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Show T UINTAH BASIN STANDARD. February 24. I WH- - l.ieS 3 Consumer protection official says phone slamming on the rise Hundreds of Utah phone customers have had their long distance telephone service unknowingly and, many times, suspiciously switched from one company to another according to the Utah Department of Commerce Divisions of Consumer Protection, Public Utilities and the Committee of Consumer Services. The practice of switching a customers phone service provider without permission is known as slamming and has become a problem affecting tens ofthousands of phone users nationwide. Many customers who are slammed only learn of their switch to another long distance carrier when service deteriorates, bills seem to increase unreasonably or an unfamiliar company name is on the long distance portion of the bill. Slamming has been around for years in the long distance market, But, according to officials, its getting worse. The FCC received 12,000 complaints on slamming in the first half on 1997. There were 16,000 complaints in all of 1996. And, thats just the tip of the iceberg. Few consumers bother filing formal complaints. Slamming is an illegal, anticompetitive and practice. It is a direct assault on consumer choice, said Francine Giani, director ofthe Utah Division of Consumer Protection and a victim of slamming herself. While this is a problem that may have to be addressed at the national level, the fact that it affects so many of us individually makes it important that we try to take some steps at the local level to warn and protect us here in Utah. Giani says one common way for someone to get slammed is by innocently entering contests or drawing at fairs, trade show or expos. Often consumers who thought they were entering a drawing were in actuality signing an authorization form to er have their carrier long-distan- switched to another long-distan- company. Consumers have the right to know what they are signing, said Giani. We shouldnt and wont allow business to be conducted by deceit According to Ric Campbell, director ofthe Division of Public Utilities, slamming, while up to now only affecting Utahns long distance. . carriers,' may soon begin appearing 'J in the local market as wel).' As we move to the point where we will have the opportunity to choose between several local service providers, the risk for slamming at the local level increases. Campbell reports the Division of Public Utilities receives three to five complaints a day from individuals who have been slammed, which are then referred to the Federal Communication Commission. Even those aware of slamming can become victims, as Consumer Protection's Giani and several staff members from the Committee of Consumer Services and the Division of Public Utilities have had their long distance carrier improperly switched. Slamming appears to be the down side to opening up telephone service to competition, adds Roger Ball, executive secretary to the Committee of Consumer Services, the states small business and residential utility advocate agency. We used to take for granted that our phone service came from the phone company. Now, with deregulation, numerous providers and competition are part of daily life. Telephone service providers often resmt to cutthroat tactics to try and obtain even a small slice ofthe telecommunication pie. Unfortunately, consumers will always have to be alert to this problem from now on. The Department of Commerce suggests the following tips to help protect from slamming: Never sign anything without reading it carefully. Dont sign cash bonus checks or respond to contest offers without reading the fine print. Ifyou receive a phone call about long distance or local toll service, ask questions about which service theyre offering and at what rates. Find out what youre paying now and compare offers. Ifyou haven't switched services but receive a letter or postcard or phone call verifying a switch, notify the sender that you did not authorize the change. Read your phone bill carefully every month. If you see any unfamiliar names or charge you cant identify, call the company issuing the charges or your local phone com- pany. Aak your local phone company for slamming protection. US West offers firee slamming protection. For 2 In a story in last weeks Standard we incorrectly reported that Roosevelt resident Matt Jensen A misdepleaded guilty to a class meanor for discharging a firearm from a vehicle. J enaen pleaded guilty to a class A misdemeanor for wanton destruction of wildlife. information call: Most other telephone service providers in Utah offer a similar ser vice. If you are slammed: Call your local phone provider at the customer service number on your bill to have your service switched back. Call the company that slammed you and ask for proof that you authorized a switch. Tell them youll only pay the charges your preferred carrier would have charged. If the carrier refuses, write the FCC. You can also call the company you were switched from, tell them you were slammed and ask to be reconnected. There should be no charge to reconnect If youre not sure if you've been slammed, call your local phone company to double check your long distance and local toll provider. Giani, Ball and Campbell suggest that customers call their local phone company to request a freeze of their longdistance phone carrier. In that way, the long distance carrier cannot be switched unless the local company receive the customer' authorization. If you want to take action against the company that slammed you, here are some option: File a complaint with the FCC. Send information about your case, including your name, address, telephone number that was slammed, and daytime phone number, names of your local and long distance companies; names and numbers of company representatives you spoke to; and any documents, mailings or unauthorized bills you received to: Federal Communications Commission, Common Carrier Bureau, Enforcement Division, Informal Complaints & Public Inquiries Branch, Mail stop Code 1600A2, 2025 M Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20554. You can also contact: Utah Division ofConsumer Protection, 160 E. 300 South, Box, Salt Lake City, r- Utah or Utah Division of Public Utilities, 160 E. 300 South, Box, Salt Lake City, 2 Utah 84114- - (801) or 1, 530-665- CLEANING T1 HNGSUP- -l inion High students Slade Gurr and Uintah Board OKs leeway tax as petitions fly The Uintah School Board last week approved a board leeway to raise new tax revenue, but some taxpayers dont like the way the board went about implementing the tax and want the issue placed on the November ballot for the public to decide. The board leeway of .0004 will raise about $480,000 for the Uintah School District The Uintah District is one ofthree districts in Utah that hasn't already adopted the leeway which is typically targeted to reduce class size. Uintah School District Superintendent John Gawrys says revenue raised from the leeway will be used to fund two additional days of instruction to be added to the regular Josh Cobabc volunteered to paint over graffiti which has school year, replace text books, pay to hire lunch-tim- e aides at the elementary school level to relieve teachers of lunch duty and to provide salary increases for teachers. A petition drive has already been launched in an effort to place the matter on the ballot in November to allow district patrons to