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Show si y . ft M . J(j. v - :..v: ,., TELEPHONE HEARING J By GARY R. BLODGETT Davis County telephone subscribers are on the verge of getting "extended area service" - something they have been battling for during the past two years -but the new service is not going to come about overnight. A LOT OF favorable information came out of the Public Service Commission meetings last Friday in Salt Lake City, but Mountain Bell representatives, who did most of the talking, weren't too promising about how soon the service would be available or just what the extended ex-tended area service would be. David E. Salisbury, attorney for Mountain Bell, told the PSC that "it will take at least 18 months to implement the new calling service in Davis County after I all of the plans are approved by the PSC." DIRECT questioning of Mr. Salisbury by the three-member PSC brought out that the 18 months will be "minimum k time to implement the system." i Olaf Zundel, Bountiful resident and j member of the PSC, ordered the ijj telephone company to "make haste" with J their plans and to get the system opera-s opera-s tional "as soon as feasibly possible." ; "WE DONT want any more delays in this program," he said. "Davis County t residents have been shortchanged long enough and we want this new extended telephone service, whatever it might be, J operational as soon as possible." iX Mr. Salisbury explained that most of the time needed to make the change is attributed to the fact that all of Utah, not 5-, just Davis County, will be involved in mammoth EAS operation. "WE'U BE involving some 200 routes throughout the state and we must have s studies of what our costs will be to make 55 these changes," he told the PSC. "Rates will vary because a charge for the extended ex-tended area service would be added based on the cost of providing service to E the wire centers (central offices) a per-, per-, son can call." Davis County Commissioner Morris F. Swapp, right, testified before the Public Service Commission for need of extended area telephone service in the county. New proposed program will be introduced by Mountain Bell Telephone Company at continued PSC hearings next Monday and Tuesday. As for Davis County subscribers, there is still no definite program for extended area service. These proposals will be presented at PSC hearings scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday. HOWEVER, Mountain Bell and PSC officials did suggest that the extended service include being able to call anywhere within the county and that subscribers from Layton north be able to call into Ogden and subscribers from Kaysville south be able to call into Salt Lake City. But this is not definite - nor are the rates to be charged regardless of the area available for calling set at this time. MR. SALISBURY said cost factors are difficult to determine and that all exchanges will need an updated cost-study. cost-study. He emphasized to the PSC, however, that the new rates would be only to cover costs and would not include additional revenues or profits for the company. "RATES WILL be increased in some areas and decreased in others," said Mr. Salisbury. "It may be next year before we even know what Davis County rates will be. We (telephone company) propose to re-evaluate the rates of all exchanges throughout the state." He asked for a 30-day delay of last Friday's meeting, but the PSC refused to allow that much time. "WE ARE close, but not close enough, to knowing customer rates to Davis County residents," he said. He told the PSC that the proposal to be made next week "will be unique --something --something you have never seen before." MR. ZUNDEL promised the telephone company that it will not take the PSC five or six months to review their proposals. "Just get those proposals to us as quickly as possible and we'll take action without undo waste of time," the PSC member said. MR. SALISBURY then promised the PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 2 Telephone Hearing On Extended Service CONTINUED FROM FRONT commission that cost studies will not hold up the construction of a new telephone system in Davis County. "We'll do the studies and finalize the rates while work is being done in Davis County," he told the commission. MR. SALISBURY said that "basic" calling rates will be kept as low as possible. He noted that 29 areas (such as Davis County) have requested extended area service and the company (Mountain Bell) felt it would be best to do the entire program at once. "That way," he said, "areas will be uniform and everyone will be on as equal basis as we can possibly make it." NEWLY ELECTED Davis County Commissioner Morris F. Swapp was the only one to speak Friday representing Davis County and its problems. He urged the PSC and telephone company com-pany to "put an end to this battle between the north and south that exists in Davis County." "MUCH CAN be done to alleviate this north-south division if residents of one end of the county could call the other end of the county without a toll charge," said Commissioner Swapp. "A unified telephone system would do much to make us a unified county." He told the PSC that there are places in central Davis County where you can't call 10 miles without a toll. "DAVIS COUNTY has been discriminated against (with limited telephone service) long enough," said Commissioner Swapp. "Now, time is of I : essence. We are a very fast growing county and if something isn't done soon, - there will have to be added adjustments just to meet the population growth." He told the PSC that as commissioner, ' : resident of Davis County, and speaking for the people of the county, telephone service (or lack of service) is one of the county's most crucial problems. WHEN ASKED by the PSC of his (Swapp) feelings for extended area service, ser-vice, the county commissioner emphasized that there should be toll-free calling within the county and that north Davis residents should be able to call Ogden and south Davis residents should be able to call Salt Lake City without toll. Mr. Salisbury explained that there are a number of decisions the PSC could reach after proposals are presented by the telephone company. Some would have direct bearing on Davis County. ALSO, HE noted, as Davis County's calling capabilities increase - to whatever what-ever extent is approved by the PSC -rates paid by customers in Ogden and Salt Lake City would be increased as well. "Everyone is going to feel the economic impac by the telephone company's com-pany's proposals to provide EAS throughout the state," said Mr. Salisbury. Salis-bury. "Everyone is going to have to share in the costs." SPEAKER OF the Utah House of Representatives James V. Hansen and Utah Senator Haven J. Barlow - who have been two of the most prominent supporters for extended service in Davis County - were unable to attend Friday's meeting. - Both Davis County residents, they have been very influential in previous hearings with Mountain Bell and the Public Service Commission. REPRESENTATIVE Hansen said just before the hearing that he "feels that we are well on our way to getting extended and improved telephone service in Davis County." Apparently he's right. |