No mercy from phone companies

3/17/2010

Toledo City Council spoke for senior citizens when it passed a resolution urging the legislature to modify legislation that would deregulate Ohio's telecommunications industry.

What choices will seniors have when they cannot dial 911 in an emergency because of a phone outage? Currently, phone companies have 24 hours to restore service.

If phone companies have their way, they will have up to three times as long before restoring basic service. They will have unlimited time to restore service to customers who have bundles or packages of phone services.

What choices will seniors have if their telephone company is allowed to raise rates every year? Most seniors live on fixed incomes and rely on basic telephone service.

Many people have cell phones, but those who don't should not be at the mercy of telephone companies. More than ever, seniors need to be protected from higher rates and poor service. If the legislature passes the telecom bills, that protection will be lost.

Walter C. Goetz

Oregon