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Show EtlaiMII E)DS)Ds kimv sits J By GARY R. BLODGETT Capital expenditures considerably higher than were presented at original telephone hearings for Davis County extended ex-tended area service were presented by Mountain Bell Telephone Company representatives at Public Service Commission Com-mission hearings. THE PSC hearings were slated to continue con-tinue Wednesday in Salt Lake City and Thursday in Ogden. A ruling on the re-hearings, which were ' sought by Mountain Bell and the Utah Division of Public Utilities and granted by the PSC, is not expected for at least a week. FRANK D. Stevens, assistant vice president of customer services for Moun- . tain Bell, used a 10-page series of charts and graphs to depict why the telephone company must spend considerably more for EAS costs and construction than originally estimated. He noted that a revised supplemental request by Mountain Bell shows that construction con-struction costs for Davis County-wide calling, Kays vi lie calling to Ogden, and Farmington calling to Salt Lake City and Murray zones will total $7,328,000, compared com-pared to an earlier estimate of $2,460,000. THE SAME proposal - if approved by the Public Service Commission - would j cost $1,690,200 for EAS costs compared to k J ' an original figure of $1,474,700. If the PSC was to approve the above calling territory, plus allow Kaysville-Layton Kaysville-Layton customers to call into Salt Lake City, the costs would be increased to $8,751,000 for construction plus $2,591,100 for EAS costs. THIS COMPARES to original costs given to the PSC by the telephone company com-pany of $3,730,000 for construction plus $2,402,700 for extended area service. Attorney James Barker of the State Atr torney General's Office, representing the customers (Davis County) heatedly questioned ques-tioned Mr. Stevens about the alleged "discrepancies." HE NOTED that Mountain Bell figures were "up to 30 percent" different than originally proposed to the PSC. Mr. Stevens explained that cost estimates es-timates originally provided the PSC were taken from a 1976 study while figures given Monday were related to a 1978 "updated" study. HE EMPHASIZED that the majority of miscalculations arose from growth studies (number of telephone customers now and forecast for the future). For example, one chart noted that the 1976 figure of 7,355 average daily calls in Kays vi lie in 1976 was close to the figure given during earlier testimony. However, as the years progress, the estimated number of calls differ substantially -- with earlier figures forecasting 9,950 average daily calls per day while updated figures show the forecast to be closer to 11,442 calls per day by 1982. TOLL CALLS forecast earlier and those predicted today created an even wider gap. While the 1976 figures were about even at 4,467, the growth rate earlier forecast estimated 6,663 toll calls per day while new projections place the 1982 toll call estimate at 11,223. "This is more than a 30 percent difference in projected toll calls through 1982," Attorney Barker emphasized. CONSTRUCTION COSTS, which are by far the largest single expense in the proposed EAS package, is due largely to the increased number of trunk lines and switching equipment to implement the new service. Under the proposal to extend service from Kaysville to Ogden, plus countywide service, it would necessitate 1,111 trunk lines, according to Mountain Bell officials. of-ficials. This is more than double the number of trunk lines earlier predicted (529). ALSO, THE revised trunk line figures for the same territory as listed above, but to include Kaysville to Salt Lake and Farmington to Salt Lake City and Murray, would require 1,721 trunk lines --an --an increase of nearly 1,000 over the previous figure of 734. --- - Although cost figures (rates to customers) cus-tomers) have not been established by the PSC, it is estimated the rates will be increased in the Kaysville Exchange (376 and 776 prefixes) by $161 per month for countywide service and $6.45 per month for calling Ogden and Salt Lake City. EAS AND increased group rate will up Ogden customers' bills by about 96 cents; Clearfield and Bountiful customers will have to add 50 cents for countywide service. ser-vice. Salt Lake City customers, too, will have to pay an additional 50 cents for EAS plus 77 cents at the time Salt Lake City is placed into a higher rate group (from group 9-to group 10). CLEARFIELD and Bountiful will also face a similar increase when their rate group is changed due to increased number of customers and local service. About a dozen Kaysville-area customers testified at Monday's hearing. Nearly all requested tollfree calling to Salt Lake City and all desired countywide tollfree service. ser-vice. RANDY THOMPSON, 124 South 400 West, Kaysville, presented several letters from Salt Lake firms that expressed a Please Turn To Page 2 Ma Bell Dials Higher Costs Than Reported Continued From Front desire to call tollfree to customers In the Kaysville-Layton area. He alleged that Davis County is "subsidizing "sub-sidizing the remainder of the Mountain Bell system with its (Davis County) toll calls." He said one local bank pays nearly $2,500 annually for long-distance calls to Ogden and Salt Lake City. NADENE ANDERSON, 226 West 350 South, Kaysville, then presented the PSC with petitions with 1,323 signatures of local customers wanting countywide and extended area service in Salt Lake City or Ogden. Dean Holman and Beatrice Carroll testified tes-tified that Davis County "is split" because of the present telephone service. MR. HOLMAN, administrator of Davis North Medical Center and chairman of the Davis County Emergency Medical Services Ser-vices Council, said they would like a uniform 911 emergency number for all Davis County but can't have it until the county is a single exchange.1; Dick Bowman, owner-of Bowmans Market; Lyle J. Barnes, a resident of Bountiful but an attorney practicing in Kaysville; Fran Brown, president of the Kaysville Chamber of Commerce; Mayor Gar Elison; Richard Young, a Kaysville realtor; and Steve Mitchell were among those who testified Monday afternoon. MR. BOWMAN said the residents of Kaysville had been discriminated against long enough and that they would pay whatever the costs might be for improved service - "as long as the service is fair and equal to what Salt Lake County residents get." Attorney Barnes also said "it is unjust the way Davis County residents have been treated in their telephone service." He cited an example of not being able to call from his office in Kaysville to his home in Bountiful without a toll, but that he can call from Bountiful to the State Prison without a toll charge. MRS. BROWN said the telephone company com-pany has created "a lot of bitter feelings among residents of Kaysville." Mayor Elison noted that a recent study of employment of Kaysville residents show that more and more are working in Salt Lake City and other Davis County communities. "Many can't even call home without paying a toll charge," he said. IN HIS opening statement, Attorney David Salisbury urged the Public Service Commission to "refrain from setting any precedents that might come back to haunt us." He referred to the probability that if Davis County is awarded countywide EAS and tollfree calling from Kaysville to Salt Lake City might set a precedence for other cities and counties to ask for the same service. BUT HE emphasized that Mountain Bell will follow any guidelines handed down by the Commission (PSC) and provide whatever telephone service customers' cus-tomers' are willing to pay. "We are not trying to delay implementation implemen-tation of the proposed EAS program," he said. |