Show The Herald Journal Logan Utah Wednesday April 10 1996 — Page 7 Customers won’t be able to contest cable rates WASHINGTON (AP) — Cable TV customers soon will have to rely on their state or local governments to take complaints about rates for popular cable programs to federal regulators The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday ordered changes to its complaint procedures iM will mean consumers can no longer take their complaints about rates directly to the agency It also proposed other rales that would deregulate rates for most customers by March 31 1999 or sooner if a cable company competes against a telephone company for cable customers munications law Instead of filing complaints on their “Hold onto your wallets’’ said own cable customers will have to rely Bradley Stillman Consumer Federation of America’s legislative director “This is the part Congress didn't tell you about when they were passing the 1996 Telecommunications Act Cable rates are going to go up and there is only one place to lay the blame” The law’s authors and the cable industry say new competition from telephone satellite companies and providers will keep rates in check “Competition to cable is here and it is real” said Decker Anstrom president of the National Cable Television Association direct-broadc- The FCC’s action carries out Congress’ wishes as part of a larger telecom- - on their state or local governments to contest rates on their behalf to the PCC FCC spokesman Brian Foucart said new complaint procedures would take effect “in a couple of days" upon the rales' publication in the Federal Register Customers have been allowed since 1993 to protest directly rates for expanded basic service which makes up the vast majority of regulated cable services On most cable systems networks such as ESPN MTV and USA are part of expanded basic service Premium services such as HBO are not regulated Responding to public outrage over rate gouging Congress in a 1992 law directed the FCC to craft rate regulations and per- mitted customers to contest expanded basic rates by filing complaints to the FCC Under that law the FCC was not bound by a deadline to investigate a complaint but Congress told the FCC in its new procedures to make a decision within 90 days If the FCC finds that the rate is unreasonable it can order a refund The FCC has ordered millions of dollars in refunds Cable companies also will no longer be required to give customers prior notice of any rate changes that occur because of a regulatory fee franchise fee or any other fee or tax However companies still are required to notify customers before they make rate and service changes The new telecommunications law aLso deregulated rates for customers of small cable TV systems — about 20 percent of the nation's 61 million cable subscribers The FCC said it would seek public comment on whether telephone compa- nies that compete against traditional cable companies should have to provide cable services to a certain number of people in a given market before the existing cable company's rates are deregulated More refunds find way to public WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service is putting more refund money © soon- er into taxpayers pockets this year The extra cash — more than $10 billion through March — is contributing to a spring economic rebound according to economists And it's a sign that despite a cut in walk-i- n office hours and a scarcity of forms for some taxpayers the agency’s filing-seaso- n performance is improving 8mm Camcorder Last year IRS computers delayed 74 million refunds — the inadvertent fallout from a crackdown on fraud Angry callers flooded IRS’ toll-fr- ee 12:1 ZOOM ES80 Canon 8mm Camcorder Canon essso 8mm Camcorder BuNMn Wide Angle lane ‘Remote Control ‘Pechisn Preset DateTlms Large Video Head ’Auto Lena Cover 12x loom Programmed Auto 12x Zoom Bu-i- n Tiler Camcorder 24XDWMZoom Trttngual 25' Tt 0feaet Acceee Digftai Ramole Display On-Scre-en ‘Integrated Auto Light ‘Program AE wSpecial Effects