decide if they want the new property tax. signatures must be obtained to put the measure on the ballot If petitioners foil in their bid, the tax increase will go into effect when property tax notices go out this year. Ifdie proposal is placed on the ballot and wins voter approval, the school district will have to wait one more year before they can implement the tax hike. One-thousa- Study connects alcohol, drugs to incarceration USA Today Eighty percent of people behind bars were involved with alcohol or other drugs at the times of the crimes, a report says. Alcohol also play a role in a greater number of violent crimes than crack or powder cocaine, according to the report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York. The three-yestudy released Thursday found that 1.4 million of the 1.7 million people serving time in the nations jails and prisons committed crime while they were high, stole property to buy drugs, have a history of drug or alcohol abuse or are in jail for violating drug or alcohol laws. e The report concludes that criminal activity because of drugs and alcohol is the overwhelming reason the nations prison population has risen nearly 239 percent since 1980. People think prisons are full of James Cagney types and psychopaths, but they are actually fell of alcoholic and drug addicts, and we can deal with that through treatment, said Joseph Califono Jr., president of the center and former secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. But few ofthe hundreds of thousands of people who could be turned ar 281-pag- SCHOOL ADDITIONS Continued from page 1 covered the Hill Top overpass. Jones Paint and Glass donated the paint for the project. The overpass has been the sight of an war of words between Union High and rival Uintah High. Uintah got the last jab in. but the overpass now sports black and yellow paint and says "Cougar Den on one side and Union Pride on the other. into respectable taxpayers and parents are ever treated. We're not protecting the public safety because we arent treating the problem, and were supporting the illegal drug market because we are just sending customers back, Califono said. Twenty-on-e percent of the people serving time for violent crimes including murder, rape, spousal and child abuse and assault - were under the influence of alcohol at the time the crime was committed. Only 3 percent of the violent offenders were under the influence ofcrack or powder cocaine. Jack Levin, director of the Program for the Study of Violence and Social Conflict at Northeastern University in Boston, said the role of alcohol in violence is not surpris-- ing. Its easy to look at crack addicts as deviants and perverts prone to violence, he said. Its much harder to see people at a cocktail party that way because that requires us to look at ourselves. COUNTY ROADS Continued from page - La-bru- UTE FAMILY d, CENTER wel-far- te 1 the decision. The agency has identified three expected outcomes for the final road management policy: 1) Fewer forest roads will be built and those that are built will minimize environmental impacts. 2) Roads that are no longer needed or that cause significant environmental damage will be removed. 3) Roads that are most heavily usedby the public will be made safer and promote more efficient use. Some RS 2477 roads may already be closed, but once the mapping is done we can go to the agency and have it reopened. There is the probability that die Forest Service will dose some RS 2477 roads in our county, said Ross, addingthatcounty leaders want to obtain factual information before confronting any agency about road be able to walk right to the gym on the east side and then in the west section a door will be removed and become part of a long hallway. Alternant High School currently has one gymnasium and the wrestlers have been forced to work out in the multipurpose room at Altamont Elementary, which is located right next door to the high school. Our wrestlers have been running back and forth from the two schools. They work out, get sweaty and then closures . run back to the gym in the cold, said Principal Haslem. Having two gymnasiums will allow Altamont High School to make a reduction in miles traveled to games. They will have the capability of having girls and boys basketball contests on the same date. The high school will be able to take one bus to garnet atsuchplacesasMonticello.SanJuan and Moab and those schools will be able to do the same when traveling to Altamont. Duchesne County voters approved a $5 million bond February 1997 to fond several construction project at district schools. In addition to the gymnasium at Altamont and classrooms at East Elementary the bond helped pay fbr renovation ofDuchesne High School's technology lab and roadway projects. The key to the future success of the UBMC is good management, said Kappen. If you look at the hisContinued from page 1 tory of rural hospitals, they get into trouble with poor management. LeBaron says the mission of UBMC to determine just what the citizens of Duchesne County really need. One is to assist local citizens to be the such difficult decision was a proposal healthiest people in the state of Utah to create a pharmacy within the hos- and to expand the scope ofservices and pital. The issue came down to is this make an impact in wellness and prea service the people in the community vention. need? It was the consensus of the board that the pharmacy be installed, and it was. The nine member board, also in--, dudes Snow, Russell- Cowan, Dr. Wayne Stewart, Gale Young, Val Dr. Carl Unsicker, Smiley Arrowchi, Craig Kelsey and Commissioner Kappen. When appointing a member to the hospital board Kappen says the commissioners look for an individual who will know how to operate on a budget, whether it be a former, rancher, or other business person. Each year, LeBaron says the board is approached with an operatingplan and budget, they are also involved in an annual strategic planning day to determine what services will be offered and what direction the hospital will go. Brad LeBaron, and go to work UBMC administrator They on the fulfillment of those strategies, LeBaron reports, including staff recruitment, and major personnel. They set policy ... the hospital administers it. The advantages of county ownership are two-folLeBaron reported, first the county does not pay government taxes, this indudes business, property or income taxes. Without this tax burden he says Continued from page 1 the hospital is able to keep medical costs a bit lower. Money that is generated over and above operating costs is increase the capacity of the tribe to re-i-n vested into the hospital in growth provide comprehensive child welfare and new equipment such as several and family preservation services. e Together state and tribal child diagnostic machines and workers will be responsible for new patient services. Are their disadvantages to county drafting policies and procedures and management? Not as it currently identifying the best way to serve Ute operates, LeBaron said, adding, I families and their children. The Ute Family Center includes guess the big threat is if it's sold, or modified or robbed ... its the countys offices, a small play area, a conference hospital, but I would rather see the room and visitation room. It is funded by the State and Ute public say that they wanted to happen Tribe. and take it to a public vote. 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