phone calls, so most families, many
3 elderly, have an extra line put in.
4 If they double this cost of this line
5 coming in, then it will stop them from using the Internet
6 because they will be forced to quit, because you can't
7 run both your phone and the Internet at the same time.
8 Of the increases I'm sure, now, it was my
9 understanding if you have more than five lines, you're
10 considered a larger business and this doubling will not
11 affect the business. I believe that as much as pigs
12 fly. What this means, then, for the majority of the 19
13 small ISPs is it's going to put a lot of people out of
14 work just because of the greed of one large company that
15 has extremely poor service. Whenever we request lines to
16 be connected, it's no less than 10 days to 14 days before
17 they will show up to take the 10 minutes it takes to turn
18 the lines on whenever we expand our business and our
19 customer base.
20 When we have a problem with a line, again,
21 10 to 14 days to get one of your service people out to
22 look at it. Whenever my customers have a problem and
23 they get U S WEST to come out 10 to 14 days later, in the
24 meantime, because of all the noise on the lines, a lot of
25 times they're disconnected from the Internet just from
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1 poor quality service by U S WEST.
2 I don't think they've earned a rate
3 increase and with the amount of profits that they make,
4 they should be able to invest some of that back into the
5 business, just like I'm forced to do to upgrade my
6 service and still remain competitive, but when you have
7 no competitors, I guess that's something that you can ask
8 for and probably get.
9 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Does that conclude
10 your statement?
11 THE WITNESS: Yes.
12 COMMISSIONER SMITH: Let's see if there are
13 any questions.
14 MR. FOTHERGILL: No questions.
15 COMMISSIONER SMITH: We appreciate your
16 testimony, sir.
17 (The witness left the stand.)
18 COMMISSIONER SMITH: I'll go back to Jeff
19 Kelly or Doug Parkinson. No? Ladies and gentlemen, that
20 brings me to the end of all of those who have signed up
21 to testify. If there's anyone who came late or has
22 information or testimony they'd like to give that they
23 think we need to hear and would be something new, we'd
24 appreciate you coming forward now.
25 If not, then it looks like our hearing
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1 tonight is concluded. We want to sincerely thank all of
2 you for coming out and sharing your views with us. It's
3 very important to the Commission to have your
4 participation and your input into this process and thank
5 you for coming. We're adjourned until 9:15 tomorrow
6 morning.
7 (The Hearing recessed at 8:20 p.m.)
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