TOO HuttFdncMon Hamate dock 6 Dual Timer Color Vlewflhdar C 266734 ' Tetevls HITACHI VMS JVC VHS-Camcorder Color LCD Viewfinder 12:1 Hyper Zoom Lena $Ett97 $44B “Notwithstanding the budget this year’s filing season cuts seems to be progressing more smoothly than did last year’s in some key respects” said Lynda D Willis of Congress’ General Accounting Office Camcorder VHS-- C ©A 97 27" Stereo Color Trek Plus XS Stsrso Optimum Contrast Screen i Ksagmo ACCOM KAMfll IWVMO mci Closed Caption ‘Commercial Skip ‘Cannel Lock Remote OSD $9A 10tf£4O 258386 tele- phone lines and the agency rate of reported its worst-eve- r answering calls This year the IRS reports a marked increise in the flow of refunds anda moderate improve-- 1 vnent fateliphoOe access despite bftffglTOffff slaff cuts and the te tax changes threat of from Congress On the other hand the IRS has ItDl 27" Monitor Rea last-minu- closed some of its offices reduced walk-i- n hours and cut back on auditing A group of commercial tax preparers reported a sharp increase in calls from CetorTtak Plua 9terao wdbx Qjtimum Contrast Screen Ufta BLACK lUbe ‘660-lin‘uminalod Remote Control Master Touch Uhlversal Remote PLP Commercial Skip STEREO SOUND PIP IMS $! 'Monitor 35"Stei Parental Control Control Central Universal Remote Commercial Skip (V'HomeTheBtnT Projection Monitor 8RS sound Refrieval System Channel GyidaUn Remote VCR AutoPowerA Remote Control’ Circuitry One Touch Control ‘Programmable 119 211 258991 taxpayers searching for forms And it said morale problems appear to have soured some revenue officers “Certain enforcement employees have started to exhibit an attitude of callousness to the plight of taxpayers far jn excess of their usual indifference” said Joseph F Lane of the National Association of Enrolled Agents He said a cut in the IRS’ budget from $75 billion last year to VR617 ncl 1 99 S toll On the plus side though the IRS sent taxpayers 416 million refunds averaging $1252 each through March 29 That's up from “It's not insignificant Refunds spur all kinds of sales appliances TV sets” said econo- mist Mark Zandi of Regional Financial Associates in West Chester Pa “Twelve-hundre- d tub IK Rant ‘VHShkwTimQb-’feSssrd- 'em AV RECEIVER Player ‘Dual Deck ‘Power Baas 2 Bqpe Reflex Speakers Surround Dolby 60 Watts X4 Hah Power Amp Pro-Log- inputs AV System Remote e! Logic $44 085 vsx- 305 calls went through Also it's harder to find help from IRS employees According to the GAO the IRS closed 93 walk-i- n assistance offices and reduced houn at 442 others ’’FUe-iype- Changer player ’’ CD Lfcrary with Custom CD File 1 Bit DA Converter -- AQQ87 DS1120 199(Mi 204398 wBet Compact 9 j E onJrl'Vivitar Binoculars JTWBInoculars 10x40 8x32 BUSlinELL Falcon Binoculars 7x35 $0099 IQ80 PENTAX High Power BUSlinELL Powsrvlsw Binoculars 8x21 236 million calls were answered between Jan 1 and the April 15 filing deadline ment telephone access still is very low the GAO said As recently as 1989 58 percent of 25-Di- se IMKLEYSiHASTHEAREASLARQ£S:DBlNOCUl:AJSELEOTIONIg hold attempts from a single caller But no matter how it is measured and despite the improve- and audio performance Greater program cholcea for the family PIONEER CD 25-Di- sc GDpioneet Shelf 20 percent of the 917 million calls it received The rest of the callers cither heard busy signals or gave up after being put on the calls represent multiple 85 AFTER REBATE Digital Tschnology Awesome digital quality video PIONEER from January According to the IRS this year’s access rate — by caller rather than by call — actually is about 51 percent because many of i 100 :CLOSEOUT!fc through March the IRS answered That’s an improvement over last year when only 8 percent of fct fiQ Deluxe bucks goes a long way towards a down payment on a car” Meanwhile Dud VCRCWfclWIh kJD $99Q?M OD 388 million refunds averaging SIQ76 a year earlier The total $521 billion is up 25 percent MTOtt VCR "Hi-F-T' Vouch UNund Renata Ronmminp Systsm GRttRogrammhg! 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