AT&T rates in California skyrocket since deregulation

[Newsjock]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

In August 2006, the California Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously to allow AT&T and other companies that provided local telephone service to raise prices at will.

Then-Commissioner Rachelle Chong, a Republican, credited as the driving force behind the deregulation plan, argued that growing competition from Internet phone service and cell phones would keep prices low.

... Since fall 2006, AT&T's price for flat-rate landline phone service has leaped 115 percent, from $10.69 per month to $23, according to information from the commission. The monthly price for measured service, which charges a fixed rate for a limited number of calls, has soared 222 percent - from $5.70 to $18.35.

Call-waiting charges popped almost 180 percent. Anonymous call rejection costs nearly quadrupled. Even flat-rate prices for the LifeLine Program basic service, discounted for California's low-income households, have risen 28 percent.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/technology/dotcommentary/article/AT-amp-T-rates-skyrocket-since-deregulation-4204388.php

[still_one]

1. Actually if consumers were on top of things they could change that. I became tired of paying the

high internet and phone costs, and found a provider that saves me 30 dollars/month.

The other issue is that a lot of people are moving away from land lines and using their cellular service provider for phone service. AT&T and others solution to that is increase the local rates to offset the loss.

What I am trying to say is there are alternatives, it just is a lot of people either are not aware, are too complacent for whatever reason, and continue with what they have.

[JDPriestly]

2. We switched away from AT&T.

Vonage is a lot cheaper.

[kelliekat44]

3. Being aware is not the only answer. Public utilities have all skyrocketed since deregulation.

You can thank Carter and to greater degree Ronald Reagan. How do you like your RW free market buddies now, America? Using cell phones is merely trading monopoly for another. I remember the days when telephone information services actually provided real information from helpful operators. Now it's a crap-shoot if you get the correct number after two tries.